Label Guide: Chancellor

Chancellor Records was a Philadelphia based record label founded by Bob Marcucci in 1957. It is best known for late 1950s/early 1960s teenage Rock'n'Roll stars Frankie Avalon and Fabian.

Marcucci borrowed $10,000 from his father to launch Chancellor Records and one of his first signings was Frankie Avalon, who quickly became a teen idol. By the time Frankie had reached the age of 17, his appeal began to decline and Marcucci was in need of a new star. Marcucci spotted the good looks of his neighbour's 14-year-old son and inquired as to whether he would be interested in a career in music. This boy, Fabian (Forte), turned into the most famous of all teen idols of that time.

When Chancellor's stars grew out of their 'teen idol' years the label stopped having hits, and Marcucci was unsuccessfully trying to reinvent Chancellor as a party/dance label, so the label was closed in 1963. Chancellor Records was distributed by ABC-Paramount.