Bally

1955 - 1957

Bally Records was an independent record label formed in Chicago in December, 1955. It was active during 1956 and 1957. It was a subsidiary of Bally Manufacturing Company and was headquartered at 203 N. Wabash Avenue in Chicago. The parent company, Bally Manufacturing Company, made pinball and slot machines, and is still in business today as Bally Technologies.

The label began issuing records in March of 1956, using RCA pressing plants.

Bally's first chart hit was their first release, Betty Johnson's "I'll Wait" [Bally 1000], which scraped the bottom of the Billboard charts at #94 the week of March 3, 1956.

Bally's biggest hit, Betty Johnson's "I Dreamed" [Bally 1020] in November, 1956, was helped to a national #9 slot (#17 locally) by a tie-in with a daily television show, Modern Romances, where it was heard every day for a week.

For a small independent label, Bally signed a lot of talented artists and had quite a bit of chart success.