HISTORY AND DISCOGRAPHY

A small, mostly inconsequential, independent label of the 1950’s who had only a few rock acts of minor consequence over the years but which managed to endure for a decade in spite of limited national sales.

Started by former trumpeter, Tommy Robinson in 1951, the New York label was one of the first labels to be owned and operated by an African-American and made due with mostly local talent for the duration of their run. They got fortunate that saxophonist Charlie Singleton, who’d had some good releases elsewhere before his twentieth birthday, was available when they opened shop and became their primary artist as well as leading the backing band for vocalists in the studio.

Outside of his records though the label struggled to make headway until the mid-1950’s when two vocal groups, The Parakeets and The Fi-Tones, took advantage of the doo-wop craze to score some regional hits. The company made some waves when the label paired a white teen vocalist, Vic Donna, with the all black Parakeets for some records and appearances in early 1957, making them among the first integrated rock groups of the day.

Despite a lack of star power the label was exacting in their standards with weeks, if not months, of rehearsal being required by the vocal groups before entering the studio to cut their sessions. But with limited distribution and advertising and no money to grease the palms of influential disc-jockeys, their success was understandably limited.

For a label that had no big hits, their longevity as essentially a one or two man operation is perhaps their most impressive accomplishment.
 
 
ATLAS RECORDS DISCOGRAPHY (Records Reviewed To Date On Spontaneous Lunacy):

H-BOMB FERGUSON: Rock, H-Bomb Rock (8) (Atlas 1001; December, 1951)
H-BOMB FERGUSON: I Love My Baby (5) (Atlas 1001; December, 1951)
CHARLIE SINGLETON: Gone With The Wind (6) (Atlas 1002; December, 1951)
CHARLIE SINGLETON: Blow, Mr. Singleton (7) (Atlas 1002; December, 1951)
CHARLIE SINGLETON: Swinging Away (3) (Atlas 1003; January, 1952)
H-BOMB FERGUSON: Good Time Gal (5) (Atlas 1005; March, 1952)
H-BOMB FERGUSON: On My Way (3) (Atlas 1005; March, 1952)
CHARLIE SINGLETON: Cat’s Paw (5) (Atlas 1006; March, 1952)
CHARLIE SINGLETON: Super Chief (4) (Atlas 1021; September, 1952)
CHARLIE SINGLETON: Jiving With Dr. Jive (4) (Atlas 1021; September, 1952)