Blue Thumb Records
| Company type | Record label |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music industry |
| Founded | 1968 |
| Founder | Bob Krasnow, Tommy LiPuma, Don Graham |
| Defunct | 1978 (original production ceased), 2005 (final disestablishment) |
| Fate | Discontinued in 1979; revived 1995–2005; succeeded by Verve Forecast |
| Successor | Verve Forecast |
| Headquarters | United States , United States |
Area served | United States, Europe (licensed) |
Key people | Bob Krasnow, Tommy LiPuma, Don Graham |
| Products | Music recordings |
| Owner | Universal Music Group (after merger with PolyGram in 1998) |
| Parent | Verve Music Group (from 1998) |
Blue Thumb Records was an American record label established in 1968 by former A&M Records executives Bob Krasnow, Tommy LiPuma, and Don Graham. The label's original production ceased in 1978, with a subsequent revival period running from 1995 through 2005.
History
Bob Krasnow, a veteran music industry executive active since the 1950s, began his career in promotions at King Records and later worked with Buddah Records and Kama Sutra Records. The name "Blue Thumb" was initially intended for the backing band of Captain Beefheart, but Krasnow ultimately chose it as the company’s brand identity.
The label's eclectic artist lineup featured names such as Phil Upchurch, Ben Sidran, Last Poets, Gerry Rafferty, The Crusaders, Hugh Masekela, Sylvester, Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks, Jimmy Smith, Dave Mason, The Pointer Sisters, and Ike & Tina Turner. Blue Thumb also licensed recordings from UK-based acts including Aynsley Dunbar's Retaliation and early releases by T. Rex (then known as Tyrannosaurus Rex).
Initially, Blue Thumb operated with independent distribution before entering a partnership with Capitol/EMI in late 1970. By mid-1971, distribution responsibilities shifted to the Famous Music Group under Gulf and Western, which acquired Blue Thumb in 1972. In 1974, Famous Music sold the label to ABC Records, which continued to use the imprint primarily for releases by The Pointer Sisters and The Crusaders. After ABC’s acquisition by MCA Records in 1979, Blue Thumb was discontinued.
Within Europe, Blue Thumb’s catalog was licensed to EMI’s Harvest Records between 1969 and 1971, followed by licensing through Island Records. A compilation CD released in 1995, All Day Thumbsucker Revisited: The History of Blue Thumb Records, chronicled the label’s influence from its inception in 1968 until 1974.
The label experienced a relaunch in 1995 with a focus on blues and soft rock genres. Following Universal Music Group’s merger with PolyGram in 1998, Blue Thumb became part of Universal’s Verve Music Group division, serving as an imprint for non-jazz projects. In 2005, it was succeeded by Verve Forecast. Since then, Universal’s reissue branch, Hip-O Records, has re-released significant Blue Thumb albums from artists such as The Crusaders, Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks, and The Pointer Sisters.
Catalog
BTS 12 1969 Sweet Black AngelTemplate:Sortname ... [Entries BTS 13 to BTS 57 omitted for brevity] ... Banana BTS 38 1972 Radio DinnerNational Lampoon ... [Entries BTS 58 to BTS 63 omitted] ... BTS 64 1974 Aim for the Highest Aim ... [Entries BTS 65 to BTS 67 omitted] ... BTSD 6018 1975 Hear and Now Butts Band BTSD 6019 1975 New Year, New Band, New CompanyTemplate:Sortname BTSD 6021 1975 Steppin'Template:Sortname BTSD 6022 1975 Chain ReactionTemplate:Sortname BTSD 6023 1977 Having a PartyTemplate:Sortname BTSD 6024 1976 Those Southern KnightsTemplate:Sortname BTSY 6026/2 1976 The Best of the Pointer SistersTemplate:Sortname Two LP set BTS 6027 1976 The Best of the CrusadersTemplate:Sortname Two LP set ... [Entries BTS 6028 to BT 6032 omitted] ... BTS 7000 1973 The 2nd CrusadeTemplate:Sortname Two LP set BT3 7002 1995 All Day Thumb Sucker Revisited: The History of Blue Thumb Records Various Artists Three-disc compilation sampler; excludes tracks from original releases ... [Further entries omitted for brevity] ...| Catalog | Year | Album | Artist | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BTS 1 | 1968 | Strictly Personal | Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band | Originally planned as the name for Beefheart’s band; Krasnow chose it instead for the label |
| BTS 2 | 1968 | An Album of Political Pornography | Template:Sortname & The Credibility Gap | |
| BTS 3 | 1968 | Original and Authentic Recordings by the Great W.C. Fields | Template:Sortname | |
| BTS 4 | 1968 | The Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation | Template:Sortname Retaliation | |
| BTS 5 | 1969 | Outta Season | Ike & Tina Turner | |
| BTS 6 | 1969 | Doctor Dunbar's Prescription | Template:Sortname Retaliation | |
| BTS 7 | 1969 | Unicorn | Tyrannosaurus Rex | |
| BTS 8 | 1969 | Truckin' with Albert Collins | Template:Sortname | Reissue of The Cool Sounds of Albert Collins originally released by TCF Hall in 1965 |
| BTS 9 | 1970 | Coming Home | Chicago Blue Stars | |
| BTS 10 | 1969 | Venus in Cancer | Template:Sortname | |
| BTS 11 | 1969 |
The Hunter Ike & Tina Turner |
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See also
External links
- Articles with short description
- American jazz record labels
- Record labels established in 1968
- Record labels disestablished in 1979
- Record labels established in 1995
- Record labels disestablished in 2005
- Re-established companies
- Verve Records labels
- Blues record labels
- Universal Music Group
- American companies established in 1968
- American companies disestablished in 1979
- American companies established in 1995
- American companies disestablished in 2005
- Gulf and Western Industries
- 5
- Companies of the United States by year of establishment