The SAR label was formed in 1959 in Los Angeles, California, by Sam Cooke and his friend and business partner J.W. Alexander. SAR stands for Sam, Alex and Roy; the "Roy" is S.R. Crain, originator and manager of the Soul Stirrers gospel group. The output of the SAR label was gospel and rhythm and blues.

Sam Cooke was one of the first, if not the first, major black performer to form his own record company. In addition to the record company, Cooke owned Kags Music Corporation, which published the songs Cooke, J.W. Alexander, and others wrote. In 1959, the first single from SAR was "Wade in the Water"/"He Cares" by the Soul Stirrers.

Cooke himself was recording for RCA Victor, but he was writing and producing songs for SAR. With SAR, Sam Cooke had an outlet for the side of his music that he could not express on his pop oriented RCA recordings. The music Cooke produced on SAR is harsher and more down to earth than anything he was allowed to do on RCA. The rhythm and blues on the SAR label included Johnnie Taylor, Johnnie Morisette, the Sims Twins and the Valentinos. The Sims Twins, forerunners of Sam and Dave ("Soothe Me"), recorded "That's Where It's At", Johnnie Morisette recorded "Meet Me at the Twistin' Place" and Johnnie Taylor cut "Rome (Wasn't Built in a Day)," in all three cases earlier -- and many would consider better -- than the pop versions Sam Cooke did for RCA. Unfortunately, this more soulful side of Sam Cooke never saw the light of day on RCA until 20 years after his death, when the aborted 1963 album One Night Stand was finally released as the remarkable Sam Cooke Live at the Harlem Square Club, 1963.

The singles on the SAR label included gospel by the Soul Stirrers, the Womack Brothers, and R.H. Harris & His Gospel Paraders. It appears that the only albums issued by SAR were gospel releases, with four by the Soul Stirrers and one gospel compilation album.

In 1963, Cooke and Alexander established a pop music subsidiary label named Derby. There were two albums released on Derby, the Mel Carter album titled after his Derby hit, "When a Boy Falls in Love" and an album by Billy Preston titled 16 Yr. Old Soul.

Sam Cooke was shot to death in a Los Angeles motel in 1964. SAR Records continued into 1965 when Sam's widow dissolved the label. The SAR and Derby masters are currently owned by Abkco. It is not known if any of the SAR or Derby LPs were issued in stereo.

We would appreciate any additions or corrections to this discography. Just send them to us via e-mail. Both Sides Now Publications is an information web page. We are not a catalog, nor can we provide the records listed below. We have no association with SAR or Derby Records. Should you be interested in acquiring albums listed in this discography (which are all out of print), we suggest you see our Frequently Asked Questions page and follow the instructions found there. This story and discography are copyright 1997, 2001 by Mike Callahan.