Premium Records was a short-lived independent record label based in Chicago, active primarily from mid-1950 to mid-1951. Founded as a successor to the earlier Miracle Records operation, Premium specialized in blues, rhythm and blues, jump blues, and related styles. Though it lasted little more than a year, the label released a number of notable sides by established and emerging Chicago artists and occupies a small but significant place in the city’s rich independent label history of the early 1950s.
Founding and History
Premium Records was established in May 1950 by Lee Egalnick, who had previously founded and run Miracle Records. Lew Simpkins, who had also been involved with Miracle as an A&R man, soon joined the new venture. The company set up operations at 2326 South Michigan Avenue, on the emerging “Record Row” that would later become famous for Chess, Vee-Jay, and other labels.
Premium inherited some artists and material from Miracle and quickly began recording new sessions, primarily at United Broadcasting Studios in Chicago. The label’s first releases featured the Lynn Hope Quartet, Miff Mole’s Dixieland group, and blues pianist-singer Memphis Slim. Despite a promising start—including a national hit—sales proved insufficient to sustain the operation. By the summer of 1951 Premium was in serious financial difficulty and could no longer afford studio time. The label folded by the end of October 1951.
Lew Simpkins went on to co-found United Records (with Leonard Allen) later that year; many Premium artists moved to the new label or its States subsidiary. Chess Records purchased a substantial number of Premium masters (reportedly around 40 sides by artists including Memphis Slim, Sarah McLawler, Eddie Chamblee, Tab Smith, and others), ensuring that some of the material continued to circulate.
Ownership
- Primary founders and operators: Lee Egalnick (founder) and Lew Simpkins (A&R and partner).
- Egalnick’s brother Charley also worked in sales for a period.
- After the label’s collapse, masters were acquired by Chess Records; Simpkins moved on to United/States.
Notable Artists and Recordings
Premium’s catalog, though limited (roughly two dozen known releases in the 850–900 series), featured strong performances in blues, jump, and R&B. Key artists and examples include:
Memphis Slim
One of the most important and prolific artists associated with both Miracle and Premium. The pianist and vocalist recorded numerous sides for the label.
- “Mother Earth” (Premium 867) became a significant R&B jukebox hit in early 1951, reaching the Billboard Most Played Juke Box Rhythm & Blues chart.
- Other Slim sides continued the robust, piano-driven Chicago blues style he had developed, sometimes featuring guitarist Ike Perkins. These recordings helped sustain Slim’s career between his earlier Bluebird work and later successes.
Lynn Hope
The tenor saxophonist provided Premium’s biggest commercial success.
- “Tenderly” (with the Lynn Hope Quartet) became a national hit, selling steadily through 1950 and even crossing into the pop charts. The smooth, ballad-oriented instrumental showcased Hope’s lyrical saxophone style and gave the young label important visibility.
Eddie Chamblee
The tenor saxophonist and bandleader recorded multiple sessions for Premium.
- Sides such as “Sweet Lucy,” “Every Shut Eye Ain’t Sleep” (featuring vocalist Danny Overbea), “Laughing Boogie,” and “This Is It” demonstrated Chamblee’s strong jump-blues and R&B approach. His work bridged instrumental and vocal styles popular in Chicago clubs.
Sarah McLawler
The singer and pianist contributed sophisticated R&B and ballad performances. Several of her Premium sides were among the masters later acquired by Chess.
Other Notable Artists
- Tab Smith – Alto saxophonist known for his smooth, melodic style; recorded for Premium before moving on.
- Terry Timmons – Vocalist who cut sessions for the label in early 1951.
- Danny Overbea – Guitarist and singer who made his recording debut on Premium (including “The Joke Is on Me” / “Contrary Mary” and vocals with Chamblee). He later enjoyed moderate success elsewhere.
- Jesse Cryor, Rhythm Willie (harmonica), Jack Cooley, and gospel artists such as Robert Anderson also appeared on the label.
- A small number of sides by jazz figures including Sonny Stitt and Miff Mole rounded out the catalog.
Legacy and Impact
Premium Records was one of many short-lived independent labels that flourished (and often quickly faded) on Chicago’s Record Row in the early 1950s. Its brief existence captured a transitional moment in postwar Black music—between the jump blues and piano blues of the late 1940s and the fuller electric Chicago sound that Chess and others would dominate.
The label’s most lasting contributions are the hit “Tenderly” by Lynn Hope, Memphis Slim’s “Mother Earth,” and the body of masters that Chess later controlled and reissued. Artists such as Memphis Slim, Eddie Chamblee, and Danny Overbea continued their careers with other companies, carrying forward the styles Premium had documented.
Though it never achieved the longevity or fame of Chess, Vee-Jay, or United, Premium remains a footnote of interest to collectors and historians of Chicago blues and R&B. Its sides illustrate the competitive, entrepreneurial energy of the city’s independent recording scene at the dawn of the 1950s.
