The late 1940s and early 1950s seemed to be the ideal time to start up an independent record company. Such iconic labels as Sun, Atlantic, Chess and Specialty all began releasing their own recordings of regional blues, folk, country, jazz and r&b artists as a reaction to the conservatism of the majors. Vanguard Records was one of those labels. The imprint was started in New York City in 1950 by two brothers, Maynard and Seymour Solomon who, according to the New York Times, were “unhappy with the offerings of the music companies and felt they could do better”.
