Monument Records

Monument Record Corporation was a record label founded in Washington, D।C. in 1958 by Fred Foster and minority partner, Buddy Dean (a prominent Baltimore disc jockey at WTTG). In 1959, Buddy was forced to sell his stock back to the company, and by 1960, Foster (as sole shareholder) had re-located the label to the Nashville suburb of Hendersonville, Tennessee. Foster produced a variety of sounds, including Rock and Roll, Country, Jazz and Rhythm and Blues.


In the beginning, Monument was the first of London Records'-distributed labels. MONUMENT RECORDS' first release (October, 1958) was also the label's first hit. Billy Grammer's "Gotta Travel On" became a Top 5 record (and selling over 900,000 copies) for the newly-formed label and spawned a nation-wide dance craze called "The Shag." The signing of former Sun Records singer, Roy Orbison, brought phenomenal success to Foster and his label, beginning with the 1960 release, "Only the Lonely." By 1961, London Records was distributing more than 40 independent companies, prompting Foster to move Monument to the independent-distributor network, thereby solidifying Monument's position as a true independent. In 1971, Foster signed a world-wide distribution agreement with CBS, a move which proved enormously successful for both companies.

In addition to Roy Orbison, MONUMENT was home to a number of other successful recording artists, including: Robert Knight, Kris Kristofferson, Jeannie Seely, Boots Randolph, Dolly Parton, Ray Stevens, Cindy Walker, Tony Joe White, Charlie McCoy, Willie Nelson, Tommy Roe, The Velvets, Connie Smith, Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers and Robert Mitchum.Fred Foster is also known for discovering Leona Douglas, the First African American Female to record as a Country Singer in the early 1960s. Leona had two hits in 1962 ("Too Many Chicks" written by Boudleaux & Felice Bryant and "Jealous Heart" written by Jenny Lou Carson.

In 1965, Orbison left MONUMENT (at his manager's insistence and to pursue television and film appearances) and signed with MGM Records. After Orbison's departure, the label enjoyed a successful run as one of the top independents; developing a strong country roster and a rock roster that included Chris Gantry. Fred Foster also started a soul/R&B label called Sound Stage 7 in 1963, which was essentially a sister label to Monument that focused on soul music. Artists on Sound Stage 7 incuded: Joe Simon, The Dixie Belles, Arthur Alexander, Ivory Joe Hunter and others.

Unfortunately, Foster invested heavily in a banking venture in the 1980s, and sustained disastrous financial losses as a result. It was this, and not a lack of talent or record sales, that led to the forced sale of Monument and its publishing counterpart, Combine Music Group, in 1990. CBS Records acquired the Monument catalog, and its successor company Sony Music reactivated the label in 1987.[1] Today, the catalog of Monument recordings is managed by Sony Music's Legacy Recordings unit.

Also a songwriter, Foster is best-known for his Kristofferson co-write "Me and Bobby McGee," which was an enormous hit, for Kristofferson, as well as for Janis Joplin.

Foster continues to produce, and a recent collaboration with longtime friends Ray Price, Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard received a 2008 Grammy for Best Country Collaboration, "Lost Highway," (Price, Nelson). Fred was inducted in to the Musicians Hall of Fame (Producer's Award) on October 12, 2009