Ichiban Records was an American independent record label, founded in 1985 by John Abbey and Nina Easton in Atlanta, Georgia, United States.
History Wrap Records and Nastymix Records were some of its subsidiary labels. Urgent! Records and Mr. Henry Records of Houston were both distributed by Ichiban. Besides recording a string of hip hop groups in later years, Ichiban originally specialised in blues and has also released albums by musicians such as Buster Benton and Raful Neal. Ichiban filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 1999. The catalog is now controlled by EMI, but nothing has been reissued since the label ceased operations.
The label's name, "ichi-ban", is Japanese for "number one" or "first one", an expression commonly used in Japan to mean the best.
Notable artists
Hip hop A.W.O.L. Detroit's Most Wanted DFC DJ Smurf Gangsta Pat Ghetto Mafia Hard Boyz Insane Poetry Kid Sensation Kilo Ali Kool Moe Dee Lil John MC Brains MC Breed Rodney O & Joe Cooley Sir Mix-a-Lot Success-n-Effect Vanilla Ice Willie D
Soul Clarence Carter Willie Clayton Millie Jackson Barbara Lynn The Three Degrees Tyrone Davis Little Johnny Taylor Scola
Funk Slave
Blues/jazz/rock Roy Ayers Buster Benton Ben E. King Gary B.B. Coleman Dash Rip Rock Deadeye Dick The Fleshtones Little Mike and the Tornadoes Luther "Houserocker" Johnson Joey Gilmore Big Joe & the Dynaflows Ernie Lancaster Trudy Lynn Jerry McCain Floyd Miles Raful Neal Phunk Junkeez Tom Principato Artie "Blues Boy" White Blues Boy Willie Chick Willis
See also Stax Records Goldwax Records
References
External links Discogs entry