Frontier Records
An independent label in the 1960s with ties to Nashville and Birmingham.
History[edit | edit source]
Early releases on the label feature an address in Nashville used by Sound of Nashville for their distribution. Further addresses include 1007 Murfreesboro Rd in Nashville as well as 2121 8th Ave South in Birmingham.
Most of the artists on the label only have a few releases to their name. Many of them only have their releases on this label. Loretta James for instance appears to be a club owner in the Florida panhandle at Club Continental in Walton Beach. The Offbeats were a garage rock group from the Birmingham area, where owner of the label Al Hambric lived. The releases by sandy Archer, Donna Kay Robbins, and John Hemming represent their only output. Of note, the release by John Hemming featured John Denny as producer, and are labelled a JED production, similar to his JED International label at the time.
Al Hambric[edit | edit source]
A mention in 1961 in the Union Springs Herald newspaper references Alton M. Hambric as president of the Midway telephone company and the family as natives of Jasper, Walker County, Alabama. Later in 1961, the Daily Mountain Eagle paper refers to Mr. Hambric as Vice-President and General Manager of American Continental Communications out of Mobile.
From the APRIL 20, 1968, BILLBOARD:
Frontier Records rushed into market with "March to Freedom," subtitled "A Salute to Martin Luther King." It was recorded by Al Hambric, a member of the Alabama board of trade who is candidate for Lieutenant Governor. The record was produced by Jim Haney, an official of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
The Alabama State Bar refers to Mr. Alton Marshall Hambric as a graduate of Birmingham School of Law. He was admitted to the bar on April 25, 1997.
Al Hambric passed away in 2007 with a law practice based in Forestdale, just outside Birmingham.
External References[edit | edit source]
https://www.discogs.com/label/811605-Frontier-Records-Inc?page=1
https://www.45cat.com/label/frontier-tenn
https://www.discogs.com/artist/4281206 Al Hambric
https://obits.al.com/us/obituaries/birmingham/name/alton-hambric-obituary?id=13265296 Al Hambric obit