Transatlantic Records

Transatlantic Records was a British independent record label. It was established in 1961. It began primarily as an importer of American folk, blues and jazz records by many of the artists who influenced the burgeoning British folk and blues boom. Within a couple of years, the company had started recording British artists. The company's philosophy was intentionally eclectic.

History

The label was founded by a young Englishman Nat Joseph who started the company at the age of 21 after visiting the USA and realizing that there was a wealth of music of interest that was not being made available in the UK to British music fans. They imported labels from the USA such as Prestige, Tradition (US) and Riverside. From the outset, many of the covers included photography and design by Brian Shuel. Transatlantic were also instrumental in the importation of MK records (a Russian classical label), which were then issued with the original Russian labels, but with an English printed sleeve.