Evejim Records

Evejim Records was an American independent record label founded in the 1980s by musician and producer Leon Haywood and based in Los Angeles, California. The label developed from a production business Haywood had established in 1967. He named that earlier enterprise after his parents, and the Evejim name subsequently became associated with his recording activities and label operations. The label worked across several African-American popular-music traditions, including soul, blues, hip hop, and electro. Its catalog included newly recorded material as well as re-recorded versions of some of Haywood's earlier work. This combination reflected the label's connection to both established musicians and changing contemporary styles. Rather than operating as a large mainstream major, Evejim functioned as an independent platform centered on artist-led production and the preservation or extension of careers in roots-oriented music. Evejim became particularly associated with recording older blues and soul performers who had been absent from recording for a period of time. Artists linked with the label included Little Joe Blue, Buddy Ace, Jimmy McCracklin, Clay Hammond, Vernon Garrett, and Ernest Lane. Their association placed the company within a network of veteran performers whose work connected postwar blues and soul traditions with later independent-label activity. The label's documented scope is comparatively specialized. Available reference material does not establish a complete release chronology, a current corporate structure, a separate distribution parent, or a confirmed present-day operating status. Evejim Records is therefore best understood as a historically significant Los Angeles independent imprint tied closely to Leon Haywood's production career, its catalog of soul and blues recordings, and its willingness to work with established performers outside the normal cycles of major-label recording.

Evejim Records emerged from the professional activities of Leon Haywood, an American musician and producer whose recording business began in 1967. Haywood named that production enterprise after his parents. In the 1980s, the business developed into or gave rise to Evejim Records, an independent label headquartered in Los Angeles. The label's catalog crossed several related but distinct fields. It issued soul and blues recordings associated with established performers, while also participating in hip hop and electro-oriented recording activity. Some releases involved re-recorded versions of earlier Leon Haywood material, linking the label's later operations with Haywood's prior musical work rather than treating the imprint as an entirely separate venture. One of Evejim's defining characteristics was its work with veteran blues and soul singers and musicians who had not recorded actively for some time. The label's documented roster included Little Joe Blue, Buddy Ace, Jimmy McCracklin, Clay Hammond, Vernon Garrett, and Ernest Lane. Through these relationships, Evejim occupied a niche between archival continuity and new independent production: it provided a recording outlet for performers whose careers were rooted in earlier eras while operating within the musical environment of late twentieth-century Los Angeles. The available historical record does not provide a full list of releases, detailed sales information, distribution arrangements, or a clearly documented closing date. It also does not establish whether the imprint remains active under the same ownership. Consequently, Evejim Records is most securely documented as a historically important independent American label founded in the 1980s, with roots in Haywood's 1967 production business and a catalog spanning soul, blues, hip hop, electro, and related re-recording projects.

• 1980

  Evejim Records is founded

  [1]Evejim Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Evejim Records was established in the 1980s as an independent Los Angeles label associated with Leon Haywood.

• 1967

  Leon Haywood establishes a production business

  [1]Evejim Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Leon Haywood founded a record production business that later developed into the Evejim Records enterprise. The business was named after his parents.

• The label develops a veteran-artist recording niche

  [1]Evejim Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Evejim became known for recording established blues and soul performers who had been inactive in recording for a period of time.

An independent Los Angeles label focused on soul, blues, and related Black popular-music traditions, with additional activity in hip hop and electro and a notable role in recording veteran artists.

• Music recordings

  Soul recordings

  Soul was one of Evejim Records' principal catalog areas. The label's work in this field connected its output to established African-American vocal and songwriting traditions and included recordings by veteran performers associated with earlier generations of soul music.

• Music recordings

  Blues recordings

  The label released blues material and worked with performers whose careers were rooted in postwar blues. Its roster included Little Joe Blue, Buddy Ace, Jimmy McCracklin, and other established artists.

• Music recordings

  Hip hop and electro recordings

  In addition to its blues and soul activity, Evejim's documented catalog included hip hop and electro recordings, showing that the imprint was not limited exclusively to revival or veteran-oriented projects.

• Re-recorded music

  Leon Haywood re-recordings

  Evejim issued re-recorded versions of some of Leon Haywood's earlier work. These recordings connected the label's output with Haywood's pre-label production and performance history.

1. 1Evejim Recordsen.wikipedia.org