It All Started In 1977

JDC RECORDS WAS FOUNDED BY JIM AND HIS late WIFE DALE (DACIE) CALLON IN 1977. THE NAME ‘JDC’ DERIVED FROM THEIR INITIALS.

“MR. COOL CAT” JIM Callon WAS NOT ONLY A MUSICIAN AND sound ENGINEER, HE WAS A SMART BUSINESS MAN with a passion for dance music and an ambitious wife by his side. with modest means and a mountain of motivation they started SELLING VINYL OUT OF THE BACK OF THEIR CAR AT SWAP MEETS AND local STORES. the timing was perfect. DANCE MUSIC was gaining more popularity and the demand WAS GROWING. they quickly found themselves in a successful business at an ideal time. Jim saw a shortage of dance music on vinyl and this NEED COMPELLED JDC TO START LICENSING, PRESSING AND DISTRIBUTING music independently. FROM THERE, JDC SAW EXPANSIVE GROWTH, AND IN THE LATE 70’S AND 80’S, JDC WAS A LEADING LABEL OF ELECTRO, DISCO, ITALO DISCO, FREESTYLE, HI-ENERGY, BASS, AND HIP HOP HITS.

The Record Store

THE FIRST JDC RECORDS AFFILIATED STORE WAS CALLED “DANCE MUSIC FOREVER”, AND WAS LOCATED ON PACIFIC AVENUE IN SAN PEDRO. THE SECOND DISTRIBUTION CENTER AND STORE WAS ON PCH IN HERMOSA BEACH FOR OVER 20 YEARS. JDC RECORDS IS NOW LOCATED IN HISTORIC DOWNTOWN SAN PEDRO.

Founder, Jim Callon

Boss man Jim Callon began his career in music in the 60’s as the lead guitarist and front man of ‘the Glassfamily Electric Band’. HIS BAND’S self-titled album WAS originally released BY Warner Bros AND PUT THEM ON THE MAP TOURING with the Doors, Janis Joplin, and openING for the Grateful Dead at the Fillmore.

Jim later went on to become the sound engineer for Parliament Funkadelic and was instrumental in recording and mixing their seminal albums. The Glass Family had a reincarnation in the 1970’s as a disco band and produced successful hits like “Mr Dj You Know How To Make Me Dance” and “Crazy”. “Smoke Your Toubles Away” was reportedly a Larry Levan favorite at the Paradise Garage. Jim still plays with the original keyboardist, David Capilouto, in the Glass Family Electric Band. They can be seen performing around Los Angeles.