The Poppy label was an interesting independent label that featured a few talented but non-mainstream artists that later became noted. These included Townes Van Zandt, whose 1973 album The Late, Great Townes Van Zandt included two songs that would be picked up by others for top-10 country songs, "Pancho and Lefty" (Willie Nelson & Merle Haggard) and "If I Needed You" (Emmylou Harris). (For the record, Van Zandt only became the "late, great" after his death in 1999, so the 1973 album title was undoubtedly a ruse.) Other notable artists on the label included the Dillards, Doc Watson, Eric Von Schmidt, and comedian/political activist Dick Gregory.

The Poppy label was initially distributed by MGM. After a few records were issued, it became independent for distribution, then eventually reached a deal with United Artists for distribution of the later albums.

The Poppy label on the records distributed by MGM was yellow with black printing. 'POPPY" in pink above the center hole with a drawing of a girl holding a poppy at the end. After 40,002, the records in the 40,000 series give no indication of MGM Distribution. On the cover and record of these later 40,000 series discs is the notation "Manufactured by Poppy Industries, Inc. N.Y, N.Y." The label on these records is black with silver printing, with "POPPY" in white above the center hole. There is a 3/4 inch band across the label at the center hole of pink, red, blue, green and yellow. At 40,007 and subsequent issues, the label changes to brown with silver printing, with a large red poppy in the center of the record. The UA issues have the same label design, except with black print instead of silver.

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 Poppy, UA, or MGM 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 2000, 2003 by Mike Callahan.