Label Guide: Nashboro

Nashboro Records was founded in Nashville, Tennessee by Ernie Young, who was the owner of a record store, Ernie's Record Mart, and sponsor of a weekly hit parade show on the radio. In 1951, Young founded Nashboro to issue gospel records, and the following year also created Excello Records to release secular music, especially R&B and blues acts. Further subsidiaries of Nashboro include Nasco Records, Crescent Records, Creed and Ernie's Record Parade.

Young died in 1977, by which time Nashboro was increasingly reissuing out of its back catalogue rather than issuing new material. The label's catalogue was sold to AVI Entertainment in 1994, MCA Records in 2000, and Rhino Records' Hip-O shortly thereafter, now part of Universal Music Group.