Jim Henson Records
Encyclopedia
Jim Henson Records was a short-lived music label made by The Jim Henson Company
and BMG Kidz
. It began in late 1992
with the soundtrack
for the film The Muppet Christmas Carol
.
Despite the decreasing popularity of the Muppets following the death of Jim Henson
, this record line kept the Muppets in the public's eyes and included some now-rare albums. This line marked the CD debuts of songs from The Muppet Show
, Fraggle Rock
and the first two movies (The Muppet Movie
and The Great Muppet Caper
). Henson and BMG released 2 CDs of key Muppet songs, they unearthed old recordings from 1984 featuring Jim Henson as Rowlf the Dog
singing some classic songs and a Muppet "beach party" CD featuring The Beach Boys
songs.
In the fall of 1994
, the last album released by Jim Henson Records was Kermit Unpigged
. The album did not sell and Henson even sued BMG for not selling enough copies, thus ending the label.
The Jim Henson Company
The Jim Henson Company, an American entertainment organization, traces its origins to the founding of Muppets, Inc. in 1958 by puppeteer Jim Henson, creator of The Muppets. The Muppets helped the company gain worldwide acclaim in family entertainment for more than four decades...
and BMG Kidz
BMG
Bertelsmann Music Group, , was a division of Bertelsmann before its completion of sale of the majority of its assets to Japan's Sony Corporation of America on October 1, 2008. It was established in 1987 to combine the music label activities of Bertelsmann...
. It began in late 1992
1992 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1992.-January–February:*January 11**Nirvana's Nevermind album goes to #1 in the US Billboard 200 chart, establishing the widespread popularity of the Grunge movement of the 1990s....
with the soundtrack
Soundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
for the film The Muppet Christmas Carol
The Muppet Christmas Carol
The Muppet Christmas Carol is a 1992 musical comedy film adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, starring Michael Caine as Ebenezer Scrooge, directed by Brian Henson, produced by The Jim Henson Company, and released by Walt Disney Pictures...
.
Despite the decreasing popularity of the Muppets following the death of Jim Henson
Jim Henson
James Maury "Jim" Henson was an American puppeteer best known as the creator of The Muppets. As a puppeteer, Henson performed in various television programs, such as Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, films such as The Muppet Movie and The Great Muppet Caper, and created advanced puppets for...
, this record line kept the Muppets in the public's eyes and included some now-rare albums. This line marked the CD debuts of songs from The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show
The Muppet Show is a British television programme produced by American puppeteer Jim Henson and featuring Muppets. After two pilot episodes were produced in 1974 and 1975, the show premiered on 5 September 1976 and five series were produced until 15 March 1981, lasting 120 episodes...
, Fraggle Rock
Fraggle Rock
Fraggle Rock is a children's live action puppet television program series created by Jim Henson. The central characters were a set of "Muppet" creatures called Fraggles. The show ran from January 10, 1983, to March 30, 1987, on CBC Television in Canada, ITV in the UK, HBO in the United States,...
and the first two movies (The Muppet Movie
The Muppet Movie
The Muppet Movie is the first of a series of live-action musical feature films starring Jim Henson's Muppets. Released in 1979, the film was produced by Henson Associates, Children's Television Workshop and ITC Entertainment....
and The Great Muppet Caper
The Great Muppet Caper
The Great Muppet Caper is a 1981 mystery comedy film directed by Jim Henson. It is the second of a series of live-action musical feature films, starring Jim Henson's Muppets. This film was produced by Henson Associates, ITC Entertainment and Universal Pictures, and premiered on 26 July 1981. The...
). Henson and BMG released 2 CDs of key Muppet songs, they unearthed old recordings from 1984 featuring Jim Henson as Rowlf the Dog
Rowlf the Dog
Rowlf the Dog is a Muppet character, a scruffy brown dog of indeterminate breed with a rounded black nose and long floppy ears. He was created by Jim Henson....
singing some classic songs and a Muppet "beach party" CD featuring The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys
The Beach Boys are an American rock band, formed in 1961 in Hawthorne, California. The group was initially composed of brothers Brian, Dennis and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Managed by the Wilsons' father Murry, The Beach Boys signed to Capitol Records in 1962...
songs.
In the fall of 1994
1994 in music
This is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1994.-January–February:*January 25 – Alice in Chains release their Jar of Flies album which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, becoming the first ever EP to do so....
, the last album released by Jim Henson Records was Kermit Unpigged
Kermit Unpigged
Kermit Unpigged is a music and comedy record released by The Jim Henson Company through BMG Kidz in 1995, and the last album released by Jim Henson Records...
. The album did not sell and Henson even sued BMG for not selling enough copies, thus ending the label.