FONTANA
RECORDS

 In 1958 Philips created a subsidiary record label Fontana and appointed Jack Baverstock (who had worked for the New Musical Express and had assisted in introducing the Top Twenty charts to the UK), as the label’s A&R Manager. Jack had previously also produced discs for Oriole and Embassy Records. The name Fontana is taken from the Italian word for fountain. Among the first batch of singles released that January - and only on 78rpm discs initially - were from Jimmy Jaques (TF100), harmonica player Tommy Reilly, Al Saxon, the then unknown vocalist Matt Monro, plus several U.S. Columbia recordings that included Frank Sinatra, Johnny Mathis, Marty Robbins and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins.  It hit the charts regularly throughout the '60s with the likes of Dave Dee, Dozy (etc), Wayne Fontana, and the Spencer Davis Group, but by the time the '70s rolled around the impetus had gone and the number of releases had dwindled.  As far as home-made product is concerned the label appears to have been shelved in 1970; it was revived briefly in 1974 but chart success was not forthcoming, so it soon went back into hibernation.  A couple of singles by Reggae band Weapon Of Peace appeared in 1980-81, but a proper new lease of life came in 1984, when Fontana was handed over to Phonogram A&R man David Bates: with signings such as the House of Love and, especially, James, Bates introduced the label to a new generation of music-buyers.  The design of the Fontana label changed only fractionally over the course of its existence; generally it was coloured blue, with silver printing, but the EP label had first red and then in the early '60s black labels.  This black label also appeared on some singles.  The injection-moulded labels date from the 1974 revival, as does the pale-blue company sleeve.  Initially Fontana singles seem to have been numbered in the H-100s; the prefix changed to TF at some point in the mid '60s. in 1970, Phonogram began numbering the singles on all their labels with seven-digit 6000-000 numbers; the majority of Fontana's old TF numbers were replaced by a 6007-000 series, though there appear to have been a few 6001-000s.  Singles originating in Europe (France?) seem to have used a different series, 6010-000.  The two Weapon Of Peace singles in the early '80s used the TF-1000 numbering, starting where the old series had left off - at TF-1082. Thanks to Robert Lyons for the info.

THIS LABEL IS INCOMPLETE MORE TO BE ADDED LATER

           

A FULL DISCOGRAPHY OF THE FONTANA H-TF 100 TO 999 SERIES 1958-1970 CAN BE FOUND HERE
  

A FULL DISCOGRAPHY OF THE FONTANA TF 1000 TO 1081 SERIES 1969-1970 CAN BE FOUND HERE

58	Vienna Symphony Orchestra Conducted By Antal Dorati	Overture: A Midsummer Night's Dream	FONTANA	SCFE	7000
58	Vienna Symphony Orchestra Conducted By Karel Ancerl	Waltz Of The Flowers From The Nutcracker Suite	FONTANA	SCFE	7001
58	Not Traced		FONTANA	SCFE	7002
58	Not Traced		FONTANA	SCFE	7003
58	Vienna Symphony Orchestra	Smetana	FONTANA	SCFE	7004
58	Vienna Symphony Orchestra Conducted By Karel Ancerl	Overture: 1812, Op. 49	FONTANA	SCFE	7005

A FULL DISCOGRAPHY OF THE FONTANA TF 1000 TO 1081 SERIES 1969-1970 CAN BE FOUND HERE  A FULL DISCOGRAPHY OF THE FONTANA TFE 17000 TO 17396 SERIES 1958-1962 CAN BE FOUND HERE 

61	Joan Baez	Joan Baez Accompanying Herself On The Guitar	FONTANA	TFE	18000
62	Joan Baez	The Cherry Tree Carol	FONTANA	TFE	18001
62	The Weavers	The Weavers EP	FONTANA	TFE	18002
62	Paul Robeson	Paul Robeson Encores No. 1	FONTANA	TFE	18003
62	Paul Robeson	Paul Robeson Encores No. 2	FONTANA	TFE	18004
62	Joan Baez	Joan Baez Sings Silver Dagger & Other Songs	FONTANA	TFE	18005
63	Joan Baez	Once I Had A Sweetheart	FONTANA	TFE	18006
63	Joan Baez	Don't Think Twice, It's All Right	FONTANA	TFE	18007
63	Joan Baez	Pretty Boy Floyd	FONTANA	TFE	18008
64	Bob Dylan / Pete Seeger / Joan Baez	With God On Our Side	FONTANA	TFE	18009
64	Bob Dylan / Pete Seeger / Joan Baez	Blowing In The Wind	FONTANA	TFE	18010
64	Bob Dylan / Pete Seeger / Joan Baez	Ye Playboys And Playgirls	FONTANA	TFE	18011
65	Joan Baez	With God On Our Side	FONTANA	TFE	18012
65	Joan Baez	A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall	FONTANA	TFE	18013
65	Joan Baez	Bachianas Brasileiras	FONTANA	TFE	18014

  

59	Vienna Symphony Orchestra Conducted By Rudolf Moralt	Musical Cameos Series	FONTANA	EFF	500
58	Vienna State Opera Chorus, Vienna Symphony Orchestra	Musical Cameos / Classical Cameos	FONTANA	EFF	501
58	Vienna Symphony Orchestra Conducted By Rudolf Moralt	Musical Cameos / Classical Cameos	FONTANA	EFF	502
58	Adam Harasiewicz	Musical Cameos / Classical Cameos	FONTANA	EFF	503
58	Vienna Symphony Orchestra Conducted By Rudolf Moralt	Musical Cameos / Classical Cameos	FONTANA	EFF	504
58	Vienna Symphony Orchestra	Musical Cameos / Classical Cameos	FONTANA	EFF	505
58	Grand Symphony Orchestra And Chorus	Musical Cameos / Classical Cameos	FONTANA	EFF	506
59	Grand Symphony Orchestra And Chorus	Musical Cameos / Classical Cameos	FONTANA	EFF	507
59	Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Conducted By Erich Leinsdorf	Musical Cameos / Classical Cameos	FONTANA	EFF	508
59	New York Philharmonic, Conducted By Efrem Kurtz	Musical Cameos / Classical Cameos	FONTANA	EFF	509
59	The Philadelphia Orchestra Conducted By Eugene Ormandy	Musical Cameos / Classical Cameos	FONTANA	EFF	510
59	Metropolitan Opera Orchestra And Chorus	Musical Cameos / Classical Cameos	FONTANA	EFF	511
59	Columbia Symphony Orchestra	Musical Cameos / Classical Cameos	FONTANA	EFF	512
59	The Philadelphia Orchestra, Conducted By Franz Waxman	Musical Cameos / Classical Cameos	FONTANA	EFF	513
59	Royal Philharmonic Orchestra	Musical Cameos / Classical Cameos	FONTANA	EFF	514
59	Columbia Symphony Orchestra	Musical Cameos / Classical Cameos	FONTANA	EFF	515
59	Royal Philharmonic Orchestra	Musical Cameos / Classical Cameos	FONTANA	EFF	516
59	Royal Philharmonic Orchestra	Musical Cameos / Classical Cameos	FONTANA	EFF	517
59	Royal Philharmonic Orchestra	Musical Cameos / Classical Cameos	FONTANA	EFF	518
59	Metropolitan Opera Orchestra And Chorus	Musical Cameos / Classical Cameos	FONTANA	EFF	519
59	New York Philharmonic, Conducted By George Szell	Musical Cameos / Classical Cameos	FONTANA	EFF	520
59	Royal Philharmonic Orchestra	Musical Cameos / Classical Cameos	FONTANA	EFF	521
59	The Cleveland Orchestra, Conducted By George Szell	Musical Cameos / Classical Cameos	FONTANA	EFF	522
59	The Cleveland Orchestra, Conducted By George Szell	Musical Cameos / Classical Cameos	FONTANA	EFF	523
59	The Cleveland Orchestra, Conducted By George Szell	Musical Cameos / Classical Cameos	FONTANA	EFF	524
59	The Cleveland Orchestra, Conducted By George Szell	Musical Cameos / Classical Cameos	FONTANA	EFF	525
59	The Lamoureux Orchestra, Paris Conducted By Jesus Etcheverry	Ballet Series	FONTANA	EFF	526
59	Central Band Of The Royal Australian Air Force	Musical Cameos / Classical Cameos	FONTANA	EFF	527
58	Central Band Of The Royal Australian Air Force	Musical Cameos / Classical Cameos	FONTANA	EFF	528
59	Not Traced		FONTANA	EFF	529
59	Vienna Symphony Orchestra	Musical Cameos / Classical Cameos	FONTANA	EFF	530
59	Not Traced		FONTANA	EFF	531
59	Not Traced		FONTANA	EFF	532
59	Not Traced		FONTANA	EFF	533
59	Royal Philharmonic Orchestra	Musical Cameos / Classical Cameos	FONTANA	EFF	534
59	New York Philharmonic, Conducted By George Szell	Musical Cameos	FONTANA	EFF	535
58	New York Philharmonic, Conducted By George Szell		FONTANA	EFF	536
59	The Cleveland Orchestra, Conducted By George Szell	Musical Cameos / Classical Cameos	FONTANA	EFF	537
58	The Cleveland Orchestra, Conducted By George Szell	Musical Cameos / Classical Cameos	FONTANA	EFF	538
59	Not Traced		FONTANA	EFF	539
59	Central Band Of The Royal Australian Air Force	Musical Cameos / Classical Cameos	FONTANA	EFF	540
59	Not Traced		FONTANA	EFF	541
59	Not Traced		FONTANA	EFF	542
59	Not Traced		FONTANA	EFF	543
59	Not Traced		FONTANA	EFF	544
58	Vienna Symphony Orchestra	Musical Cameos / Classical Cameos	FONTANA	EFF	545
58	Adam Harasiewicz	Musical Cameos / Classical Cameos	FONTANA	EFF	546
59	Not Traced		FONTANA	EFF	547
59	Royal Philharmonic Orchestra	Musical Cameos / Classical Cameos	FONTANA	EFF	548

60	Johnny Mathis	So Nice	FONTANA	STFE	8000
60	Johnny Mathis	It's De-Lovely!	FONTANA	STFE	8001
60	Not Traced		FONTANA	STFE	8002
60	Bruce Trent & Doreen Hume	Four From "The New Moon"	FONTANA	STFE	8003
60	Not Traced		FONTANA	STFE	8004
60	Not Traced		FONTANA	STFE	8005
60	Rae Jenkins And His String Chorale With David And The Silver Stars	Silver Chords Vol. 1	FONTANA	STFE	8006
60	Rae Jenkins And His String Chorale	Silver Chords Vol. 2	FONTANA	STFE	8007
60	Rae Jenkins And His String Chorale With David And The Silver Stars	Silver Chords Vol. 3	FONTANA	STFE	8008
60	Janette Scott And Jackie Rae	Sweet Talk!	FONTANA	STFE	8009
60	Not Traced		FONTANA	STFE	8010
60	Not Traced		FONTANA	STFE	8011
60	Ian Stewart	Flower Drum Song	FONTANA	STFE	8012
60	The Dave Brubeck Quartet	Jazz Impressions Of Eurasia	FONTANA	STFE	8013
60	Chico Arnez And His Orchestra	This Is Chico !	FONTANA	STFE	8014
60	Not Traced		FONTANA	STFE	8015
60	Johnny Mathis	Like Someone In Love	FONTANA	STFE	8016
60	Not Traced		FONTANA	STFE	8017
60	Johnny Mathis	Like Someone In Love EP	FONTANA	STFE	8018
60	Not Traced		FONTANA	STFE	8019
60	The Merrill Staton Choir	On Stage	FONTANA	STFE	8020
60	The Famous C.W.S. (Manchester) Band	Favourite Marches	FONTANA	STFE	8021