The Demons & Clover Records

[Roburt]

Clover Records was a vanity label that had loads of money put into it by LA based heiress Doris Duke (not the soul singer, though this Doris Duke did perform in a black gospel choir for a while ... even though she was white !!).

Anyway, this Doris Duke lived in a mansion in Beverly Hills and around 1960 took up with jazz piano man Joe Castro.

Probably at his prompting, she bought $1000's of recording equipment and had it installed above the garage at her mansion.

Castro organised loads of jam sessions at the place & recordings were made on a regular basis. By the mid 60's, Castro wanted to have some new recordings released and so Clover Records was set up mainly for this purpose (though other artists were quickly signed to the label).

National distribution was arranged and big trade ads taken out. Other acts were signed, tracks cut and 45's released.

One of these 45's was the Demons "Going To The Dance", a R&B style track that sounds earlier than its mid 1966 date of issue. Anyone know much of anything about the group ??

However Duke & Castro's relationship was breaking down & maybe the amount of money going into this label also put additional strain on their romance. Whatever the reason, the couple split and the label was gone almost overnight.

Edited August 30, 2012 by Roburt

[Roburt]

The Demons track initially appeared on an RCA acetate ........

[Roburt]

R&B singer Kitty White (who had earlier cut for Mercury) was another artist signed to the label ........

[Roburt]

Yet another Clover Records acetate; this time the track is by Joe Castro himself ............

[Dave Moore]

John,

I THINK your Doris Duke was the tobacco heiress? If it's the same woman, she lived a hell of a life!

Regards,

Dave