Bruce Iglauer

Music producer and record-company executive Bruce Iglauer was born in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1947. In 1970 he moved to Chicago and got a job with Delmark Records as a shipping clerk. One night he saw blues performer Hound Dog Taylor performing in a small bar, and the next day he approached Delmark owner Bob Koester to recommend that the label sign Taylor. Koester refused, so Iglauer decided to start his own label and record Taylor himself. He named his company--which he ran out of his living room--Alligator Records. Unlike many labels just starting out, Iglauer didn't rush as many albums to the market as he could. He carefully picked what artists he signed and recorded, and released only nine albums over the next seven years. However, in 1978 he released seven albums, by such acclaimed artists as KoKo Taylor and Albert Collins. That year the label was nominated for six Grammy awards, In 1982 he released an album, "I'm Here!", by zydeco legend Clifton Chenier. He later signed blues guitar icons Johnny Winter and Son Seals and harmonica player James Cotton. The quality of the label's artists and their albums brought Alligator Records great respect in the industry. The 1980s saw the label's releases expand greatly and brought even more success. In 1991 the label and Iglauer were honored at the Chicago Blues Festival. Alligator Records continues to be regarded as one of the top blues labels in the world.