At 17, he founded the Signature label and recorded jazz musicians such as Lester Young, Erroll Garner and, in 1943, Coleman Hawkins.
While at Impulse, Thiele's best known association was with John Coltrane, but he also recorded such artists as Charles Mingus, Duke Ellington, Sonny Rollins, Archie Shepp, and Albert Ayler among others.
Later in his career, Thiele formed the Doctor Jazz label in 1983; it appears to have ceased trading around 1989 after Columbia was bought by Sony.
[9] Founded around 1991, Red Baron releases included several projects by the Bob Thiele Collective, and previously unissued recordings by Duke Ellington and Earl Hines, as well as reissues from other labels.
[10] Thiele remained active in the music business until the end of his life,[4] including the co-writing of the song "You," which was recorded by Bonnie Raitt and appeared on her 1994 album, Longing in Their Hearts.