Vee Jay was founded in 1953 in Gary, Indiana, USA by Vivian Carter and James C. Bracken (Mr. & Mrs. Bracken). They used their first initials for the label’s name. The first song they ever recorded made it to the top ten of the U.S.A. rhythm & blues charts. Within a short time, Vee Jay was the most successful black-owned record company in the U.S.A. It was the first company in the U.S.A. to sign the Beatles. In one month alone in early 1964, they sold 2.6 million Beatles singles. Two years later, the company went bankrupt.