Electro-Fi Records is a Canadian award-winning

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

founded in 1996, based in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

, Canada, which specializes in the release of

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

records.

History

Electro-Fi Records was founded in 1996 by Andrew Galloway, with assistance from Gary Collver and Alec Fraser. Galloway started the label shortly before turning forty, following a career in corporate communications. Collver's background was in photography and media. Fraser, a bassist and vocalist, was a professional musician and record producer. Since its formation, the label has released over fifty albums of original blues material. It has specialized in releases which pair experienced American blues musicians, such as Willie "Big Eyes" Smith and Curley Bridges, with Canadian musicians. The 2009 Electro-Fi release of ''Ramblin' Son'', by Julian Fauth, won the

Juno Award The Juno Awards, more popularly known as the JUNOS, are awards presented annually to Canadian musical artists and bands to acknowledge their artistic and technical achievements in all aspects of music. New members of the Canadian Music Hall of ...

for Blues Album of the Year, as did the 2004 Electro-Fi release of ''Painkiller'', by

Morgan Davis Morgan Davis is a Canadian blues singer, guitarist, and songwriter. He was born and spent his childhood in Detroit, Michigan, before relocating to Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 1968. He moved to Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 2001.Chris MartinWhat's in t ...

. Galloway and Fraser co-produced ''Ramblin' Son'' with Fauth, with the album also mixed and co-engineered by Fraser. In addition, Fraser, who co-produced the ''Painkiller'' album with Davis, won the 2004

Maple Blues Award The Maple Blues Awards are Canada’s blues awards, "honouring the finest in Canadian blues". They are the only comprehensive national best in blues awards program. The program's goal is to promote blues music across Canada, and to recognize outs ...

for Producer of the Year. An earlier release by Electro-Fi, ''Blues Weather'', by Fathead, won the 1999 Juno Award for Blues Album of the Year. A 2001 Electro-Fi release by Mel Brown and The Homewreckers, ''Neck Bones & Caviar'', being Brown's debut record on the label, won the W.C. Handy Award for Comeback Album of the Year. The album was co-produced by Galloway and mixed by Fraser.

Artists recording for Electro-Fi

* Billy Boy Arnold * Blackburn *

Bobby Dean Blackburn Bobby or Bobbie may refer to: People * Bobby (given name), a list of names * Bobby (actress), from Bangladesh * Bobby (rapper) (born 1995), from South Korea * Bobby (screenwriter) (born 1983), Indian screenwriter * Bobby, old slang for a constab ...

* Diana Braithwaite * Curley Bridges * Mel Brown * Enrico Crivellaro *

* Fathead *

Fruteland Jackson Fruteland Jackson (born June 9, 1953) is an American electric blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. Henry Townsend stated, "My respect for Fruteland Jackson is very high. He and my boy Alvin Youngblood Hart is the future sound of true acoustic ...

Harmonica Shah Seward Daward Shah, known as Harmonica Shah (born March 31, 1946) is an American Detroit and electric blues harmonicist and singer. His playing was influenced by Junior Wells, Jimmy Reed, Little Walter, Lazy Lester, and Little Sonny. Biography ...

* Julian Fauth *

James Harman James Gary Harman (June 8, 1946 – May 23, 2021) was an American blues harmonica player, singer, and songwriter. The music journalist Tony Russell described Harman as an "amusing songwriter and an excellent, unfussy blues harp player". Biograp ...

Mark Hummel Mark Hummel (born December 15, 1955) is an American blues harmonica player, vocalist, songwriter, and long-time bandleader of the Blues Survivors. Since 1991, Hummel has produced the Blues Harmonica Blowout tour, of which he is also a featured p ...

* Andrew "Jr. Boy" Jones *

Harrison Kennedy Harrison Kennedy may refer to: * Harrison Kennedy (footballer) * Harrison Kennedy (musician) Harrison Kennedy (born March 9, 1942) is a Black Canadian electric blues, R&B, and soul blues, singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. He is be ...

Johnny Laws Johnny Laws (born January 12, 1943) is an American Chicago blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. A regular performer for over half a century in Chicago's South Side clubs, Laws has released two albums, including ''Burnin' in My Soul'', of whi ...

John Mays John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Second ...

Miss Angel Miss (pronounced ) is an English language honorific typically used for a girl, for an unmarried woman (when not using another title such as " Doctor" or "Dame"), or for a married woman retaining her maiden name. Originating in the 17th century, i ...

Sam Myers Samuel Joseph Myers (February 19, 1936 – July 17, 2006) was an American blues musician and songwriter. He was an accompanist on dozens of recordings by blues artists over five decades. He began his career as a drummer for Elmore James but was ...

Paul Oscher Paul Allan Oscher (February 26, 1947 – April 18, 2021) was an American blues singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist. Primarily a harmonica player, he was the first permanent white member of Muddy Waters' band.Norman Darwen, "Obituary: Paul ...

Gary Primich Gary Primich (April 20, 1958 – September 23, 2007) was an American blues harmonica player, singer, guitarist and songwriter. He is best known for his 1995 album, ''Mr. Freeze''. Biography Gary Alan Primich was born in Chicago, Illinois, b ...

* Rip Lee Pryor *

Snooky Pryor James Edward "Snooky" Pryor (September 15, 1919 or 1921 – October 18, 2006) was an American Chicago blues harmonica player. He claimed to have pioneered the now-common method of playing amplified harmonica by cupping a small microphone in his ...

Shakura S'Aida Shakura S'Aida is a Canadian blues vocalist, songwriter and actress. She is sometimes credited Shakura. History Shakura S'Aida was born in Brooklyn and lived in Switzerland before moving to Canada. S'Aida was lead singer of the 13-piece worl ...

Little Mack Simmons Malcolm "Little Mack" Simmons (January 25, 1933 – October 24, 2000) was an American Chicago blues harmonica player, singer, and songwriter. Biography Simmons was born in Twist, Arkansas. In his youth, he befriended James Cotton, and both learn ...

* George "Harmonica" Smith * Willie "Big Eyes" Smith *

Finis Tasby Finis Tasby (February 1, 1939 – November 2, 2014) was a Los Angeles based blues singer and frontman for the group The Mannish Boys. Background and career There is some confusion over his birth details, depending on which source is referenced. ...

* Lil' Dave Thompson *

Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne Kenny "Blues Boss" Wayne (born Kenneth Wayne Spruell, November 13, 1944) is an American blues, boogie-woogie and jazz pianist, singer and songwriter. Music journalist, Jeff Johnson, writing in the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' stated, "There's no boogi ...

Chris Whiteley Chris is a short form of various names including Christopher, Christian, Christina, Christine, and Christos. Chris is also used as a name in its own right, however it is not as common. People with the given name * Chris Abani (born 1966), N ...

Sharrie Williams Sharrie Williams (born January 3, 1965) is an American blues/soul/gospel singer-songwriter. History Sharrie Williams grew up in the Daniel Heights Projects of Saginaw, Michigan, United States. She began singing in the church choir at the age ...

References

{{Authority control Canadian independent record labels Record labels established in 1996