Essex was part of Miller International Company of Media, Pennsylvania. The Essex Record Label was started in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by David L. Miller in 1951. The output of the label was popular, country & western, rhythm & blues, jazz and gospel. Promotion manager was Jack Howard. The label was active into 1956.

Essex had little commercial success; their one top-10 chart record was a late 1953/early 1954 single called "Oh, Mein Papa" by British trumpeter Eddie Calvert backed by the Norrie Paramor Orchestra. It went to #6 nationally, but Essex couldn't follow up with any success here in the U.S., and Calvert became a "one-hit wonder." Meanwhile, Calvert racked up a series of chart hits in England in the mid-1950s. In the summer of 1953, Monte Kelly and His Orchestra charted with "Tropicana" [Essex 325, #19], and followed that in the fall with "Three O'Clock in the Morning" [Essex 328, #21].

Essex's real claim to fame, however, is the release of the early recordings of Bill Haley and the Comets. Haley's first big hit, "Crazy Man, Crazy" was in May of 1953 [Essex 321, #12 nationally], was followed by two lower chart hits, "Fractured" [Essex 327, #24 in late summer, 1953], and "Live It Up" [Essex 332, #25 in autumn, 1953]. This success brought Haley to the attention of Decca Records, who signed him to a contract. Haley went on to major fame on the Decca label. After losing it's only real star, Essex tried to capitalize on Haley's fame by issuing LP 202 by Haley, which contains his Essex work.

The early 10-inch LP series was typical of budget labels of the time. The collection of almost a dozen record jackets in this series was a wonder of cheesecake photography, featuring women in various "inviting" and sometimes semi-clothed poses, no doubt hoping the record jackets would sell the records if the music inside could not. The photography was credited to Silver Studios of New York City.

After the Essex label, Miller started the Trans-World label. Many, if not most of the Essex 12 inch LP's were reissued on Trans-World. The Trans-World label did not last long either; it was followed by the Somerset/Stereo Fidelity budget labels which also reissued much of the Essex recorded material. Somerset and Stereo Fidelity were interchangeable; the Somerset releases were monaural while the Stereo Fidelity releases used the same number but were in stereo. These budget labels lasted into 1967.

The Essex label was orange with back print.

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 Essex Records. Should you be interested in acquiring albums listed in this discography (all of which are out of print), we suggest you see our Frequently Asked Questions page and follow the instructions found there. This story and discography are copyright 2002 by Mike Callahan.

Cover	Number - Title - Artist - [Release Date] Contents
	ESLP-101 - Jay White Plays Alto Moods (A Tribute to Freddy Gardner) - Jay White [1954] On The Trail/Torcelli Serenade/Over The Rainbow/Deep Purple/Claire De Lune/Down Memory Lane/Estrellita/Because
	ESLP 102 - I Love - Norrie Paramor [1954] April In Portugal/Callahan's Monkey/Luxemburg Polka/Pennywhistle Song/Moulin Rouge/Melodia/Wedding Day/My First Romance
	ESLP 103 - I Love - Ray Charles Chorus [1954] Long Ago And Far Away/Bewitched/Sweet And Lovely/Walk With The Wind/How High The Moon/My Funny Valentine/Our Serenade/The Night Is Young
	ESLP 104 - I Love - Jay White [1954] Laura/On The Trail/Tosselli's Serenade//Claire De Lune/Deep Purple/Estrellita/Over The Rainbow
	ESLP 105 - I Love - Ray Martin [1954] 14th Variation/Ecstasy/Tango Waltz/Hi-lili Hi- lo/Veradero/Begorah!/Swedish Rhapsody/Carnivalito
	ESLP 106 - I Love - Monty Kelly [1954] Granada/Tropicana/Cubamba/Life In New York/Three O'clock In The Morning/Doreen/Snow, Snow/Crosswinds
	ESLP 107 - I Love - Eddie Calvert [7/54] Mystery Street/Paris In The Rain/Cry My Heart/Midnight/Caress/I Speak To The Stars/I'll Be Waiting For You/Oh Mein Papa
	ESLP 108 - Monty Kelly Takes Me To Far Away Places - Monty Kelly [1955] Neapolitan Nights/Monte Carlo/Cuban Love Song/Ball In The Balearics//Shangri La/Glocca-Morra/Bali Hai/Under Paris Skies
	ESLP 109 - The Alto Sax of Jay White Takes Me To Far Away Places - Jay White [1955] Street Scene/Harlem Nocturne/In A Persian Market/Autumn In Rome//Paris In The Spring/A Night In Vienna/Paradise/Sleepy Lagoon
	ESLP 110 - The Ray Charles Chorus Takes Me To Far Away Places - Ray Charles Chorus [1955] Far Away Places/Moon Of Manakoora/Foggy Day In London/Moon Over Miami/April In Paris/It Happened In Monterey/Beyond The Sea/Slow Boat To China
	ESLP 111 - Billy Butterfield Takes Me To Far Away Places - Billy Butterfield [1955] Street Of Dreams/Cote D'azur/Moonlight On The Ganges/South Sea Island Magic//Last Time I Saw Paris/I Cover The Waterfront/Costa Del Oro/East Of The Sun