May 29, 2018
# 2,369
Duke label 7″ sleeve (Memphis, Houston)
R&B and gospel label originating in Memphis 1952 by WDIA dee-jay and program director David James Mattis and Bill Fitzgerald, both co-owners of Tri-State Recording Company. Duke then merged with Don Robey’s Peacock label who later took it all to Houston.
Duke’s mascots are twin unicorns holding a crowned company crest and the sleeves strikes a heavy resemblence to the Marlboro logo. Also note the address “Houston 26″. During the Fifties, it was common for U.S. cities to be numbered at the same time phone numbers were alphabetized.