Down Home Records

Down Home Records was originally founded by trumpeter Lu Watters in Albany, California in 1949 as a vehicle to release his own Dixieland jazz recordings. Norman Granz, who had produced records by Watters for both his Clef Records label and Mercury, purchased Down Home in 1953. Granz announced the formation of his new Down Home Records label in February, 1956 and issued seven LPs that year (MG D-1 - MG D-7) with a distinctive red/yellow label. In 1957, the Down Home label was folded into Granz's Verve Records label. Verve released 14 albums under the Down Home Series, (MGV-1001 through MGV-1014). Other labels also licensed material from the Down Home Series, including the Swedish Down Home Series (2).