Numero Group – Eccentric Soul

The rise of Motown and Stax Records in the 1960's is the stuff of legend. From their humble beginnings promoting local talent to regional markets, they would go on to top the charts again and again with artists like Stevie Wonder and Isaac Hayes achieving international stardom in the process.

While their successes may be unique, however, their business model was not. Virtually every town big enough to host a radio station had one or more independent labels operating in the same fashion. From Columbus's Prix Label to Miami's Saadia Records to San Antonio's Dynamic Label, one can begin to imagine the rich tapestry of homegrown music stretching across the nation in the 60's and 70's. But half a century later, without chart topping singles sung by international stars, the music from these labels is in danger of being lost and forgotten forever.

The Numero Group's Eccentric Soul series aims to remedy that. For the better part of two decades they've been researching and rereleasing beautiful, comprehensive compilation albums on vinyl. Here is a playlist of some of my favorites, each song from a different label.

#numerogroup #eccentricsoul #soul #funk #60s #70s #eulacooper