Monument Records

Monument Records was founded in 1958 by Fred Foster. From a studio in the Nashville suburb of Hendersonville, Tennessee they produced a variety of sounds including Rock and Roll, Country and Western, and Rhythm and Blues.

His first recording was by Billy Grammer, titled "Gotta Travel On." However, it was the signing of Roy Orbison that brought great success, starting with the 1960 hit, Only the Lonely. In addition to Orbison, over the years the studio was home to a number of successful recording artists including Kris Kristofferson, Boots Randolph, Dolly Parton, Ray Stevens, Willie Nelson, Tommy Roe and Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers.

Following the loss of Orbison to MGM in 1965, the studio fell into a slow decline and that, combined when a series of bad investments in the 1980s, led to difficulties that saw Foster lose his company. Today, the catalog of Monument recordings is owned by Sony Corporation.