Born in 1949, in a small mid-western town, Bottco Records began its life as a humble little recording studio catering to local folk and country music acts. As very few of these acts showed any signs of promise (or talent!), the senior Mr. Bott was content to run his business on a "for hire" basis...until fate stepped in.
In the spring of 1950, on a sunny april afternoon, a young folk singer booked a recording session with the Bottco studio: his name was HANK GUTHRIE. Within an hour, it was clear to Mr. Bott that an extraordinary talent had fallen into his lap. By the end of the day, he had signed Guthrie to an exclusive recording contract. Long-standing friendships with local D.J.'s and record store owners soon had Mr. Bott shipping Hank Guthrie singles all across the state. The success of the Guthrie singles enabled Bottco to sign other acts as well. Four young country brothers, known as the MERLY BOYS, signed with Bottco and recorded a string of country hits. There was a family atmosphere at Bottco, as the Merly Boys would often play on Hank's records, and Guthrie would write songs for them to record. Soon, the Merly Boys' little sister, Annie Jo Merly joined the group.
In 1961, Bottco signed their first rock-n-roll act. The SURF BOYS were a surf music band from land-locked southern Illinois. Their only record, "Surf Bored", was a fine example of the surf music genre, although ironically, none of the Surf Boys had ever even seen the ocean, let alone surfed in it. The following year, Bottco signed The CHECKERSPOTS, a doo-wop group from central Illinois. The Checkerspots were most noted for their ability to switch musical styles to suit the industry's latest trends. In 1964, they grew their hair and sang with english accents. In 1967, they began experimenting with psychedelic sounds on such albums as "The Imp of the Perverse", and "Angels of the Odd". The band broke up in 1971, citing creative differences. In 1975, Hank Guthrie, Bottco's first, and possibly greatest recording artist, passed away. His death was the end of an era, and signaled the beginning of hard times.
In the early 80's, troubled by huge financial losses and tax problems, Bottco was purchased by a major record label. Once the merger was complete, the new owners promptly dissected Bottco, taking any new talent and shelving the rest. The Bottco back catalog was disregarded during this period, with many of the original masters being either burned or thrown away. For 15 years, no new Bottco records were made, no original Bottco records were re-issued. Then in 1998, Devon C. Bott, 3rd generation music producer, along with a group of financial investors, bought back the rights to the Bottco catalogs and label. The Bottco of the new millennium is once again a family owned business. Now new generations of fans can hear re-issues of classic Hank Guthrie and Checkerspots albums, as well as new Bottco acts like THE CRUEL CUTS and THE LIVING.
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