45-SLEEVES - HOME
Revised 14/1/15

HIT PARADER
US Labels and Company Sleeves 1959-1966

Labels
The Capital Distributing Co., Derby, Conn.
HP 1 - 1959
to
HP 39 - 1966
HP 3 - 1959
to
HP 41 - 1966
HP 5 - 1960
to
.
HP 7 - 1960
A budget label that produced cover versions of current hit songs. 
At the time of the late 1950´s Charlton Publishing Corporation Derby, Connecticut  was the leading publisher of song lyrics magazines, headed by Ed and Bert Levy.  The Hit Parader Magazine. 
 Billboard reported on Sep 10, 1955: The company lost several hundred thousand dollars of uninsured assets at the big flood Aug. 19,1955.   Ed and Bert Levy hoped they will be in full operation early 1956. 
  Meanwhile they asked publishers 50 per cent of sums due them, and promised to resume full contractural payment on March, 1, 1958. Possibly out of this circumstances the company jumped into the field of 
  "Cover Records" in 1959. In 1959 Charlton was in business since more than 16 years.
The sister company (The Capital Distributing Company) had two labels,  Hit Parader and Song Hits. Starting with 1959 they released 6 45s every year (3 of each label) until 1966. The two labels shared numbering systems. Hit Parader were all ODD numbered and Song Hits were all EVEN numbered.
After the purple HP 11, Hit Parader stuck with the alternating green or yellow label colors
for all other releases. 
The Hit Parader "Top 6 Twists" release was a one-off shot in 1962. 
Also see  Song Hits.
The Capital Distributing..
HP 11 - 1960
HPMO 5-1 - 1960
HPMO 5-2 - 1960
Hit Parader also released 8 song EP's (2). Oddly, the 8 song EP's gave the names of the artists - the 6 song versions did not.
Top 6 Twists
Bonus Tunes
HP 101 - 1962
 (Plain brown sleeve)
BR 100
 (Plain brown sleeve)
...........
Sleeves
Rang
Front
Back
Details
No 1
HP 1 - 1959
   Cut straight/notch  Inside glued  
No 2
HP 3 - 1959
   Cut straight/notch  Inside glued  
No 3 a
HP 5 - 1959
to
.
 Cut straight/V-notch  Inside glued  
No 3 b
.
to
.
   Cut straight/V-notch  Inside glued  
No 4 a
.
to
.
   Cut straight/U-notch  Inside glued  
No 4 b
.
to
.
   Cut straight/U-notch  Inside glued  
No 5 a
.
to
.
   Cut straight  Inside glued  
No 5 b
.
to
.
   Cut straight  Inside glued  
No 5 c
.
to
.
   Cut straight  Inside glued  
No 6
.
to
1966
Basic sleeve printed first.
Songs for each issue added later.
   Curved top  Inside glued  
Export sleeves for Norway
Records were pressed in U.S.A and a NCB (Nordisk Copyright Bureau) sticker was attached to the label. Recently a box of  HP 27's was found in an attic in Oslo, Norway (see image below left).
E 1
.
to
.
Norwegian text
Printed in U.S.A.
 Cut straight  Inside glued
E 2
.
to
HP 27
Norwegian text
Printed in U.S.A.
   Cut straight  Inside glued  
..
Contact for corrections
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Thanks to Sam Mathis, Jacksonville, Florida for scans in this section
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Thanks to Franz Zeleny, Austria  for scans and info in this section
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