Kicks Magazine / The beginning of Norton Records | Miriam Linna & Billy Miller, 1978 – 86

Along with previously unreleased discoveries, Linna and Miller have successfully reissued many other obscurities and classics from the 1950s and 1960s, and their extensive catalog also includes current talents: Tommy James, King Coleman, Wade Curtiss, Elroy Dietzel, Esquerita, Charlie Feathers, Figures of Light, Flat Duo Jets, Ron Haydock, Roy Loney, Coba Seas, Terry Manning, Rudy Ray Moore, Doug Sahm, Reigning Sound, Ronnie Self, Tyrone Schmidling, Jack Starr, Gene Summers, The Teenbeats, King Uszniewicz, Gene Vincent, Gino Washington, Andre Williams and Link Wray.

Their El Paso Rock series, for example, chronicles the early days of the El Paso rock scene, beginning with the legendary first recordings of Bobby Fuller, including the original 1964 pre-hit version of “I Fought the Law,” first issued by Fuller on his own Exeter label. Volume two in the series offers more Fuller in a selection of “never before issued live mayhem from Texas teen clubs, shopping centers, bowling alleys circa 1962-64 plus insane home recordings.”

Issue #6 (1988)

In Billboard’s “Declaration of Independents” column, Norton received kudos for their Sonics and Fabulous Wailers reissues, and Goldmine praised Big Star’s Nobody Can Dance as “the most exciting reissue of the decade… one of the strongest pieces of music I’ve heard in 25 years.”

In late October 2012, Norton’s Brooklyn warehouse was flooded by Hurricane Sandy, destroying over 30 years of vinyl releases and printed matter. The label has been struggling to continue, but is starting to make a comeback with a vast army of analog loyalists cleaning records and hosting benefit concerts.