Rainy Wednesday Records was a record label created by novelty artist Dickie Goodman in 1973.
In his long career an artist and producer, Goodman released records under a slew of label names, including Luniverse (as Buchanan and Goodman in the late 50s), Rori, Mark-X, 20th Century and Cotique. In 1973, Goodman met the label's co-founder on a rainy Wednesday in New York, providing its name. Goodman started the label number at 201, the area code of his New Jersey residence at the time.
All but one of Rainy Wednesday's releases were in Goodman's standard "break-in" style, in which an interviewer asks a question, only to have it "answered" with a snippet of a current hit record. (The only non-"break in" recording released was a straight cover of Sheb Wooley's "The Purple People Eater", a #1 hit from 1958.) Goodman himself and John & Ernest (a black duo whose records consisted of soul-oriented snippets and the original funk tune "Crossover" on one the flip sides) were the only two artists to appear on Rainy Wednesday.[1]
| Artist | Title | B-side | Number | Year | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| John & Ernest | Super Fly Meets Shaft | Part Two | RW-201 | 1973 | peaked at #31 on Billboard chart |
| Dickie Goodman | Watergrate | Friends | RW-202 | 1973 | peaked at #42 on Billboard chart |
| John & Ernest | Soul President Number One | Crossover | RW-203 | 1973 | did not chart |
| Dickie Goodman | The Purple People Eater | Ruthie's Theme | RW-204 | 1973 | cover of Sheb Wooley song; peaked at #119 |
| Dickie Goodman | The Constitution | The End | RW-205 | 1973 | did not chart |
| Dickie Goodman | Energy Crisis '74 | The Mistake | RW-206 | 1974 | joke B-side (see article); peaked at #33 |
| Dickie Goodman | Energy Crisis '74 | Ruthie's Theme | RW-206 | 1974 | re-release with correct B-side |
| Dickie Goodman | Mr. President | Popularity | RW-207 | 1974 | not be confused with 1981 recording of the same name; peaked at #73 |
| Dickie Goodman | Gerry Ford (A Special Report) | Robert's Tune | RW-208 | 1974 | did not chart |
| Dickie Goodman | Inflation In The Nation | Jon and Jed's Theme | RW-209 | 1975 | did not chart |
Dickie Goodman folded Rainy Wednesday Records in 1975, but continued to release music under several other label names, including Cash ("Mr. Jaws", a Top 5 hit in 1975), Shark, Wacko and Rhino Records. Goodman's last recording, "Safe Sex Report", was released on the Goodname label in 1987; he died in 1989.