Alligator Records was started in 1971 by Bruce Iglauer, a 23 year old blues fan, used a $2500 inheritance to follow his heart and start a record company to record and promote his favorite band, Hound Dog Taylor and the Houserockers. Twenty Five years later, that company, Alligator Records, is home to some of the world's premiere blues and roots rock talent and is regarded by fans and media alike as the top blues record label.
Iglauer, a native of cincinnati, first fell in love with the blues in 1966 after witnessing a performance by the great Mississippi Fred McDowell. After that show, Iglauer, a student at Lawrence University in Wisconsin, immersed himself in the blues. He Moved to Chicago and formed Alligator after witnessing Hound Dog Taylor shows. They recorded the Album in two nights, at a cost of $900 and with the remainder of his inhertitance money, he pressed 1000 copies and loaded up his chevy and visited record stations and record distributers. Each record that they made had to finance the next one, so in the early years they only made one record a year, Luckily enough those records continued to impress fans and critics enough to keep the label afloat They hired their very first employee in 1975 , and in 1978 Albert Collins joined the label as the first non Chicago artist. Collins' label debut, ice pickin' earned a grammy nomination. The Label had six grammy nominations between 1975 and 1978, Alligator Records had become a major Label. They enjoyed further growth in the eighties, recording most of the major blues artists of the time. They celebated 20 years in 1991 with an Anniversary Collection , and since 1991 have continued to grow and produce some of todays finest contemporary blues albums , as well as reissuing a few gems from the past.