John Levy

John Levy was an American record entrepreneur best known as the founder of Bronze Records, an independent record label established in Los Angeles around 1939. Bronze was one of the early independent labels associated with African American music on the West Coast, issuing primarily 78 rpm records featuring blues, jazz, gospel, and rhythm and blues.

Levy established the Bronze Recording Company around 1939, but the label was soon taken over by Leroy Hurte, a former member of the vocal group the Four Blackbirds. Hurte operated Bronze from his record store at 623 East Vernon Avenue in Los Angeles and expanded its recording activities. The label recorded artists including Gladys Bentley and the Five Soul Stirrers, as well as gospel, blues, and jazz performers.

Although Levy’s involvement with Bronze was relatively brief, the label became part of the early independent Black-owned recording industry in Los Angeles. Under Hurte’s management, Bronze later issued important recordings including Joe Liggins’ “The Honeydripper” and Cecil Gant’s “I Wonder,” helping establish the label’s place in the development of postwar rhythm and blues.