Norton Unleashed
In 1986, when the couple published an article in Kicks about West Virginia guitarist Hasil Adkins, the response was so intense that Linna and Miller decided to form a record label to reissue his music. They named their company after Ed Norton, Art Carney's character on The Honeymooners. Adkins had recorded about 15 singles in the 1950s, but many had never been released or collected on an LP. "We made 500 copies and prayed that it would sell," recalled Linna.
Along with previously unreleased discoveries, Linna and Miller have successfully reissued many other obscurities and classics from the 1950s and 1960s, and their extensive catalog also includes current talents: King Coleman, Wade Curtiss, Elroy Dietzel, Esquerita, Charlie Feathers, Figures of Light, Flat Duo Jets, Ron Haydock, Roy Loney, Terry Manning, Rudy Ray Moore, Doug Sahm, Reigning Sound, Ronnie Self, Tyrone Schmidling, Jack Starr, Gene Summers, The Teenbeats, King Uszniewicz, Gene Vincent, Gino Washington, Andre Williams and Link Wray.
Their El Paso Rock series, for example, chronicles the early days of the El Paso rock scene, beginning with the legendary first recordings of Bobby Fuller, including the original 1964 pre-hit version of "I Fought the Law," first issued by Fuller on his own Exeter label. Volume two in the series offers more Fuller in a selection of "never before issued live mayhem from Texas teen clubs, shopping centers, bowling alleys circa 1962-64 plus insane home recordings."
In Billboard's "Declaration of Independents" column, Norton received kudos for their Sonics and Fabulous Wailers reissues, and Goldmine praised Big Star's Nobody Can Dance as "the most exciting reissue of the decade... one of the strongest pieces of music I've heard in 25 years."
Radio station WFMU celebrated the label's 15 years in the business with the "Norton Records 15th Anniversary Roast," aired October 25, 2001, on Music to Spazz By with Dave the Spazz.
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