Various

Founded in 1964 by esteemed songwriters Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, Red Bird Records may only have been operational for three years, but during that time the label became synonymous with the 60s girl group sound, particularly due to the success of The Shangri-Las and The Dixie Cups - both of whom scored No.1 hits for Red Bird in its fledgling year. Rising Phoenix-like from earlier try-outs with Tiger (founded in 1962) and then Daisy (in 1963), Red Bird was unique among indie labels in that its output was of a consistently high standard and almost half of its releases made a commercial impact. The secret to Red Bird's 'Hit factory' lay in no small part with the chart-topping Brill Building songwriting team of Ellie Greenwich and Jeff Barry, who had earlier penned hits for producer Phil Spector's Ronettes and Crystals.