Cobra Record Co.

Cobra Records was an independent record label that operated in Chicago from 1956 to 1959 and launched the careers of Chicago blues artists Otis Rush, Magic Sam and Buddy Guy, a new generation who pioneered the West Side Sound.

Cobra was started on Chicago's West Side in 1956 by Eli Toscano, a record store- and television repair shop owner, with help from promoter Howard Bedno. When his previous record label, Abco Records, failed to generate much interest, Toscano approached Willie Dixon about working for him. Dissatisfied with his arrangement with Chess Records, Dixon joined Cobra and served as a talent scout, producer, arranger, songwriter and bassist, becoming "the artistic vision behind Cobra Records".

First to record for Cobra was Otis Rush. His single "I Can't Quit You Baby" became a hit, spending six weeks in the Billboard R&B chart, where it reached number six in 1956. Rush recorded another seven singles for Cobra, described as "defining moments of Chicago blues." In 1957, M… More