A (Very) Brief History
Founded in 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson, Atlantic was the label that did most to popularise the breadth and depth of popular black music – jazz, soul and R’n’B. Initially set up as a jazz label, it moved into Rhythm and Blues in 1949 with the Stick McGhee recording ‘Drinkin’ Wine Spo-Dee-O-Doe’.
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Leonard and Phil Chess were already the proprietors of several Chicago nightclubs when they bought into the Aristocrat label in 1947. Initially, most of the material which came from the label was jazz or jump blues but this all began to change with the arrival of Muddy Waters.
Luck and business acumen combined and the emerging R&B scene ensured early success. Independent record producers started to visit the store and dalliances with Ahmet Ertegun (The Atlantic Label) coupled with the showcasing of demos of local talent convinced Robinson there was a future in independent record production. He cut his first record in November 1951 – Robin was the first label he set up, …
Any cursory appreciation of the southern soul music genre usually points initially in the direction of Stax, Fame and Muscle Shoals. There are reasons for this of course, with those labels and studios pushing out some of the best popular music of the 20th century. Much less likely to receive recognition, but much loved by country soul buffs everywhere, is the output from the Goldwax label. …
Formed in 1945 in Los Angeles by Saul, Joe and Jules Bihari, Modern Records seemed much more inclined to do whatever it took to succeed commercially than many other labels of the period (e.g. Aladdin, King etc.). Having said that, although it had a few fairly substantial hits from 1954-1956, it never really consolidated its position, despite or perhaps because of its rather cavalier recording …
One of the most important companies in R&B history, Stax represented one of the two main strands in American black music (Motown was the other). Ironically but not untypically, the label was founded by a white guy, Jim Stewart, whose musical background was actually in country music.
Perhaps Sun Records is an unusual label to profile in an R&B Primer, as any references to the studio usually focus on its rockabilly successes, the Presley phenomenon and the early careers of Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Roy Orbison. Even in its rockabilly heyday however, the label was fusing the best of R&B and country, black and white, sowing the seeds of rock …
Not only the first black owned large independent record company but also one of the most successful prior to Motown. It’s recording and release policy was genuinely eclectic and provided us with a very fine legacy of blues, R&B, gospel, doo-wop and early soul recordings. It also released the first few years of the Beatles recordings in the US – but that’s another story! The …