Walt Disney Records After its success in the early 1950s with music publishing, the Walt Disney Music Company entered the phonograph record business in 1956. The “Disneyland” record label was created for the new record line, with the first release in 1956 being “A Child’s Garden of Verses.” Walt Disney himself narrated one of the earliest LPs, Walt Disney Takes You to Disneyland. There was a WDL series for sound tracks, an ST series for Storytellers, and an MM series for music from the Mickey Mouse Club television show. Non-Disney music was included in the line with adult easy listening and novelty records. In 1959, the Buena Vista label began a more prestigious line, and in 1964 had a huge hit with the Mary Poppins sound track (14 weeks as number one on the Billboard chart, and two Grammy awards). Forty-five rpm singles promoted songs from Disney films and heralded performances by Annette Funicello, Darlene Gillespie, Fess Parker, and other Disney stars. A popular LLP (Little Long Playing) series began in 1967. The Disney records have earned a large number of gold records, with one of the biggest sellers being the 1979 Mickey Mouse Disco. The CD revolution reached Disney in 1988 with the release of its last 12-inch vinyl record–the Oliver & Company sound track. The following year, Disneyland/Vista Records changed its name to Walt Disney Records, which today continues to represent a broad and diverse selection of audio entertainment for the family.
