Complete discography of artists and songs from Loma Records, the Los Angeles based 'uptown' soul, blues, R&B, and popular music subsidiary of Warner Brothers, which operated between the years 1964 and 1969.

Contains full label information, soundclips and quality scans of A and B sides taken from original Loma 45 RPM records.

New! The Loma Story - Part 1 & Part 2

Read about the history of Loma Records in this two-part article that originally appeared in a 1977 edition of the soul music magazine Hot Buttered Soul.

Written and published by Chris Savory - respected music collector, record fair organiser and long-time presenter of the BBC Radio programme Record Collectors - to coincide with the UK release of the 7-LP anthology This is Loma, the article, which is republished for the first time in over 30 years, offers unique insights into the label itself and the many artists who appeared on its roster.

Click to read The Loma Story!

Loma Artists in the Spotlight:

Find out about the Loma recordings of obscure blues artist
Lucky Carmicheal (Now updated!), Famous Flame Baby Lloyd, and
blues harmonica legend James Cotton.

An Introduction to Loma Records

Whilst Loma Records might sound musically obscure to some, it's very well known to others, particularly those with an interest in 'Northern Soul' and 60's soul in general, Blues, R&B, 60's 'Garage' and psychedelic sounds. All in all, the label offers the music lover and collector an interesting and eclectic mix of songs and styles.

In 1964, Warner Bros brought in Bob Krasnow - a promotions man who, since 1958, had been running the San Francisco office of King Records - to head up its new subsidiary. Loma was Warner's attempt to cash in on the burgeoning teen market, and specifically the growing commercial crossover of 'Black' musical styles into the 'White' mainstream.

Loma's releases met with mixed, but mainly poor results - the majority of Loma's output not even registering in the Billboard charts. Acknowledging this, and perhaps perceiving greater shifts in musical tastes, the label tried to broaden its appeal by releasing 45's aimed squarely at a young, white audience. Interestingly though, Loma continued to issue 'uptown' soul and R&B tracks.

The attempts by Loma Records to musically 'please all the people all the time' - something history repeatedly tells us doesn't works - saw them release not only a handful of R&B and blues tunes (James Cotton, Smiley Lewis, Walter Foster, Lucky Carmicheal and others), but also one country and western single (Don Crawford), a couple of beat group 45's that were recorded in Ireland (The Belfast Gipsies), and a psychedelic prog/rock single (John Wonderling).

In the main though, history, primarily influenced by the nowadays mainstream music cult that is 'Northern Soul', remembers the label for it's uptown, uptempo, danceable soul music, and for many the roster of revered acts such as The Apollas, Linda Jones, Larry Laster, Carl Hall, Ben Aiken, and The Soul Shakers epitomises the true essence of what Loma Records was, or perhaps should have been about.

The first Loma single (Billy Storm) came out in September 1964, and the last (John Wonderling) four years later in September 1968. In that time the label released 106 singles (although it is speculated that one of those many never have actually been released) and a handful of albums.

Regardless of the mixed bag of styles, the influences of different producers and the fact that sometimes, particularly in the first half of the label's life, those steering Loma preferred to license songs from other labels instead of focusing on developing 'home-grown' talent and thus creating their own musical stable and distinctive style, Loma Records still leaves us with a musical legacy worthy of note.

Indeed, it is exactly this rather odd mix of styles and quality that appeals to many collectors; from the first releases cobbled together or licensed from other labels by general manager Bob Krasnow - operating with little in the way of budget from Warner Bros executives who nonetheless anticipated musical success - to the later soulful intensity much favoured by producer Jerry Ragovoy, every 45 says something about the life and times of Loma Records.

Explore the discography of Loma records by year or by release number.

NEW! Now with added sound clips!

Just added to the Loma Juke Box:

* Loma 2001: Billy Storm - I never want to dream again (There in a garden) Listen!
* Loma 2001: Billy Storm - Baby don't look down Listen!
* Loma 2041: The Romeos - Mon petit chow Listen!
* Loma 2042: James Cotton - Complete this order Listen!
* Loma 2043: Larry Laster - Go for yourself Listen!
* Loma 2047: The Soul Shakers - I'm getting weaker Listen!
* Loma 2049: Delilah Kennebreuw - Bright lights Listen!
* Loma 2059: Limey & The Yanks - Out of sight, out of mind Listen!
* Loma 2060: The Belfast Gipsies - Portland town Listen!
* Loma 2060: The Belfast Gipsies - People, let's freak out Listen!
* Loma 2065: Butch Engle & The Styx - I like her Listen!
* Loma 2065: Butch Engle & The Styx - Going home Listen!
* Loma 2084: Ben Aiken - Satisfied Listen!