Record Label

Shiptown

1960s-1970s soul label and recording studio in Norfolk, Virginia. See also . Just about anyone with talent was welcome to call by at Shiptown Records, which was based out of the Nimrod Record Store at 726 Church Street. The owner, , was a man with good business acumen and a sharp sense of fashion. He encouraged all talented entertainers and signed numerous singers / musicians / groups (both black & white) to his booking agency, however a fair proportion of them would never manage to gain a release on his labels. His label’s base, Church Street was the hub of the black entertainment district in the city and was where the ‘Norfolk Sound’ first developed back in the mid to late 50’s.