Vee-Jay, Seminal R&B; Label, Lives On in ‘Record Row’

What was the name of the black-owned, Midwest-based record label that assembled a potent lineup of rhythm & blues talent and took aim at the youth of America in the early ‘60s?

No, not Motown. Try Vee-Jay Records.

The story of that mom-and-pop enterprise anchors “Record Row: Cradle of Rhythm & Blues,” a documentary that illuminates one of pop music’s lesser-known meccas: the thriving music business district on Chicago’s Michigan Avenue in the ‘50s and ‘60s.

It was a vibrant, colorful era, infused with a spirit of opportunity that was intoxicating to the participants--especially the black artists and entrepreneurs flexing their newfound financial muscle. Match that spirit with classic blues, R&B; and rock ‘n’ roll from the likes of Muddy Waters, Bo Diddley, the Impressions, Chuck Berry, et al, and you have a dynamic slice of Americana.

“Record Row” serves it up coherently but conventionally, often settling for familiar footage and standard viewpoints--we hear from musicians, the executives, an academic, the heirs (Keith Richards, always happy to endorse the blues greats, submits a brief testimonial). The program gives due measure to both creativity and commerce, and keeps its sights on the larger forces--mainly segregation and capitalism--that drove the saga.

It doesn’t shirk the controversial issues such as racism and rip-offs associated with this world, but its primary tone is uplifting, holding up the music and the business of the period as both an inspiration to and a voice of the black community.

The history is really animated by the details and personalities--most memorably, the dignified and articulate Jerry Butler, one of soul music’s first stars, and the theatrical, flamboyant Ewart Abner, the former president of Vee-Jay--the company that, in one of the story’s unlikeliest twists, became the first U.S. label to release the Beatles’ records.

Vee-Jay was ultimately eclipsed in the pop/R&B; world by Motown, and its neighbors--even the legendary Chess Records--eventually succumbed to the mightier resources of the major labels. “Record Row” leaves us with images of a ghost town--abandoned headquarters, shuttered studios. If you want to feel better about it, go put on a record by Chuck Berry or the Impressions. They’re not going away.

* “Record Row: Cradle of Rhythm & Blues” airs at 11:30 tonight on KCET-TV Channel 28.