Southland Records

Southland Records is a New Orleans, Louisiana, record label associated with blues and jazz. It was established in 1953 by Joe Mares, a New Orleans clarinetist and the younger brother of trumpeter Paul Mares. Mares created the label in response to what he saw as a local recording gap: many New Orleans musicians were active performers but had no relationship with an established record company. Southland therefore functioned as a vehicle for documenting the city's traditional jazz and blues community, rather than as a mass-market pop label. The label's early recording activity was closely connected to the Mares family's business interests. Bands rehearsed at a studio located behind Mares Brothers Furs, a company founded by Joe Mares's father, uncle, and grandfather. Recording sessions were not confined to a single purpose-built facility. Southland also used concert halls, television stations, and radio stations, reflecting the practical production methods available to a small regional label in the 1950s. This arrangement allowed the company to capture performances by musicians working in New Orleans's clubs, halls, and broadcast spaces. Southland's documented roster includes important figures in New Orleans jazz and related traditions, among them George Lewis, Papa Celestin, Sharkey Bonano, Nick LaRocca, and Raymond Burke. The label's catalog consequently has historical value beyond its original commercial role: it preserved performances by artists connected with the city's distinctive traditional-jazz culture and helped circulate New Orleans music to listeners outside the local scene. In the 1960s, Joe Mares sold Southland Records to George Buck. The label subsequently became part of the Jazzology Records group, which was controlled by the George H. Buck Jr. Jazz Foundation. This transition placed Southland within a larger catalog-oriented jazz organization and connected its recordings with a broader archival and reissue ecosystem. Available reference material identifies Southland primarily through its New Orleans location, blues and jazz specialization, founding by Joe Mares, historic roster, and later relationship with Jazzology. It does not provide sufficient information to establish the label's present operating status, current management, release schedule, or complete catalog.

Southland Records emerged from the New Orleans music community in 1953, when clarinetist Joe Mares established the label to record local musicians who lacked access to established record companies. Its creation reflected the importance of small, locally rooted labels in preserving regional musical traditions. Rather than concentrating on contemporary commercial genres, Southland specialized in blues and jazz, with a particular connection to the traditional-jazz culture for which New Orleans was internationally known. The label's production environment was closely associated with the Mares family. Rehearsals took place in a studio behind Mares Brothers Furs, a family business founded by Mares's father, uncle, and grandfather. Southland also recorded in concert halls and at television and radio stations. These locations indicate a flexible, event-oriented approach to recording, allowing the label to capture live or semi-live performances in spaces already used by local musicians and broadcasters. Southland recorded a roster that included George Lewis, Papa Celestin, Sharkey Bonano, Nick LaRocca, and Raymond Burke. These artists represented important strands of New Orleans jazz and blues history. By issuing their performances, Southland helped preserve and distribute music that might otherwise have remained limited to local performance venues or personal archives. During the 1960s, Mares sold the label to George Buck. Southland then became part of the Jazzology Records group under the control of the George H. Buck Jr. Jazz Foundation. The change shifted the label from an independently operated local imprint into a larger jazz catalog structure, while retaining its association with New Orleans and archival jazz recordings. The available reference material does not document later ownership changes, current executives, recent releases, or a confirmed active or defunct status. Southland is therefore best understood as a historically significant New Orleans jazz and blues label whose documented legacy centers on its mid-century recordings and its later inclusion in the Jazzology organization.

• 1960

  Ownership passes to George Buck

  [1]Southland Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  During the 1960s, Joe Mares sold Southland Records to George Buck.

• 1960

  Southland joins the Jazzology Records group

  [1]Southland Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Following the sale, Southland became part of the Jazzology Records group under the George H. Buck Jr. Jazz Foundation.

• 1953

  Southland Records is founded

  [1]Southland Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Joe Mares founded Southland Records in New Orleans to record local musicians who were not signed to established record labels.

• 1953

  Early recording operations develop around Mares Brothers Furs

  [1]Southland Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The label used a studio behind the Mares family fur business for rehearsals and also recorded sessions in concert halls and at television and radio stations.

A historically oriented New Orleans label focused on documenting blues and traditional jazz performers, particularly musicians who were not represented by larger record companies.

• Blues recordings

  Southland blues recordings

  Southland's blues material forms part of its broader documentation of New Orleans-area music. The available reference material identifies the label as specializing in blues and jazz but does not provide a complete discography or enough information to describe individual album titles, formats, or release dates.

• Jazz recordings · 1953

  Southland traditional jazz recordings

  Traditional jazz recordings are central to Southland's historical identity. The label documented performances by musicians including George Lewis, Papa Celestin, Sharkey Bonano, Nick LaRocca, and Raymond Burke, linking its catalog to New Orleans jazz history. A complete list of releases is not established by the supplied sources.

• 1960

  Sale of Southland Records to George BuckM&A

  Background

  After operating as a locally rooted New Orleans label under Joe Mares, Southland changed ownership during the 1960s.

  Action taken

  Joe Mares sold Southland Records to George Buck, after which the label became part of the Jazzology Records group.

  Aftermath

  The label came under the control of the George H. Buck Jr. Jazz Foundation and continued as part of a larger jazz-focused catalog organization. Further operational consequences are not documented in the supplied sources.

  Source

1. 1Southland Recordsen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Southland Records discographydiscogs.com