Ace

Ace Records grew out of London’s collector culture in the 1970s. Founded by Ted Carroll, Roger Armstrong and Trevor Churchill, it began with second-hand 45s on a market stall before expanding into Chiswick Records, where the focus was new work by pub rock groups.

By the 1980s, Ace had turned towards reissues and compilations, becoming especially well known from its Camden base for carefully assembled releases that connect scenes, writers and styles rather than treating catalogue as museum stock. The label’s scope is broad, covering R&B, blues, soul, funk, jazz, rock 'n' roll, folk, country, punk, rockabilly, psychobilly, cajun, zydeco and more. That range comes through in themed sets and licensed catalogue work alike, with Ace drawing on labels including Flair and Modern.