# Polygon Records > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Polygon_Records > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Polygon_Records.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polygon_Records > Source revision: 1342190786 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Defunct British record label (1950–1955) **Polygon Records** was a British [independent record label](/source/Independent_record_label) which ran from 1950 to 1955. ## History The label was started in 1949 as the Polygon Record Company Ltd. by [Alan A. Freeman](/source/Alan_A._Freeman) and Leslie Clark, who was anxious to control distribution of his daughter [Petula Clark](/source/Petula_Clark)'s recordings. (Those associated with it fondly referred to the company as "Dead Parrot Records".) The two opened offices on [Grosvenor Place](/source/Grosvenor_Place) in the [Sloane Square](/source/Sloane_Square) section of London, and arranged Clark's first recording session with [Ron Goodwin](/source/Ron_Goodwin) and his orchestra and a vocal backing group called [the Stargazers](/source/The_Stargazers_(1940s%E2%80%931950s_group)). Since Polygon's UK distribution was not yet in existence, the first 78 rpm single – "[You Go to My Head](/source/You_Go_to_My_Head)", backed with "Out of a Clear Blue Sky" – was released in Australia, followed by a cover of [Teresa Brewer](/source/Teresa_Brewer)'s "[Music! Music! Music!](/source/Music!_Music!_Music!)" backed with "Blossoms on the Bough", both on the [Esquire](/source/Esquire_Records) label.[1] In fact, the first Polygon release in the UK was not by Clark, but by [Louis Prima](/source/Louis_Prima) and his orchestra. Clark's first official Polygon release was "You Are My True Love" / "You're the Sweetest in the Land" in 1950. Her first big hit came in June 1954 with "[The Little Shoemaker](/source/The_Little_Shoemaker)" (Polygon P1117). In all, she recorded more than fifty songs for the label, including a few duets with its other major artist, [Jimmy Young](/source/Jimmy_Young_(disc_jockey)), then best known as a singer.[1] Young recorded his big hit "Too Young" for the Polygon label (P1013) in 1951, prior to the launch of the [UK singles chart](/source/UK_singles_chart), which started in November 1952. Other artists who had chart hits on Polygon were [Joe "Mr Piano" Henderson](/source/Joe_%22Mr_Piano%22_Henderson), [Dorothy Squires](/source/Dorothy_Squires), [Johnny Brandon](/source/Johnny_Brandon) and [Anthony Steel](/source/Anthony_Steel_(actor)) (the latter with The Radio Revellers). Near the end of 1955, Polygon was sold to [Nixa Records](/source/Nixa_Records), then part of [Pye Records](/source/Pye_Records), which led to the establishment of Pye Nixa Records.[1] Nixa utilized a selection of Clark's Polygon tapes to release her first LP, *Petula Clark Sings*.[2] Clark's complete Polygon catalogue is available on CD – originally re-issued as *The Polygon Years, Volume One (1950–1952)* and *The Polygon Years, Volume Two (1952–1955*). However, when Polygon was first merged with Nixa, one of the two Nissen huts used for storing the label's master tapes was demolished with the contents still inside. Thus, as a consequence, the only source for around half of Polygon's masters is original 78 rpm discs.[3] The first CD reissues of these recordings therefore suffered from poor sound, which was not improved until 2007 on the compilation *It Had to Be You – The Complete Early Singles*.[4] ## Notable artists - [Petula Clark](/source/Petula_Clark) - [Jimmy Young](/source/Jimmy_Young_(disc_jockey)) - [Dorothy Squires](/source/Dorothy_Squires) - [Ray Martin](/source/Ray_Martin_(orchestra_leader)) - [Frank Chacksfield](/source/Frank_Chacksfield) - [Robin Richmond](/source/Robin_Richmond) - [Dennis Lotis](/source/Dennis_Lotis) - [Monty Norman](/source/Monty_Norman) - [Ron Goodwin](/source/Ron_Goodwin) - [Eric Winstone](/source/Eric_Winstone) - [Oscar Rabin](/source/Oscar_Rabin) - [Primo Scala](/source/Primo_Scala) - [Lou Preager](/source/Lou_Preager) - [Joe "Mr Piano" Henderson](/source/Joe_%22Mr_Piano%22_Henderson) - [Max Wall](/source/Max_Wall) - [Eva Bartok](/source/Eva_Bartok) - [Geoff Love](/source/Geoff_Love) - [Anthony Steel](/source/Anthony_Steel_(actor)) - [Inia Te Wiata](/source/Inia_Te_Wiata) - [Laurie Johnson](/source/Laurie_Johnson) - [Billy Reid](/source/Billy_Reid_(British_songwriter)) - [Kenny Baker](/source/Kenny_Baker_(trumpeter)) - [Johnny Brandon](/source/Johnny_Brandon) - [Kathie Kay](/source/Kathie_Kay) - [Diane Cilento](/source/Diane_Cilento) ## See also - [Alan A. Freeman](/source/Alan_A._Freeman) - [List of record labels](/source/List_of_record_labels) - [Polygon Records discography](/source/Polygon_Records_discography) ## References 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-michael_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-michael_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-michael_1-2) Thomas, Michael. ["Polygon"](http://www.mgthomas.co.uk/Records/LabelPages/Polygon.htm). *Michael Thomas' Website*. Retrieved 21 March 2019. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Vinyl Album – Petula Clark – Petula Clark Sings – Pye Nixa – UK"](https://www.45worlds.com/vinyl/album/npt19002). *45worlds*. Retrieved 21 March 2019. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Harries, Richard (liner notes) (1994). *The Polygon Years Volume One* (CD liner notes). RPM Records. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["CLARK, Petula – It Had To Be You – The Complete Early Singles"](http://www.jasmine-records.co.uk/store/index.php/category-572/product-410). *Jasmine Records*. Retrieved 21 March 2019. Authority control databases International VIAF National United States --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Polygon Records](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polygon_Records) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Polygon_Records?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.