Ace Records: Labels Unlimited by David Stubbs

Ace Records: Labels Unlimited by David Stubbs

To read Ace Records is to explore the history of modern music and to discover the stories of the people that made it. Visually stunning and hugely entertaining, the book chronicles this fascinating label and profiles a diverse range of artists including BB King, John Fahey, Lee Hazlewood and Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers.

From humble beginnings at a London market stall, Ace Records has gone on to change the face of popular music. Now the world's foremost blues, rockabilly, soul and rock 'n' roll reissue label, Ace Records has been responsible for unearthing lost classics and neglected pioneers for over three decades, and provided some of the finest and most influential records of the post-war era. The first comprehensive history of this fascinating label, Ace Records takes in some of the finest and most enduring modern music, rock 'n' roll, soul, funk, blues, jazz, R&B, garage rock and punk.

Based on the core values of reclamation, restoration and research, Ace Records has travelled far and wide--resurrecting the forgotten giants of the American music scene. From the earliest pre-war blues and Cajun recordings made in the Deep South, to the explosion of rock 'n' roll, to the soaring soul sounds of the 1960s and 70s, the label has rescued a rich cultural legacy and preserved this music for generations to come. Signing some of the most exciting young rock 'n' roll bands to come out of the UK, Ace Records christened the burgeoning psychobilly genre as it championed bands like The Meteors and The Cramps.

Illustrated with many unseen archive photographs dating back to the 1920s, rare artwork and newspaper clippings, and written by established music journalist and author David Stubbs, Ace Records is a highly entertaining and visually stunning guide to a pioneering alternative to the mainstream UK music scene.

David Stubbs, a writer and novelist, began his career at Melody Maker in 1986. Since then, he's contributed to publications such as NME, Uncut, The Wire, The Guardian, The Observer, The Sunday Times, The Daily Mash, When Saturday Comes, and The Quietus. Fear Of Music: Why People Understand Rothko But Don't Get Stockhausen (Zero), The Prince Charles Letters (Aurum), Future Days: Krautrock And The Creation Of Modern Germany (Faber & Faber), as well as books on Jimi Hendrix, Eminime, and footballer Charlie Nicholas. He lives in East London.