Santa Ponsa was formed by the production team of Roger Easterby and Des Champ. It started out as a publishing / production company associated with Dick James Music, and it was named after a Majorcan resort that Easterby had visited several times ('Music Week', 14th April 1974). Easterby and Champ seem to have begun their partnership working for the Arthur Howes Agency's record production arm, Gentry Records, in 1967 - 'Billboard' of the 21st of October reported that their and Gentry's first disc, 'How Do You Feel' b/w 'Dead As A Go-Go' had been placed with Polydor. They continued to work for Gentry into the early '70s, and enjoyed Chart success with the bands Deep Feeling and Vanity Fare. During that period they set up their own company, Santa Ponsa. It received its first mention in the Trade press in 'Record Retailer' of the 19th of September 1970, which reported that it had signed a worldwide deal with CBS for the release of its products, but by that time it had already placed singles by Dr. Marigold's Prescription with Bell and by Chicory Tip with CBS. The new link was rewarded with a No.1 single in the shape of Chicory Tip's 'Son Of My Father' b/w 'Pride Comes Before A Fall' (CBS-7737; 1/72), which may perhaps have encouraged the companies to renew the deal: 'MW' of the 22nd of April 1972 observed that a five-year one had been signed, and that the artists coming on board would include Dr. Marigold's - by that time they had dropped the 'Prescription'.
In the light of the renewed agreement with CBS it might have been expected that when Easterby and Champ developed Santa Ponsa into a record label in its own right they would have got to CBS to handle it, but when 'MW' of the 24th of March 1973 announced the forthcoming arrival of the new label it gave the distributors as Pye. That said, Chicory Tip's records continued to be licensed to CBS for a while, albeit with diminishing success. 'MW' of the 14th of April was able to give a launch date, the 4th of May, and to say that the first release would be 'Down By The River' b/w 'Getting Away' by Sands Of Time, which was numbered PNS-2. For some reason PNS-1 followed a couple of weeks later. Naturally, the majority of Santa Ponsa's records were produced by Easterby and Champ, and according to 'MW' of the 19th of January 1974 hit singles were 'a priority'. Ironically the only one of the company's discs to break into the Charts, Guy Darrell's 'I've Been Hurt' b/w 'Blessed' (PNS-4; 7/73), was a reissue of a track produced by Des Champ in 1966 - it made the No.12 spot. Santa Ponsa was shelved at the end of 1974, and was replaced by the Route label (q.v.). One label design served throughout. Promo copies were marked with the words 'Not For Sale' and a large central black 'A'. Initially the 'A' was solid (2), but by the time that PNS-5 was released it had hollowed out (3). For a while the release date was added. Twenty-five singles were issued, in a PNS-0 numerical series, but the final two records in the discography below may not have got past the promo stage. Manufacture and distribution were by Pye.
Copyright 2006 Robert Lyons.