Black Top Records

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Black Top Records was a New Orleans, Louisiana based independent record label founded in 1981 by brothers Nauman S. Scott, III and Hammond Scott. The label specialized in blues and R&B music. The first release was "Talk To You By Hand" by Anson Funderburgh & The Rockets. The artist roster included Earl King, Snooks Eaglin, Lee Rocker, Guitar Shorty, and Robert Ward.

1 History
2 Artists
3 Catalog
4 See also

[edit] History

The label started out primarily as a blues label, and soon stretched out to New Oreans R&B, and American roots music. They especially exceled in discovering obscure talents. Many of their artists such as Robert Ward, Carol Fran & Clarence Hollimon, and W.C. Clark were either relatively unknown, or had been away from record contracts and/or music business for many years. The label used variety of musicians on the recordings including many from the New Orleans music community like George Porter, Jr., David Torkanowsky, Herman V. Ernest, III, and Sammy Berfect, but also, they often hired the members of the Antone's house band from Austin, Texas including Mark Kazanoff on saxophone. While they concentrated on recording new materials for the most part, they also released some vintage reissues from artists such as Earl Hooker and Hollywood Fats. Initially, their catalog was being distributed by Rounder Records. When the contract ended in the mid-nineties, the distribution was taken over by Alligator Records after brief period involving Passport Music for that purpose. After releasing well over 100 albums, the label folded circa 1999. Nauman Scott died in 2002. Hammond Scott sold the rights of the catalog, and some of them came out on labels such as Varese Sarabande, Fuel 2000 and Shout! Factory. In 2006, P-Vine Records in Japan acquired the worldwide rights to them, and released a few of the CD from the catalog.