Record Label
US label founded in 1968; mostly appears just as "**Blue Thumb**" or "[[label:142518]]". Initially distributed by [[label:13531]], the licensing & distribution moved in 1971 to [[label:266222]], a subsidiary of Gulf & Western Company who purchased the label in 1972 as [[label:142518]] In 1974, Gulf+Western sold its entire record operation, which included [[label:36601]] and [[label:38652]], to [[label:12220]]. (A label history [is in images](http://www.discogs.com/viewimages?label=Blue+Thumb+Records)). For its successive sister label, please see [[label:ABC Blue Thumb]]. Blue Thumb Records was founded in mid-1968 by [[label:12217]] producer [[artist:Bob Krasnow]] on the strength of a recording deal he struck with [[artist:Don Van Vliet]] during recording sessions for the second album by [[artist:Captain Beefheart And His Magic Band]]. The album had begun life as *It Comes To You In A Plain Brown Wrapper*, a conceptual double album for release on [[label:Buddah Records]]. However, Krasnow's idea of an independent label effected new directions. Vliet had considered re-naming his band "Blue Thumb", but this became the name for the new label. The resultant recording *Strictly Personal*, produced and engineered by Krasnow, became the first release on Blue Thumb as BTS 1. Krasnow, who begun his career at [[label:47558]], had previously effected a similar move with Vliet when he brought The Magic Band over from A&M Records [along with executives [[artist:Tommy LiPuma]] & Don Graham] to the newly-formed Buddah label, created to gain distribution independence away from MGM for [[label:Kama Sutra]]. This had resulted in Krasnow co-producing the *Safe As Milk* album and striking a working relationship with the band. *Strictly Personal* on Blue Thumb was distributed by [[label:13531]]. The label's distribution, from BTS 20 through BTS 28, was by [[label:Capitol]] Records and starting with BTS 29 by ABC. The label of [[label:142518]] was quite innovative, with a roster of artists rather 'left-field' or blues oriented, echoing the similar style of [[artist:Frank Zappa]]'s [[label:Straight]] and [[label:Bizarre Records]] labels. Krasnow also created the sub-label [[label:Banana Records (4)]] for [[artist:National Lampoon]] recordings, using the Blue Thumb "BTS" numbering system. By 1974 the label was being distributed by [[label:ABC Records]], who bought Krasnow out that year. Blue Thumb continued to be used as an imprint on some ABC releases (mainly for albums by The [[artist:Crusaders]] and the [[artist:Pointer Sisters]]) until late 1978 when [[label:MCA Records]] bought ABC Records and folded it and all of its affiliated labels a year later. MCA revived Blue Thumb in 1995 as an imprint of [[label:GRP Records, Inc.]]. Following a series of label mergers and buyouts that eventually created the multi-national [[label:Universal Music Group]], Blue Thumb and GRP became subsidiaries of the [[label:The Verve Music Group]]. Blue Thumb was deactivated in 2005 and replaced with a relaunched [[label:30679]].