by Chris Maxwell, updated March, 2003

For as long as I can remember, I've enjoyed two great passions; baseball and music. At the age of six I began playing ball and was quickly immersed in a sport that would become a lifelong obsession. By the time I was eight years old I had begun collecting records. The story of Binky Records is inextricably tied to both events.

THE BASEBALL YEARS

The Maxwell family has its roots in Saskatchewan, Canada. My parents were both born there, right in the heart of hockey country. My Dad was a pretty good hockey player, but, unlike several of his friends, he chose the University path. A number of his buddies went on to play in the NHL while Dad pursued an education. He married my Mom when she was fresh out of high school and within four years they had all three of their kids. By this time my Dad was a chemical engineer with a great job and a bright feature. A misunderstanding over a coffeemaker (no kidding) caused my Dad to take a job in California and in 1962 we immigrated to the United States.

In 1966, while living in Detroit, Michigan, I began playing baseball and hockey. It appeared that hockey would be my sport of choice until my family was transferred to Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 1970. With hockey out of the picture, I put all of my efforts into baseball. I went on to play in high school and at Millsaps College. In 1982 I married a florist at the store I worked for, and we started both a family and a business. I continued to play and coach a baseball team including six years at the helm of a couple of semi-pro teams. By 1995 it became clear that I could no longer get my fastball past the young players. A couple of surgeries convinced me it was time to head for the old timers league and cut my schedule back from 80 to 20 games per year. My wife asked me what I would do with all the free time that this would create and I (half joking) told her that I wanted to start a record label.

THE MUSIC BUG

I guess the music bug bit me pretty early in life. I remember watching the Monkees and The Who on TV and being a big Beatles fan. By the age of eight I was already collecting records. Yes, I've still got the first two I ever bought; Tommy James and the Shondells - Sweet Cherry Wine (69 cents) and the Archies - Sugar Sugar (for 12 cents from a neighbor). In high school, while all my friends were buying disco music, I was spending my money on blues, folk, and Beatles records. In our first house, Liz and I had one room devoted to my record collection.

As the years passed I became more interested in singer-songwriters and we often attended concerts and local gigs. Many of the artists I enjoyed most were a little obscure, so we even took to traveling in order to listen to live music. Our trips to The Mucky Duck in Houston were both fulfilling and exhausting. It was there that I first saw Iain Matthews perform. It occurred to me that it would be no more expensive to bring some of these folks to Baton Rouge and that I wouldn't miss out on as many work days. And I could even record the shows!

M'S FINE AND MELLOW CAFE

In a town as small as Baton Rouge, there are only a few places to catch good music. Tabby's Blues Box is one. Phil Brady's is another. But clearly the finest music joint in town was M's Fine and Mellow Café. It was a wonderful little pub and eatery located on Third Street in the heart of downtown Baton Rouge. Marian Pickett, the club's owner and musical genius, welcomed our musical shows with open arms. She even set about introducing me to a number of talented folks who I would eventually work with. Through Marian (Miss M, as we like to call her) I met Mike West, Myshkin, Tory Voodoo/Tammerlin, and Tom Skinner. Through Tom I met Bob Childers, Greg Jacobs, Bill Erickson, and Randy Pease. M's was a magical place and a must for anyone traveling through South Louisiana. (Note: In the wake of 9/11, M's was unable to stay ahead of its creditors. Gone but not forgotten.)

BINKY RECORDS 1995 TO DATE

In eight years of operation, Binky Records has managed to carve out a modest niche in the market. Since 1997 Binky has used small distributors to market the music more widely. In 2003 Binky landed with Select-O-Hits of Memphis for distribution of its CDs throughout the United States. Binky also christened two new sub-labels. Squirrel Records serves as an artistic outlet for Mike West, Binky's most successful artist. UTR Records debuted in 2003 as Binky's licensing label with Iain Matthews as its first signing. Our artists tour throughout the U.S. and several do tours in Europe and Australia each year.

THE FUTURE OF BINKY

No, we don't plan on becoming the next big thing. We are happy being a small folk label that puts out great, though admittedly obscure, records. We plan to do roughly eight new records a year as well as keeping our older titles in print. We are working on several special projects including a comprehensive box set on the recording career of Mike West and a possible DVD of live and TV performances of Mike. We hope to secure wider international distribution for those artists touring the world and plan a couple of trips abroad toward that end. And what about baseball? I'm happy to report that I still play weekly in a "30 and over" league where I'm still young enough to be a star!