The name Champion Records has been used by at least four record labels.

An early Champion label was produced by Gennett Records

Gennett Records

Gennett was a United States based record label which flourished in the 1920s.-Label history:Gennett records was founded in Richmond, Indiana by the Starr Piano Company, and released its first records in October 1917. The company took its name from its top managers: Harry, Fred and Clarence Gennett....

 (1925–1934) as an inexpensive label that featured country or "hillbilly" artists, as well as popular bands, hot jazz and blues (many of which had been originally released Gennett's main label). Gene Autry

Gene Autry

Orvon Grover Autry , better known as Gene Autry, was an American performer who gained fame as The Singing Cowboy on the radio, in movies and on television for more than three decades beginning in the 1930s...

 recorded for Gennett on the Champion label and it is said that his horse, Champion, was named for the label. In 1935, Decca

Decca Records

Decca Records began as a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934; however, owing to World War II, the link with the British company was broken for several decades....

 bought rights to restart the Champion label, using it until about 1937.

Another Champion label was started by Johnny Vincent.

A third Champion label (along with its sister labels Calvert and Cherokee) was started in the mid-1950s by the songwriter and record producer

Record producer

A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...

 Ted Jarrett, in partnership with Alan and Reynolds Bubis (formerly of the Tennessee & Republic labels). This Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville, Tennessee

Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...

-based label released records by Christine Kittrell

Christine Kittrell

Christine Kittrell was an American R&B singer, who first recorded tracks in 1951 with Louis Brooks and his Band...

, Gene Allison

Gene Allison

Gene Allison was an American R&B singer.Born Versie Eugene Allison in Pegram, Tennessee, he grew up in Nashville, Tennessee singing in the church choir with his brother Leevert. As a teenager, Allison was offered a chance to sing with The Fairfield Four and, later, The Skylarks...

, The Fairfield Four

The Fairfield Four

The Fairfield Four is a gospel group that has existed for over 80 years. They started as a trio in Nashville, Tennessee's Fairfield Baptist Church in 1921. They were designated as National Heritage Fellows in 1989 by the National Endowment for the Arts. The group won the 1998 Grammy for Best...

, Earl Gaines

Earl Gaines

Earl Gaines was an American soul blues and electric blues singer. Born in Decatur, Alabama, he sang lead vocals on the hit single "It's Love Baby ", accredited to Louis Brooks and his Hi-Toppers, before undertaking a low-key solo career...

, Larry Birdsong, Shy Guy Douglas, Jimmy Beck and Charles Walker, amongst others. Beck released a record on Champion entitled "Pipe Dreams" and another, called "Carnival" on the Zil label. Champion was out of business by 1960, and other Jarrett labels such as Valdot, Poncello, Spar and Ref-O-Ree followed. All of these companies were acquired by Bluesland Productions in the mid 1990s.

A fourth label based in the UK

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 was founded by Mel Medalie in 1980, with an emphasis on soul

Soul music

Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...

 and dance

Dance music

Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole musical piece or part of a larger musical arrangement...

. Champion Records is an independent record label based in London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

 and claims to be one of the oldest record companies with the same management/ownership in music. DJ Paul Oakenfold

Paul Oakenfold

Paul Mark Oakenfold is a British record producer and a trance DJ.-Early Career: 1979–84:Paul Oakenfold's career was set to be a chef, after having hopes of becoming part of a band. He describes his early life as a "bedroom deejay" in a podcasted interview with Vancouver's 24 Hours, stating he grew...

numbers amongst their former A&R men.