Catamount Records, JCNJ, 1964-2016

The History of
Catamount Records
1964 - 2016
Caribou Music Publishing Co. BMI
Stan R. Krause - Skip Jackson
Stan's Square Records
737 Bergen Ave. Jersey City, New Jersey 07306


January 16, 2021 - Hi, my name is Tommy Mitchell.  In December of 2020 I decided to build this website for my friend Stan. R. Krause.  Over the last five decades, I have listened to acappella groups, produced a teenage acappella doo wop LP, and have collected the acappella vocal group sound.  It all started in 1966 when I walked into Stan's Square Records (at that time next to the State Theater in Jersey City, NJ), looking for Motown 45 records. I heard The Royal Counts rehearsing with Skippy Jackson in the back room and my ears were never the same since.

Over 2021, I will work on this website and gather all of the information I can On Catamount Records, Stan. R. Krause, Skippy Jackson and all of the groups that recorded on Catamount Records, Jersey City, NJ. - Tommy Mitchell - NMMitch 

  

The Catamount Records, Jersey City, NJ Story / History

Stan started his Catamount Records label in 1964 with a neat R&B single by a girl group called the Juliettes ("Pretty Boy"/"Uncle Willie") and the Savoys' "Vision of Love"/"Oh Gee Oh Gosh").  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.

I Dig Acappella was put together by Stan and two friends, Bobby Miller who had a small acappella label of his own and "Uncle Steve" Piva who had a radio show called "Oldies Express" on WFDU-FM in Teaneck N.J. The recording was an article of faith in the emerging musical field of acappella and featured groups of varying talents who had recorded on their small labels.  Stan started with amateur groups but went on to more polished performers such as the Royal Counts and The Persuasions and thereby was pivotal in creating today's field of a cappella music. I Dig Acappella features The Five Fashions, The Zircons, The Versailles and the Savoys. He was directly responsible for expanding acappella's tunnel vision.

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 was an unabashed acappella fan.  He passed in 2016.