IGL

IGL was one of two label names used by the Iowa Great Lakes Recording Co. in Milford IA which opened on June 1, 1965. Folks who value garage rock from the 60s and 70s look to this label as releasing some of the better examples of this type of music. The studios most notable release was 'Peter Rabbit' (IGL 103) by Dee Jay and the Runaways which charted nationally after receiving initial success on IGL. This attracted the interest of Mercury, Atco, Dunhill and other labels who were interested in the single. On the advice of a local DJ, Jim Michaels, IGL went with Mercury Records. Three days after IGL leased the single to Mercury, the record began to get airplay as far away as Hawaii. The song was on the Billboard charts for 12 weeks and hit number one in several markets such as Cincinnati, Cleveland, Portland and Pittsburgh. This brought attention to IGL Recording which released over 200 records during it's run.  While garage rock was recorded at IGL, the studio did not cater to just one genre of music. Country, religious, polka, big band and choir music was also released by the label. It has been inducted into the Iowa Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Minnesota Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the South Dakota Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The studio closed it's doors on Jan. 1, 1980 due to waning business possibly due to the rise in home recording gear such as the Tascam Portastudio and the Teac 3340 which made it easier for folks to record music 'on their own'.

A book simply entitled 'Iowa Great Lakes Recording Company' (ISBN: 978-0-9762718-7-1) was published by Sweet Memories Publishing in 2016. The book, which provides detail of IGLs history along with photos of many of the records released by IGL, was written by Dennis Kintzi, David Peterson and John Senn, 3 individuals closely related to the company. There is also an article on IGL which can be found on Wikipedia if more information is desired.