Label Guide: Poppy

Poppy Records was founded in 1966 by Irish music entrepreneur Kevin Eggers. Before he founded the label, Eggers was associate producer for The Beatles' first New York shows and also booked and managed The Rolling Stones' first American tour. Townes Van Zandt's debut album was one of the first releases on Poppy, the beginning of a complicated but successful 20-years business relationship between Eggers and the Texan songwriter.

Poppy's releases were first distributed by MGM, then the label went entirely independent in 1969. Three years later, Eggers sold the label to United Artists, who kept it active until 1974. Kevin Eggers moved on to start Utopia Records in 1975, and shortly after that the successful Tomato Records. The visual identity programs for all three of Eggers' labels, logo and label designs and many album covers, were created by famous New York designer Milton Glaser.