As an update to this thread, you may have thought that the "N" category didn't fit "Negro" since Kenny Ball is certainly not in that racial category. I have since been told that it almost certainly stood for "New". This is still not exactly definitive but Collector was originally "Jazz Collector" and issued 78rpm discs which were copied from American 78s. So the blues recordings and Kenny Ball Jazz were "New Jazz" to the directors of the record company at the time. Hope this clears up any earlier confusion. Also there was a classical section, a spoken voice section and an odds and sodds section which included political & obscure such as steel band and flamenco. What variety! Somehow reminds me of Argo's output.

alistair_banfield at hotmail dot com