Nighthawk Records

Lore & Background

Nighthawk Records began in 1976 with the release of four vintage post-war blues reissue albums, forming a series of nine volumes covering recordings from Chicago, Detroit, Memphis and the Delta, New Orleans, and the Southwest. In 1979, the label launched the 200 series of blues productions with Mule, an album by Henry Townsend, who had first recorded for Columbia Records in 1929 and later for RCA/Bluebird, Paramount, Bullet, and Prestige/Bluesville.

Reader's Guide

Nighthawk Records is significant for its focused reissue of post-war blues from key American regions, preserving recordings from Chicago, Detroit, Memphis, the Delta, New Orleans, and the Southwest. Its 200 series continued blues production with artists like Henry Townsend. In the 1980s, the label shifted to conscious roots reggae, releasing notable anthologies such as Wiser Dread, which Steven Davis called the best reggae anthology since The Harder They Come. Nighthawk also released albums by the Itals, the Gladiators, and a compilation featuring Culture, the Itals, the Gladiators, Wailing Souls, and Mighty Diamonds. The label went out of business in the late 1990s, and its back catalogue was acquired by Omnivore Recordings in October 2017.

Did You Know?

• Nighthawk Records was founded by Robert Schoenfeld in 1976.
• The label's first releases were four vintage post-war blues reissue albums.
• In 1979, Nighthawk launched the 200 series with Mule, an album by Henry Townsend.
• The 300 series began in 1980 with Wiser Dread, an anthology of Rastafarian roots music.