Episode #832 – Imperial Records, Pt. 5 – 1954

Air Week: April 13-19, 2026

Imperial Records, Pt. 5 – 1954

Imperial Records was a major player among the indie labels of the late 1940s and the entirety of the 1950s. Started in Los Angels in 1946 by Lew Chudd, a Canadian raised in Harlem, Imperial began filling the ethnic and cultural voids left by the majors at the time. Chudd knew there was a large market for Latino Music in America, so he headed to Mexico City and recorded some Mexican jump bands that sold very well. He then included square dance records which also racked up sales as now square dances could be held without callers. He began recording Rhythm & Blues in 1947 and by ’49, he had hired Dave Bartholomew to scout talent in fertile New Orleans. The Braun Brother had beat him to The Crescent City by recording Paul Gayten and Annie Laurie first, but with Bartholomew’s help, Chudd was able to sign Fats Domino, Smiley Lewis, Archibald and Jewel King, dominating the New Orleans R&B scene. This week, we continue our Imperial series with part five, focusing on Imperial’s R&B releases from 1954. Fats Domino is still Imperial’s biggest star, but he only scores 2 charting records in ’54, while a new vocal group out of New Orleans, The Spiders, rack up 3. Their debut single, “I Didn’t Want To Do It,” establishes them as the most successful vocal group on Imperial. Pee Wee Crayton joins the roster, filling out an already stacked list of blues greats that includes T-Bone Walker. We’ll hear 14 year old future great, James Booker as Little Booker making his debut on Imperial and some great vocal group records from Bobby Mitchell & The Toppers, The Hawks and The Bees. Matt The Cat keeps those records spinning as he features part five of the Imperial Records Story on this week’s “Juke In The Back.” 

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