Hickory Records is a United States record label founded by Acuff-Rose Music in 1954 which operated the label up to 1979. Present owner Sony/ATV Music Publishing revived the label in 2007. Originally based in Nashville, and functioning as an independent label throughout its history, it has had several distributors.From its inception in 1955 to 1973, Hickory was distributed independently. MGM Records then distributed the label in 1973, and ABC Records began distributing it four years later.