Clubbo Records: music to believe in

For more than 40 years Clubbo Records has epitomized the maverick spirit of the old-school independent record labels.

In today’s era of test-marketed, formula-bound pop culture, it’s easy to forget there was a time when the soundtrack of daily life was composed not by multinational media conglomerates, but by low-budget visionaries like Clubbo co-founders Chet Clubb and Morris “Bo” Bogerman.

In many ways, Clubb and Bogerman were no different from the era’s other indie-label opportunists, who would tirelessly scour the streets for any music that might generate slightly more cash than it cost to produce. Like compulsive gamblers, Clubbo would bet on anything: novelty and kiddie discs, global exotica, bandwagon-jumping quickies.

What set Clubbo apart was the label’s occasional knack for generating music so far outside the mainstream that the mainstream had to shift its course in response. As a result, the Clubbo catalog ranges from well-loved (or at least well-known) hits to freak-bait for the record-collecting lunatic fringe.

After languishing for several years as a minor holding of a major label, Clubbo is once more in the hands of low-budget bottom-feeders. Despite our limited means, we pledge allegiance to our twin tasks: safeguarding the Clubbo catalog and releasing new music in the old Clubbo spirit.

Clubbo has had several slogans over the past four decades: “The Wickedest Wax in the West.” “Home of the Swiss Invasion.” “Tunes for Every Trip.” But there’s one slogan we like best: “Music to Believe In.”

We believe in Clubbo and its legacy of bold, if sometimes ill-advised, music. Our ultimate goal: making a believer out of you.

Shoshana Sanchez
General Manager, Clubbo Records



More: Clubbo's off-color roots…