Black Top Records

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, among others.

The label started out primarily as a blues label, and soon stretched out to New Orleans R&B and American roots music. Black Top especially excelled in discovering obscure talents. Many of the label's 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 the music industry for many years. The label used a variety of musicians on its recordings, including many from the New Orleans music community. Examples include George Porter, Jr., David Torkanowsky, Herman V. Ernest, III, and Sammy Berfect; Black Top also often hired the members of the Antone's house band from Austin, Texas, including Mark Kazanoff on saxophone. Pianist and organist Nick Connolly, also based in Austin, was another musician who recorded several sessions. Although Black Top concentrated on recording new material for the most part, it also handled some vintage reissues from artists such as Earl Hooker and Hollywood Fats.

Initially, its catalog was distributed by Rounder Records. When the contract ended in the mid-nineties, Passport Music took over distribution for a brief period of time; Chicago blues label Alligator Records distributed the Black Top catalog after that.

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