RCA Bluebird
| Bluebird Records | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Parent company | Sony Music Entertainment |
| Founded | 1932 |
| Founder | Eli Oberstein |
| Distributor(s) | Sony Masterworks |
| Genre | Blues, jazz |
| Country of origin | U.S. |
| Location | Chicago, Illinois |
Bluebird Records is a blues and jazz record label known for its low-cost releases in the 1930s and 1940s. Founded by RCA Victor during the Great Depression, Bluebird concentrated on producing and selling music inexpensively. It created what came to be known as the "Bluebird sound", which influenced rhythm and blues and early rock and roll.
The label was begun in 1932 as a division of RCA Victor by Eli Oberstein, an executive at the company. Bluebird competed with other budget labels at the time. Records were made quickly and cheaply. The "Bluebird sound" came from the session band that was used on many recordings to save money. The band included musicians such as Big Bill Broonzy, Roosevelt Sykes, Washboard Sam, and Sonny Boy Williamson. Many blues musicians were brought to Bluebird by Lester Melrose, a talent scout and producer who had a virtual monopoly on the Chicago blues market. In these years, Bluebird became the home of Chicago blues.
Bluebird also recorded and reissued jazz and big band music. Its roster included Ted Weems, Rudy Vallée, Joe Haymes, Artie Shaw, Glenn Miller, Shep Fields, and Earl Hines. During the World War II years, Victor reissued albums by Duke Ellington, Jelly Roll Morton, and Bennie Moten. Bluebird's roster for country music included the Monroe Brothers, the Delmore Brothers, Bradley Kincaid. It reissued many titles by Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family.
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