Red Rooster Records

Red Rooster Records was an independent American record label established in 1977 by the band NRBQ and Don Badgely, also known as Baxter. The label gave NRBQ a platform for releases after the group had recorded for Columbia Records and Kama Sutra, and it became closely identified with the band’s eclectic mixture of rock and roll, rhythm and blues, country, pop, jazz, and novelty influences. Its first major release was NRBQ’s fifth album, All Hopped Up, which followed the band’s earlier work for Columbia and Kama Sutra. Red Rooster’s catalog subsequently expanded to include several further NRBQ albums, singles, extended-play releases, and recordings associated with related performers. The label operated through a distribution relationship with Rounder Records for most of its independent period. This arrangement connected Red Rooster with a respected independent distributor while allowing NRBQ and its associates to control a distinct imprint and release identity. The catalog included NRBQ albums such as Kick Me Hard, Tiddlywinks, Tapdancin’ Bats, Lou & the Q, recorded with Captain Lou Albano, and She Sings, They Play, recorded with Skeeter Davis. These releases reflected the label’s broad stylistic range and NRBQ’s willingness to work across conventional genre boundaries. Red Rooster also played an important archival role in making the music of the Shaggs available. The label reissued the group’s debut album, Philosophy of the World, and later released Shaggs Own Thing, a collection of previously unreleased recordings. In addition, the label issued singles by NRBQ and Jake & the Family Jewels. Its shorter-form releases included NRBQ Live, Little Al, featuring four performances by a pre-teen Al Anderson, and Bax on Wax, which presented four performances by cofounder Don Badgely under his Baxter name with NRBQ backing him. The label’s independent phase ended after NRBQ signed with Virgin Records for the 1989 album Wild Weekend. Red Rooster subsequently folded into Rounder Records in 1990. It is therefore a defunct imprint rather than an active contemporary label. Its historical importance rests less on scale than on the distinctive recordings it documented: NRBQ’s self-directed work, collaborations with unusual guest performers, and the preservation and circulation of the Shaggs’ music.

Red Rooster Records emerged in 1977 from a partnership between NRBQ and Don Badgely, who was also known by the performing name Baxter. The label was created during a transitional period in NRBQ’s recording career. Before founding the imprint, the band had released two albums through Columbia Records and two through Kama Sutra. Red Rooster provided a more closely aligned independent home for the group’s subsequent work. The label’s first noted NRBQ release was All Hopped Up, the band’s fifth album. It established the central relationship between Red Rooster and NRBQ, while also demonstrating the group’s broad musical vocabulary. Rather than operating as a narrowly defined genre label, Red Rooster functioned as a vehicle for NRBQ’s varied output, including studio albums, live recordings, singles, collaborations, and shorter releases. The label’s records reflected the band’s interest in rock and roll, rhythm and blues, country, pop, jazz, and comic or novelty performance. Rounder Records distributed Red Rooster releases through 1989. This distribution arrangement allowed the imprint to retain an independent identity while using Rounder’s established distribution network. During this period, Red Rooster issued a sequence of NRBQ albums, including Kick Me Hard, Tiddlywinks, Tapdancin’ Bats, Lou & the Q with Captain Lou Albano, and She Sings, They Play with Skeeter Davis. It also issued singles by NRBQ and Jake & the Family Jewels. The label’s catalog was not limited to conventional album releases. Its extended-play material included NRBQ Live, Little Al, which featured four songs performed by a pre-teen Al Anderson, and Bax on Wax, a four-song release by Don Badgely as Baxter backed by NRBQ. These projects illustrate the imprint’s informal, artist-centered character and its willingness to document side projects and unusual collaborations alongside the band’s main catalog. Red Rooster also became associated with the preservation and circulation of recordings by the Shaggs. It reissued the group’s first album, Philosophy of the World, and issued Shaggs Own Thing, a collection of previously unreleased recordings. These releases gave the label a role beyond serving as an outlet for NRBQ: it also helped bring distinctive and unconventional material to a wider audience. In 1989, NRBQ signed with Virgin Records for Wild Weekend. The move marked the end of the band’s immediate relationship with Red Rooster as its primary recording label. In 1990, Red Rooster folded into Rounder Records, ending its existence as a separate imprint. The label’s surviving significance lies in its compact but distinctive catalog, particularly the NRBQ albums and associated releases, the Shaggs reissues and archival material, and its documentation of collaborations involving Captain Lou Albano, Skeeter Davis, Al Anderson, Jake & the Family Jewels, and Don Badgely.

• 1990

  Imprint folds into Rounder Records

  [1]Red Rooster Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Red Rooster ceased as a separate label and was folded into Rounder Records.

• 1989

  NRBQ moves to Virgin Records

  [1]Red Rooster Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  NRBQ signed with Virgin Records for Wild Weekend after its Red Rooster period.

• 1977

  Label founded

  [1]Red Rooster Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  NRBQ and Don Badgely founded Red Rooster Records as an independent label.

• 1977

  All Hopped Up becomes an early Red Rooster release

  [1]Red Rooster Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  NRBQ released its fifth album, All Hopped Up, through the new imprint.

An artist-led independent label centered on NRBQ’s genre-spanning recordings, collaborations, live material, and selected archival releases.

• NRBQ studio album · 1977

  All Hopped Up

  NRBQ’s fifth album and an early defining release for Red Rooster Records. It followed the band’s earlier recording contracts with Columbia Records and Kama Sutra and marked the group’s return to an artist-controlled independent label setting.

• NRBQ studio album

  Kick Me Hard

  An NRBQ album issued through Red Rooster as part of the label’s continuing relationship with the band. It belongs to the imprint’s core catalog of genre-spanning studio recordings.

• NRBQ studio album

  Tiddlywinks

  A further NRBQ album associated with Red Rooster Records. Like the label’s other main releases, it reflects the group’s eclectic approach rather than a narrowly defined commercial genre.

• NRBQ studio album

  Tapdancin’ Bats

  An NRBQ release in the Red Rooster catalog, contributing to the label’s body of adventurous and stylistically varied band recordings.

• Collaborative album

  Lou & the Q

  A collaboration between NRBQ and Captain Lou Albano. Its inclusion in the Red Rooster catalog illustrates the imprint’s openness to unusual partnerships and personality-driven projects.

• Collaborative album

  She Sings, They Play

  A Red Rooster collaboration involving NRBQ and Skeeter Davis. The release extended the label’s scope beyond the band’s standard studio albums.

• Shaggs reissue

  Philosophy of the World

  Red Rooster’s reissue of the Shaggs’ first album. The release gave the label an archival and curatorial role in preserving and circulating the group’s unusual recordings.

• Previously unreleased Shaggs recordings

  Shaggs Own Thing

  A collection of previously unreleased Shaggs material issued by Red Rooster. It complemented the label’s reissue of Philosophy of the World and broadened the available Shaggs catalog.

• Extended-play release

  NRBQ Live

  An extended-play release documenting NRBQ in live performance and representing the label’s interest in shorter-form releases alongside full-length albums.

• Extended-play release

  Little Al

  A four-song extended play featuring performances by a pre-teen Al Anderson. The project is one of the label’s more unusual releases.

• Extended-play release

  Bax on Wax

  A four-song extended play by Red Rooster cofounder Don Badgely, performing as Baxter, with NRBQ providing backing. It documents the label’s founder-led and collaborative character.

• 1990

  Red Rooster folds into Rounder RecordsM&A

  Background

  The label had been distributed by Rounder Records during its independent period.

  Action taken

  Red Rooster was folded into Rounder Records and ceased to exist as a distinct operating label.

  Aftermath

  The Red Rooster imprint became a historical catalog identity rather than an active record company.

  Source

• 1989

  NRBQ signs with Virgin RecordsStrategy

  Background

  After releasing a substantial body of work through Red Rooster, NRBQ entered a recording relationship with Virgin Records for the album Wild Weekend.

  Action taken

  The band moved its next album release to Virgin Records, ending its immediate Red Rooster release cycle.

  Aftermath

  Red Rooster subsequently folded into Rounder Records in 1990 and no longer operated as a separate imprint.

  Source

1. 1Red Rooster Recordsen.wikipedia.org