Blue Thumb Records was an American record label founded in 1968 by Bob Krasnow and former A&M Records executives Tommy LiPuma and Don Graham. Blue Thumb's last record was released in 1978. In 1995, the label was revived and remained active until 2005.
History Bob Krasnow had been in the record business since the 1950s, working as a promotion man for King Records and also working for Buddah/Kama Sutra Records. Blue Thumb was originally intended by Captain Beefheart to be the name of his backing band. However, Krasnow did not think the name was right for the group. Later Krasnow chose the name for his label.
Other acts that appeared on the label include Phil Upchurch, The Crusaders, The Pointer Sisters,The Pointer Sisters allmusic Retrieved 14 August 2025 Jimmy Smith, Hugh Masekela, Ben Sidran, Last Poets, Gerry Rafferty, Aynsley Dunbar's Retaliation (licensed from UK Liberty Records), Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks, Dave Mason, T. Rex (in its earlier incarnation as Tyrannosaurus Rex, licensed from the UK's Regal Zonophone Records), Ike & Tina Turner, Love, Gábor Szabó, Mark-Almond, Buddy Guy, Junior Mance, Junior Wells, Sam Lay, Sylvester, The Credibility Gap, and National Lampoon (on the Banana label imprint).
Blue Thumb originally used independent distribution, but went to Capitol/EMI for distribution in late 1970. Gulf and Western's Famous Music Group took over distribution in mid-1971, then bought the label outright in 1972. Late in 1974, the Famous Music record labels were sold to ABC Records. ABC kept Blue Thumb active for a time, mostly for albums by the Pointer Sisters and the Crusaders as well as some reissues. In 1979 ABC sold its labels to MCA Records, which discontinued the Blue Thumb imprint altogether.
In the United Kingdom and Europe, Blue Thumb releases were licensed to Harvest Records (also owned by EMI) from 1969 to 1971, and to Island Records thereafter. In 1995, an anthology CD was released, All Day Thumbsucker Revisited: The History of Blue Thumb Records, consisting of recordings from various artists from 1968 to 1974.
The label was revived in 1995 for blues and soft rock releases. This remained so, even after the 1998 merger with parent Universal Music Group and PolyGram and being put under the fold of the Verve Music Group, continuing to be Verve's imprint for non-jazz releases. In early 2005, the Blue Thumb imprint was deactivated and was replaced with Verve Forecast to handle such releases. UMG's reissue arm Hip-O Records has reissued several Blue Thumb recordings, including such acts as the Crusaders, Dan Hicks & his Hot Licks and the Pointer Sisters.
Catalog Catalog Year Album Artist NotesBTS 11968Strictly PersonalCaptain Beefheart & His Magic BandBeefheart was going to name his band “Blue Thumb” but Krasnow felt it worked better as a label nameBTS 21968An Album of Political Pornography & The Credibility GapBTS 31968Original and Authentic Recordings by the Great W.C. Fields BTS 41968The Aynsley Dunbar Retaliation RetaliationBTS 51969Outta SeasonIke & Tina TurnerBTS 61969Doctor Dunbar's Prescription RetaliationBTS 71969UnicornTyrannosaurus RexBTS 81969Truckin' with Albert CollinsReissue of The Cool Sounds of Albert Collins (TCF Hall, 1965)BTS 91970Coming HomeChicago Blue StarsPersonnel includes Charlie Musselwhite, Fred Roulette, Louis Myers, Skip Rose, Jack Myers and Fred BelowBTS 101969Venus in CancerBTS 111969The HunterIke & Tina TurnerBTS 121969Sweet Black AngelBTS 131969Ready to RideSouthwindBTS 141969Sam Lay in Bluesland's BluesbandBTS 151969Clifton Chenier's Very BestCompilation of Arhoolie 1024/1031/1038BTS 161970To Mum From Aynsley and the Boys RetaliationBTS 171969Alegria!Bossa RioBTS 181970A Beard of StarsTyrannosaurus RexBTS 191970Alone TogetherOn multi-colored vinylBTS 201970Buddy and the Juniors, Junior Mance & Junior WellsBTS 211970A Bad DonatoBTS 221970False StartLoveBTS 231970Magical ConnectionBTS 24BTS 251971Dave Mason & Cass Elliot and Cass ElliotBTS 261970What a Place to LandSouthwindBTS 271971Mark-AlmondMark-AlmondBTS 281971High Contrastfeaturing Bobby WomackBTS 291971Where's the Money? & His Hot LicksBTS 301971Recorded Live at Bimbo's, San FranciscoBTS 311971NaturallyBTS 321972Mark-Almond IIMark-AlmondBTS 331971How Are Things in Your Town?2LP Compilation of material previously released on Dot RecordsBTS 341972HeadkeeperBTS 351972Crazed HipstersFinningan & WoodBTS 361972Striking It Rich & His Hot LicksBTS 371972Luis Gasca aka For Those Who ChantBanana BTS 381972Radio DinnerNational LampoonBTS 391972ChastisementBTS 401972I Lead a LifeBTS 411973Space Is the PlaceSun RaReleased as a quadraphonic LP only, and 8-trackBTS 421972The Barbeque of DevilleHoodoo Rhythm DevilsBTS 431972Private TonightBTS 441972StardancerBTS 451973Sylvester and the Hot BandSylvester and the Hot BandBTS 461973Singing/PlayingBTS 471973SupermellowBTS 481973The Pointer SistersBTS 491973The Best of Ike & Tina TurnerIke & Tina TurnerCompilationBTS 501973The Best of Mark-AlmondMark-AlmondCompilationBTS 511973Last Train to Hicksville... The Home of Happy Feet & His Hot LicksBTS 521973At LastBTS 53BTS 541973Dave Mason is Alive!BTS 551973Puttin' in Time on Planet EarthBTS 561973Sunforest / Pearls Before SwineBTS 571973What the Kids WantHoodoo Rhythm DevilsBTS 581973Can I Have My Money Back?Reissue of Transatlantic Records albumBTS 591973Lovin' Feelin'''
|BTS 60 |1973 |Bazaar|Sylvester & The Hot Band
|BTS 61 |1973 |Face to Face|
|BTS 62 |1972 |Introducing Hedzoleh Soundz|
|BTS 63 |1973 |Butts Band|Butts Band |Featuring Robby Krieger and John Densmore |- |BTS 64 |1974 |Aim for the Highest|Aim
|BTS 65
|BTS 66 |1974 |America, Wake Up|
|BTS 880 |1975 |Split Coconut|
|BTS 6000 |1969 |Memphis Swamp Jam|Various Artists |Featuring Bukka White, Piano Red, Nathan Beauregard, Sleepy John Estes, Fred McDowell & Johnny Woods, Furry Lewis, R.L. Watson & Josiah Jones |- |BTS 6001 |1972 |Crusaders 1| |Two record set |- |BTS 6002
|BTS 6003 |1973 |Home Is Where the Music Is| |Two record set |- |BTS 6004 |1972 |Lights Out: San Francisco (Voco Presents The Soul Of The Bay Area)|Various Artists |Two record set featuring John Lee Hooker, Clifford Coulter, Tower Of Power, Sylvester and The Hot Band, Fadil Shahin and The Casbah Band, Dan Hicks and His Hot Licks |- |BTS 6005 |1972 |Darkess Darkness|
|Banana BTS 6006 |1973 |Lemmings|National Lampoon
|BTS 6007 |1973 |Unsung Heroes|
|Banana BTS 6008 |1974 |The Missing White House Tapes|National Lampoon
|BTS 6009 |1974 |That's a Plenty|
|BTS 6010 |1974 |Scratch|
|BTS 6011 |1974 |Italian Graffiti|
|BTS 6012 |1974 |Don't Let Go|
|BTS 6013 |1974 |The Best of Dave Mason|
|BTS 6014 |1974 |Gabor Szabo Live|
|BTS 6015 |1974 |I Am Not Afraid|
|BTS 6016 |1974 |The Big Bow-Wow Strain|
|BTS 6017
|BTSD 6018 |1975 |Hear and Now|Butts Band
|BTSD 6019 |1975 |New Year, New Band, New Company|
|BTSD 6020
|BTSD 6021 |1975 |Steppin'|
|BTSD 6022 |1975 |Chain Reaction|
|BTSD 6023 |1977 |Having a Party|
|BTSD 6024 |1976 |Those Southern Knights|
|BTSD 6025
|BTSY 6026/2 |1976 |The Best of the Pointer Sisters | |Two record set |- |BTS 6027 |1976 |The Best of the Crusaders| |Two record set |- |BTS 6028 |1977 |Come Into Knowledge|RAMP
|BT 6029 |1977 |Free as the Wind|
|BT 6030 |1978 |Images|
|BT 6031 |1978 |Can I Have My Money Back?| |Reissue of BTS 58 |- |BT 6032 |1978 |Very Best of Dave Mason|
|BTS 7000 |1973 |The 2nd Crusade| |Two record set |- |BTS 7001
|BT3 7002 |1995 |All Day Thumb Sucker Revisited: The History of Blue Thumb Records|Various Artists |Three record set label sampler – despite the title, this release shares no tracks with the 1970 original |- |BTS 8001
|BTS 8002 |1974 |Live at the Opera House|
|BTS 8701
|BTS 8702 |1970 |All Day Thumb Sucker|Various Artists |Label sampler |- |BTS 8703
|BTS 8704
|BTS 8705
|BTS 8706 |1971 |Memphis Swamp Jam|Various Artists |Reissue of BTS 6000 |- |BTS 8805 |1971 |Outta Season|Ike & Tina Turner |Reissue of BTS 5 |- |BTS 8813 |1971 |Ready to Ride|Southwind |Reissue of BTS 13 |- |BTS 8817 |1971 |Alegria!|Bossa Rio |Reissue of BTS 17 |- |BTS 8818 |1971 |A Beard of Stars|Tyrannosaurus Rex |Reissue of BTS 18 |- |BTS 8819 |1971 |Alone Together| |Reissue of BTS 19 on standard black vinyl |- |BTS 8820 |1971 |Buddy and the Juniors|, Junior Mance & Junior Wells |Reissue of BTS 20 |- |BTS 9000 |1969 |Out Here|Love |Two record set |- |BTS 9001 |1972 |Lenny| |Two record set |- |BT 9002 |1974 |Southern Comfort''Two record set
See also List of record labels Verve Records
References
External links The Story of Blue Thumb Records Blue Thumb Discography