ARTICLES
Dive into the remarkable story of Don Robey — music mogul, entrepreneur, and trailblazer in American music history. This curated collection of articles explores his influence on the music industry, his complex legacy, and his impact on artists like Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton, Bobby “Blue” Bland, and Clarence “Gatemouth” Brown. Whether you're a music historian, a fan of vintage soul, or just discovering his name, this page is your gateway to understanding the man behind the music.
What does the 'Chitlin Circuit' part of Beyoncé's new country album title mean?
Houston's own Beyoncé is blazing a trail of her own with her newly released album titled "Cowboy Carter and the Rodeo Chitlin Circuit" made up of 27 tracks.
But it's the Chitlin Circuit part of the album title speaking to rooted history right here in Houston's Freedmen's Town neighborhood.
KHOU
ZZ Top: Dalís of the Delta
We thought: 'Let's have a stage the shape of Texas.'" In dark glasses, 10-gallon hat, cowboy boots and – of course – long beard, ZZ Top's bassist Dusty Hill is remembering the time the band decided to take their home state to the world – or as much of it as they could reach.
The Guardian
The Many Houstonians Who Helped Make B.B. King a Star
This afternoon in Memphis, a funeral procession down Beale Street will celebrate the life and music of B.B. King, the one and only “King of the Blues” who passed away the evening of May 14 at his home in Las Vegas.
Houston Press
Don Robey
Don Robey was the owner of the Peacock, Duke and BackBeat labels that released some important R&B records in the 50s and were also the home of some of the best Gospel artists of the day.
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All About Blues Music
Robey, Don Deadric
(1903-1975)
Don Deadric Robey, music entrepreneur, was born on November 1, 1903, in Houston. A life-long passion for music led Robey into promotional work for ballroom dances in the Houston area.
Texas State Historical Association
Don Robey: Gangster of Worship
Houston’s Don Deadric Robey — half black, half Jewish, all gangster — beat Berry Gordy by ten years to become the first African-American record mogul. A gambler and a hustler, he did not get there by playing fair, but Robey put out some of the greatest gospel, R&B and rock and roll records of the 1950s and ’60s from a building in the Fifth Ward of Houston.
Michael Corcoran
Houston Record Mogul Don Robey Sells Duke-Peacock Records
On May 23, 1973, mogul Don Robey sold his Duke-Peacock Records empire to ABC- Dunhill, concluding a tumultuous tenure that had made Houston a national center of rhythm and blues.
KUTX
Black History Month: Houston's First Record Label Owner Don Robey
Don Robey, a trailblazer, inspired Blacks to own independent record labels. Robey became the first black in America to own a record company.
Patch
Houston Music Landmark Razed
Decades had passed since the white building at 2809 Erastus at the corner of Wylie in the Fifth Ward served as the epicenter for African-American nightlife in Houston. The storied Bronze Peacock club was eventually shuttered and transformed into the headquarters for the late Don Robey's Houston-based music empire, where he oversaw his Duke and Peacock labels and the successful Buffalo Booking Agency.
CHRON.
Don Robey
Don Robey built one of the most formidable entertainment empires in the independent music business with his Duke and Peacock labels, Buffalo Booking Agency, Lion Music publishing company, nightclubs, and other associated activities. His hardnosed business tactics made him a controversial figure, but many of his artists, including his first Peacock signee, Gatemouth Brown, and longtime Duke star Bobby Bland, who recorded for Duke for 20 years, spoke of him with admiration and respect.
The Blues Foundation
Song Bird Records
After Peacock Records founder Don Robey acquired Memphis label, Duke Records in 1952 and moved the latter's headquarters to his Bronze Peacock Night Club in Houston, he launched Songbird in 1963 to specialize in Gospel artists.
RYM
Duke-Peacock Records
Duke and Peacock were two record labels that were influential in shaping the course of American blues, rhythm and blues, gospel, and soul music after World War II.
Texas State Historical Association
Rhythm &
Gangster 2
In the ‘90s Death Row’s Suge Knight has became the symbol of the black gangsta as music mogul. But Knight didn’t invent that lane. Far from it. I’d suggest the original R&B musical gangster was a black Jew from Houston named Don Robey.
The Nelson George Mixtape
Peacock Records
During the first half of the 20th century, the mass-market recordings of African American musicians were grouped under the term "Race Music," regardless of their musical genre, and these musicians were marketed strictly to African American listeners.
The Historical Marker Database
Duke/Peacock Records To Get Historical Marker Next Month
On the heels of the Lightnin' Hopkins Historical Marker last fall and the news that historic Third Ward jazz/R&B venue the Eldorado Ballroom will dedicate its own later this spring, Rocks Off learned today that the Texas Historical Commission has approved another blues-related marker for Houston, this one to be dedicated in Fifth Ward next month.
Houston Press
Sympathy for the Devil
Before Berry Gordy started Motown—before Russell Simmons and Suge Knight were even born—Don Robey epitomized what it meant to be a black music mogul.
Oxford American
The Glorious Gospel of Peacock Records
“Credit will have to be given to such pioneers as Don Robey out of Houston, Texas, starting the ball rolling with the Blind Boys of Mississippi. Peacock Records is one of the largest recording companies in the country today, owned by a Black man,” Brother Sylvester Henderson, a popular gospel disc jockey, producer, and promoter, proclaimed in a 1970 column in the Soul newspaper.
UDiscoverMusic
The Sacred Music of Houston Record Mogul Don Robey
On tour in Houston in 1950, the Mississippi Boys met Robey, who decided he could sell some gospel records by adding a drum beat to quartet singing. While the first session with the "Original Five Blind Boys" did not produce a hit, the second session created a monster with "Our Father."
Houston Press
O.V. Wright
O.V. Wright, recognized for his powerful fusion of blues, soul, and gospel, brought unparalleled emotion-drenched intensity to his music. Born Overton Vertis Wright on October 9, 1939, in Lenow, Tennessee, near Memphis, he began his musical journey singing church music and later professionally with the Sunset Travelers.
The Blues Foundation
Don Robey Biography
Label owner, songwriter, producer Don Robey's name should be on any serious list of early pop/R&B pioneers. His Duke-Peacock family of labels boasted an impressive roster: Johnny Ace, Bobby "Blue" Bland, Big Mama Thornton, Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, the Dixie Hummingbirds, O.V. Wright, Carl Carlton, the Five Blind Boys of Mississippi, Inez Andrews, Memphis Slim, Little Junior Parker, Joe Hinton, and more.
All Music
Pledging My Love
1969 Is the Twentieth Anniversary of Duke/Peacock Records of Houston, Texas, one of the best R & B Soul companies.This song was written by Don Robey, who owned the Bronze Peacock Lounge in Houston and founded Peacock Records, where Johnny Ace recorded.
Song Facts
Big Mama Thornton Interview
“…I would like very much to do spirituals. Because I feel that I got the voice. I feel like I got the power. I just feel like I could just do them. You would be surprised, mostly my occupation every morning is turn on my radio and listen to spirituals. I love those spirituals. I love good singing.” – Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton (Dec 11, 1926 – July 25th, 1984)
Arhoolie
How Big Mama Thornton's 'Hound Dog' built the bridge to rock and roll through Houston record label
HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- Before Tina Turner's "Proud Mary" took us rolling down the river, Labelle's "Lady Marmalade" flirted with glam rock and the Shirelles influenced the Beatles, there were two women paving the way for what we know today as rock and roll.
abc 13
Shout! Black Gospel Music Moments - "It Must Be Jesus"
Gospel scholars for years have said that Ray Charles' hit "I Got a Woman" is based on the Southern tones' "It Must be Jesus."
The Southern Tones' "It Must be Jesus" was a hit for Don Robey's Houston-based Duke label.
KWBU
Shout! Black Gospel Music Moments - "It Must Be Jesus"
Gospel scholars for years have said that Ray Charles' hit "I Got a Woman" is based on the Southern tones' "It Must be Jesus."
The Southern Tones' "It Must be Jesus" was a hit for Don Robey's Houston-based Duke label.
KWBU
Texas Gospel Come on Over Her
It took Houston gambler, hustler, nightclub proprietor Don Robey a
little more than a year (after his first Peacock release of
"Gatemouth" Brown's "Atomic Energy") to realize the potential of
making predominantly rhythm-based shout gospel recordings to satisfy the growing demand in the Southern market.
Peacock Records Texas
Musical Influence "Big Mama" Thornton
Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton stands on the television studio soundstage, arms swinging in time, and belts out “Hound Dog.”