Aaron Badgley

Dark Horse Records

In 1974, with Apple winding down, George Harrison still aspired to help new artists, so rather than trying to salvage Apple, he set up his own label Dark Horse Records, on a much smaller scale. His plan was to release records from new artists as well as some of his old friends, with an eye to eventually releasing his own music. While Dark Horse had an encouraging beginning with a hit single from Splinter, the label Suffered increasing problems, failing to establish itself in the way Harrison hoped. However, some incredible and varied music was created from 1974 to 1977, including some of Harrison’s best solo material. Towards the end of its initial life, Dark Horse dropped most of its artists and released mainly Harrison’s solo work. Thankfully, since 2020, Dhani Harrison has taken the reins and has made Dark Horse viable once again, signing Cat Stevens and Billy Idol and releasing music from Joe Strummer and Leon Russell. Finally, in 2023, it was announced that Harrison’s entire solo catalogue was going to be re-released on Dark Horse. This book tells the story of the label from the beginning, through its struggles and on to its exciting renaissance in the new millennium.