Kentucky Records

Kentucky was Carl Burkhardt’s first label in the Rite-Gateway group. It became active in the early 1950s, and eventually issued around 120 singles. The bulk of the recordings were covers or sound-alikes that were sold for bargain prices as special record offers on WCKY and other radio stations. Several young local bluegrass artists got a start on this label including Sonny Osborne, Jim and Jesse, and Red Allen. Many of the Kentucky singles were reissued on the Alcar label. The music remained the same, but the labels were different and in some cases the artist names were changed.