Los Angeles & West Coast

Lew Chudd was born Louis Cudnofsky in 1911 in Toronto, Canada. He was the son of Jewish immigrants from Russia. The family moved to the USA when he...

Philo Records was founded by two brothers, Eddie and Leo Mesner, in 1945 on America’s West Coast in the city of Los Angeles. The label’s first release was...

Arthur Goldberg was born on September 5th 1917 in Greensburg, in the state of Pennsylvania. He became aware of the power of Black music from listening to the...

Below is a list of the record companies who issued Race Records between 1923 and 1924. Not all companies used the term Race Records, not all companies created...

Modern Music Records was set up in Los Angeles in 1945 by the Bihari brothers, whose parents Edward Bihari and Esther Taub were Jewish immigrants from Hungary. The...

Natalie Cole, Nat King Cole’s daughter, was born in Los Angeles in 1950. She made her first commercial recordings in 1975 in Chicago at Curtom Studios, Paragon Studios...

Below is a list of the record companies who issued Race Records between 1920 and 1922. Not all companies used the term Race Records, not all companies created...

Etta James started her career at Modern Records in Los Angeles in 1955. The company released nine singles by James between 1955 and 1957 on the Modern label...

Minnie Riperton was born in 1947 and grew up in the Bronzeville area on Chicago’s South Side, the youngest of eight children. At an early age she took...

The Sonic Alchemist: The Story of Charles Stepney Charles Stepney’s story is one of profound musical genius, cultural resonance, and a legacy that reverberates across generations. Known as...