A Guide to Yazoo Records and its Founder Nick Perls

A Guide to Yazoo Records:

1. It was founded in the mid 1960s

Yazoo Records has been around for well over a half century and was founded in the US by Nick Perls in the mid 1960s. Perls was inspired to create his own record company after working as a sound engineer for several years.

2. Yazoo Records wasn’t the first name which Perls had picked out for his fledgling record company

Yazoo Records’ first 5 releases were under the name Belzona Records. However when Perls decided to change the name of his record company from Belzona Records to Yazoo Records he quickly reissued all five original releases under the new name of his record company, Yazoo Records.

3. Yazoo Records’ official label features a creative art deco peacock

Yazoo Records’ official label features an art deco peacock which was inspired by the 1927 label of another record company, Black Patti Records.

4. It releases music from a wide variety of music genres

While some record companies specialise in releasing music from a single music genre such as rock and roll or rap, Yazoo Records is known for releasing blues tracks, country tracks, folk tracks, gospel tracks and jazz tracks. Which means that Yazoo Records’ producers are frequently on the hunt for rand new talent.

5. Yazoo Records is based out of Newton, New Jersey

Yazoo Records has its headquarters in Newton, New Jersey.

6. The founder of Yazoo Records, Nick Perls went on to found a second record company

After his first record company Yazoo Records achieved great success, Perls decided to found a second record company, Blue Goose Records. Blue Goose Records was founded in 1970 and was created to produce and promote young up and coming blues artists.

7. Perls released rare recordings from a wide variety of popular 1920s musicians

As Perls was a huge fan of 1920s music and ensured that Yazoo Records’ label featured a 1920s art deco design, it may come as no surprise than he decided to record a wide variety of 1920s tracks for Yazoo Records. As examples Perls compiled rare recordings for Yazoo Records by Blind Willie Mc Tell, the Memphis Jug Band, Blind Blake, Charley Patton and Blind Lemon Jefferson.

So if you relate to Perls and enjoy 1920s blues, country and folk tracks, it’s well worth checking out Yazoo Records’ back catalogue, to find a few gems.

8. Perls continued to produce music until he passed away in 1987

Perls continued to produce music for both of his record companies until his death on the 22nd of July, 1987.
Two years later in 1989, Yazoo Records was sold on to Shanachie Records. If you’re curious, Yazoo Records is still in business today and frequently releases new tracks from up and coming artists, who are looking for their big break.

9. Perls once trailed through the South knocking on doors to aquire old blues records

If you’re wondering how Perls acquired tracks from the 1920s, he is said to have traveled through the Southern states twice, in order to track down old blues records.

So there you have it, a quick guide to the history of Yazoo Records and its founder Nick Perls.