RECORDS
Independent label from Birmingham, owned by Jim Simpson. The first Big Bear single, the Steam Shovel's, 'Rudi The Red-Nosed Reindeer', came out in 1968 through Trojan, and had a Trojan catalogue number, TR-635. The 'Steam Shovel' was actually a pseudonym for the Locomotive, who Simpson managed; the Locomotive were contracted to Parlophone, but the single was turned down by that label so Simpson formed his own company in order to release it. After licensing material to Polydor for a short-lived 'Big Bear Blues' series of LPs Big Bear returned as a label in its own right in 1975 with a cooler-looking bear as its logo. An independent company, it was distributed consecutively by Transatlantic until November 1976, EMI, Lugton (by July 1978), and, by the end of 1979, Pinnacle. During the Transatlantic period singles were numbered in an OURS-0 numerical series; the later issues had injection-moulded labels which were pressed by Phonodisc. The move to EMI brought a change of both catalogue numbers, to the BB-0s, and label colours; the blue bear on a white background dates from the Lugtons era, as does the second Cousin Joe single, which has the references to EMI around the perimeter of the label blued out Big Bear was renowned for its blues LPs, by the likes of Dr. Ross, Lightnin' Slim, Homesick James, etc) but it also recorded local talent such as Soul/Funk band Muscles and New Wavers the Quads. In the '80s the company turned its attention to Jazz and Swing music, and it is still in operation today. It boasted a small subsidiary, Grandstand Records Thanks to Robert Lyons For The Info.
| 74 | Baker Mickey | I'Ll Always Be In Love With You | BIG BEAR | OURS | 1 |
| 74 | Cousin Joe | Lipstick Traces | BIG BEAR | OURS | 2 |
| 75 | Mighty Joe | Boogie Down | BIG BEAR | OURS | 3 |
| 75 | Cousin Joe | You Talk Too Much | BIG BEAR | OURS | 4 |
| 75 | Muscles | Make Me Happy | BIG BEAR | OURS | 5 |
| 76 | Muscles | Jungle Strut | BIG BEAR | OURS | 6 |
| 76 | Dazzler Bobby | Dance Dance Dance | BIG BEAR | BB | 1 |
| 76 | Cousin Joe | I'M Cousin Joe From New Orleans | BIG BEAR | BB | 2 |
| 76 | Mighty Flar | Boogie Down | BIG BEAR | BB | 3 |
| 77 | Burnette Hank C | Hanks Guitar Boogie | BIG BEAR | BB | 4 |
| 77 | Muscles | Love Is All I'Ve Got | BIG BEAR | BB | 5 |
| 77 | Garbo | It'S Over | BIG BEAR | BB | 6 |
| 77 | Turner Ike & Tina | Crazy | BIG BEAR | BB | 7 |
| 77 | Muscles | If It Relaxes Your Mind | BIG BEAR | BB | 8 |
| 77 | Zulu | Red Red Libanon | BIG BEAR | BB | 9 |
| 77 | Garbo | I Live For Your Love | BIG BEAR | BB | 10 |
| 77 | Roman Johnny | You'Ll Never Know | BIG BEAR | BB | 11 |
| 77 | Muscles | I'M A Girl Watcher | BIG BEAR | BB | 12 |
| 77 | Garbo Celluloid Heros | Only Death Is Fatal | BIG BEAR | BB | 13 |
| 77 | Cousin Joe | You'Re Never Too Old To Boogie | BIG BEAR | BB | 14 |
| 77 | King Ray Band | What You Gonna Do | BIG BEAR | BB | 15 |
| 77 | Bullets | Girl On Page 3 | BIG BEAR | BB | 16 |
| 77 | Braine Alain | Valerie | BIG BEAR | BB | 17 |
| 78 | Couter Tjens | Honey Bee | BIG BEAR | BB | 18 |
| 78 | Muscles | Smooth Side | BIG BEAR | BB | 19 |
| 78 | Misspent Youth | Betcha Won't Dance | BIG BEAR | BB | 20 |
| 79 | Chequers | Unity | BIG BEAR | BB | 21 |
| 79 | King Ray & Cimande | Pharoah'S Kingdom | BIG BEAR | BB | 22 |
| 79 | Quads | There Must Be Thuosands | BIG BEAR | BB | 23 |
| 79 | Quads | There'S Never Been A Night | BIG BEAR | BB | 24 |
| 79 | Gangsters | White Christmas | BIG BEAR | BB | 25 |
| 79 | Gangsters | Wooly Bully | BIG BEAR | BB | 26 |
| 79 | Quads | There'S Must Be Thousands | BIG BEAR | BB | 27 |
| 80 | Thrillers | Shooting To The Top | BIG BEAR | BB | 28 |
| 80 | Quads | Ufo | BIG BEAR | BB | 29 |
| 80 | Wide Boys | Stop That Boy | BIG BEAR | BB | 30 |
| 81 | Quads | Gotta Get A Job | BIG BEAR | BB | 32 |
| 89 | King Pleasure | Ain'T Nobody Here But Me | BIG BEAR | BB | 40 |
