Touch And Go Records was started in Lansing, Michigan, by Tesco Vee and Dave Stimson (2) in 1981 as an outgrowth of Touch And Go Zine, a fanzine the duo published. Their intent was to document their local hardcore punk scene. Necros (2) bassist Corey Rusk hooked up with Tesco to help run the label soon after it started and assumed full control after Vee moved to Washington, DC, in 1983. In 1987, Rusk moved the label to Chicago, Illinois, where the label still resides, and over the years has issued records by influential bands like The Jesus Lizard, Slint, Shellac, and Big Black. In 2008, Rusk announced the label would be cutting back on its activity and ending its distribution services, citing the economic climate of the times.