Back in 1971, Bruce Iglauer, a 23-year-old blues fan, used his meager savings to record and produce his favorite band, Hound Dog Taylor & the HouseRockers. Following his heart, he quit his day job with Delmark Records and began promoting Hound Dog Taylor and his new record company full-time. Over 30 years later, that company, Alligator Records, is home to some of the world’s premier blues and roots rock talent and is regarded by fans and the media alike as the top contemporary blues record label in the world.

Alligator Records was created to make one record, Hound Dog Taylor & The House Rockers. Recorded live in the studio in just two nights during the spring of 1971, the album captured the band at the height of its powers. Hound Dog and his band simply plugged in and played the same beat-up guitars through the same raggedy amps they used at Florence’s. At a cost of $900, Iglauer produced a direct-to-two-track master tape-no overdubs-which he mixed as they went along. With the remainder of his money, he pressed 1000 copies of the album.

Since the mid-70’s Alligator began working with even more of the great blues and R&B artists. Since then artists like Koko Taylor, Albert Collins, Lonnie Brooks, Johnny Winter, Roy Buchanan, Clifton Chenier and Lonnie Mack have made excellent records. Collins collaborated on the now classic Showdown! album with Robert Cray and Johnny Copeland. Alligator’s roster also includes Son Seals, Luther Allison, Charlie Musselwhite, James Cotton, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Carey Bell, Marcia Ball, Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown, Elvin Bishop, Katie Webster, Billy Boy Arnold, Long John Hunter, John Jackson, and Cephas & Wiggins, Corey Harris, Coco Montoya, The Holmes Brothers, Shemekia Copeland, Guitar Shorty and others.

As the largest independent blues label in the world, the recipient of dozens of Grammy Awards and over 70 W.C. Handy Awards given to the label’s artists, Alligator Records’ importance continues to increase.

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Alligator official site