Spivey Records

Spivey Records was a specialist blues record label, founded by blues singer Victoria Spivey and jazz historian Len Kunstadt in 1961. Spivey Records released a series of blues and jazz albums between 1961 and 1985.

The label recorded a wide variety of blues musicians who were friends of Spivey and Kunstadt, including Muddy Waters, Otis Spann, Big Joe Williams, Lonnie Johnson, Memphis Slim, and Louis Armstrong. Kunstadt had a rough and ready approach to recording; he was known to walk through the session and shout "More mistakes!"

On March 2, 1962, Bob Dylan contributed harmonica and backing vocals to a recording session featuring Big Joe Williams. These tracks appeared on Spivey LP 1004, Three Kings And The Queen. However, this was not Dylan's first recording session. He had already recorded his debut album Bob Dylan for Columbia Records, which was released on March 19, 1962.

In recognition of her entrepreneurial achievements with Spivey Records, Spivey was awarded the "BMI Commendation of Excellence" in 1970.

Victoria Spivey died in 1976. The label became dormant after the death of Len Kunstadt in 1996.

In 2007, Len Kunstadt's niece, Lisa Weiner, announced the revival of the label on the Spivey Records website. It was announced that audio engineer Doug Pomeroy had remastered the original tapes recorded between 1961 and 1986, and that Spivey LP1001 through Spivey LP1016 would be reissued on CD in 2008. Queries on the notice board of Spivey Records website indicate that as of October 2011, no reissued CDs are currently available.

Buddy Tate Band; Hannah Sylvester; Lucille Hegamin; Victoria Spivey

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