Vee Jay Records

Vee-Jay Records on vinyl: blues, jazz and the first Beatles in America

In short: Vivian Carter and James Bracken founded Vee-Jay in 1953 – the name comes from their initials. The label from Gary and later Chicago is regarded as one of the most successful Black-owned labels before Motown: with Jimmy Reed’s blues, with jazz, soul and doo-wop. As early as 1963 Vee-Jay released the first Beatles singles in the US, followed in early 1964 by “Introducing… The Beatles”. The Vinyl Room currently has 16 Vee-Jay records.

From our stock

Vee-Jay first pressings

Blues

Jazz

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→ Chess · Electric blues · Hard bop · How to spot a first pressing

What makes Vee-Jay special?

Jimmy Reed was the label’s blues star – here with “At Carnegie Hall”, “At Soul City” and “With More Of The Best”. The jazz side is especially interesting for collectors: Paul Chambers with “Go”, drummer Louis Hayes, Ira Sullivan with “Bird Lives”, Eddie Harris with “Jazz For Breakfast At Tiffany’s” and “The Eric Dolphy Memorial Album”.

Add Little Richard with “Little Richard Is Back”, Dick Gregory’s comedy, gospel from the Argo Singers – and “Introducing… The Beatles”. This record deserves a close look: it was often counterfeited later.

FAQ

Where does the name Vee-Jay come from? From the initials of the founders Vivian Carter and James Bracken – V and J.

Did Vee-Jay really have the Beatles? Yes, in early 1964 Vee-Jay released “Introducing… The Beatles”, shortly before the first Capitol album in the US.

Why is “Introducing… The Beatles” tricky? Because there are many later counterfeits; label, back cover and matrix numbers help identify it – feel free to ask us.

What do you have on Vee-Jay? Sixties blues, jazz, rock & roll and comedy – 16 records in all.