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14 flagships · 25 briefs · 8 dossiers · 965 entities — record updated October 4, 2026

Ora Nelle Records / Maxwell Radio

CTL-E-1208 · Institution · label · unspecified

PROVISIONAL evidence grade of this record

Bernard Abrams ran the tiny Ora Nelle label/recording operation out of the rear of his Maxwell Radio store on Maxwell Street. Little Walter's first released recordings were cut for Ora Nelle in 1947.

Notes

Merged into canonical KG 2026-10-03 from BMI-002; source entity IDs: CTL-DR-BMI-002:ora-nelle-records-maxwell-radio; source research type(s): label / store. Description completed 2026-10-03 from the source research record (claims) during the KG completion pass. Era not present in source research record(s); marked unspecified pending human review.

Sources

Record CTL-E-1208 · CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph · evidence grade: PROVISIONAL · 3 sources (1 primary) · CTL research: BMI-002.
Directory: all entity records · the knowledge graph

Cite this record

Cite as: CultureTechLens, “Ora Nelle Records / Maxwell Radio (CTL-E-1208),” CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph, October 2026. https://culturetechlens.com/graph/entities/ctl-e-1208/

Chicago: CultureTechLens. “Ora Nelle Records / Maxwell Radio (CTL-E-1208).” CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph. Chicago, IL: CultureTechLens, 2026. https://culturetechlens.com/graph/entities/ctl-e-1208/
APA: CultureTechLens. (2026). Ora Nelle Records / Maxwell Radio (CTL-E-1208) [Entity record]. CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph. https://culturetechlens.com/graph/entities/ctl-e-1208/
MLA: CultureTechLens. “Ora Nelle Records / Maxwell Radio (CTL-E-1208).” CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph, 2026, https://culturetechlens.com/graph/entities/ctl-e-1208/

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From the Archive

The archive in pictures

Black Chicago’s musical record, kept frame by frame. Photographs from the CultureTechLens research record — rights-cleared, credited, and cited like everything else here.

In a booth at a South Side tavern, Chicago, 1941
In a booth at a South Side tavern, Chicago, 1941Photo: Russell Lee, FSA-OWI, Public Domain, via Library of Congress
Musicians performing in a South Side tavern, Chicago, 1941
Musicians performing in a South Side tavern, Chicago, 1941Photo: Russell Lee, FSA-OWI, Public Domain, via Library of Congress
Entertainers in white jackets at a tavern piano, Chicago, 1941
Entertainers in white jackets at a tavern piano, Chicago, 1941Photo: Russell Lee, FSA-OWI, Public Domain, via Library of Congress

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