Catamount Records

Catamount Records

Stan’s Square Records. From Beaudaddy.com

Stan Krause

Stan Krause, Charlie & Pam Horner, at Stan’s Records 50th Anniversary celebration

Catamount Records was formed in 1964 by Stan Krause of Stan’s Square records in Jersey City.  In the early years, the label issued mostly doo wop acappella records, but in later years branched out into soul, disco and even funk music   Skip Jackson, former member of the Shantons played a role in writing and producing many of the Catamount releases until his death in 1982.  Stan Krause and his Catamount label helped launch the musical careers of groups like the Persuasions, 14 Karat Soul, the Royal Counts, Vintage, Jo Ann & the Heartaches and many more.  Running a popular record store, Stan understood the wants of record collectors and so many Catamount releases were pressed in limited runs of colored vinyl as well as black vinyl. Stan’s father owned Kay Records, a pressing plant in Little Ferry, NJ, making this possible.  Small runs in colored vinyl were often done in as little as 25 copies, but no more than 200 copies.  Thus, Catamount records pressed in green, blue, red and bronze vinyl are more sought after than black vinyl copies.

Stan loved R&B and doo wop acappella singing (obviously) and was a key figure in the popularity of the music in the 1960’s.  in the late 1970’s Stan was active, along with Ronnie I and others, in forming the United in Group Harmony Association.

More recently, Stan Krause continued promoting acappella music through the newly reorganized Original Mixed Company and a new group, the True Devines.  In 2015, he received a proclamation from Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop for his 50-year anniversary of his record store.  He was honored with a resolution proclaiming him “Stan the Music Man of Jersey City.”  In 2016, he was honored with the Jersey City Living Legend Award for his contributions to the field of music.

Stan Krause was our friend.  Charlie knew Stan back in the 1970’s and Stan helped promote Classic Urban Harmony concerts from his store.  He supplied Original Mixed Company and the True Devines for our monthly concerts at Roxy & Dukes in Dunellen, NJ, and Stan and his wife Ewa were at Roxy & Dukes when the True Devines sang there in March 2016.  Stan passed away on May 20, 2016.  He was 74.

(c) Copyright 2016, Classic Urban Harmony LLC

Here are scans of many of the labels followed by some of the artists..