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John Peel Wiki
in: Record Labels, Compilations

Rounder Records

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Rounder Records is an independent record label founded in 1970 in Somerville, Massachusetts by Marian Leighton Levy, Ken Irwin, and Bill Nowlin. Focused on American roots music, Rounder's catalogue of more than 3000 titles includes records by Alison Krauss and Union Station, George Thorogood, Tony Rice, and Béla Fleck, in addition to re-releases of seminal albums by artists such as the Carter Family, Jelly Roll Morton, Lead Belly, and Woody Guthrie. "Championing and preserving the music of artists whose music falls outside of the mainstream," Rounder releases have won 54 Grammy Awards representing diverse genres, from bluegrass, folk, reggae, and gospel to pop, rock, Americana, polka and world music. Acquired by Concord in 2010, Rounder is based in Nashville, Tennessee.

(Read more at Wikipedia.)

Links to Peel[]

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The diverse Rounder catalogue featured a wide range of "roots music and its contemporary offshoots" (as the label's founders put it in their 1980 catalogue) that appealed to Peel, although initially he didn't seem to pay much attention to its early releases, mainly of bluegrass and old-timey country artists. Later, however, he was especially drawn by its bluegrass and world music releases - although, as with his tastes in blues, he tended to prefer older bluegrass styles to the newer, more contemporary artists who comprised much of Rounder's catalogue.

His first known play of a record on the label was from folk session artist Michael Hurley's "Have Moicy!" LP with the Unholy Modal Rounders and Jeffrey Fredericks & The Clamtones in late 1976.[1] Both Hurley and the Rounders (formerly the Holy Modal Rounders) had previously recorded for larger labels (Reprise and Elektra respectively), but without major commercial success, and in the 1970s and later Rounder (rather like Topic in the UK) became a home for many folk, blues or country-based artists ignored by major record companies. (It also provided US releases of LPs by some British folk artists who had done sessions for Peel, among them Martin Carthy and the Boys Of The Lough.) In the late 1970s, the DJ gave strong support to breakthrough Rounder releases by "high-energy boogie-blues" performer George Thorogood, although these came out on other labels in the UK.

As Rounder expanded its lineup over the years, releases featured by the DJ ranged from albums by session favourite Loudon Wainwright III to blues (Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Otis Clay, Ted Hawkins, John Lee, Harry McClintock, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Joseph Spence), country (Connie & Babe, Church Brothers, George Jones, Georgia Yellow Hammers, Louvin Brothers, Gid Tanner, Dan Tyminski, Joe Val & the New England Bluegrass Boys), world music (Boyoyo Boys, Klezmatics, Mzwakhe, Tiger(3), Sol Hoopii), reggae (Gladiators) and indie rock outsiders (Pianosaurus, Jonathan Richman, Shaggs).

Friend and Radio One colleague Andy Kershaw also gave extensive airtime to the label[2], picking Wainwright's 'One Man Guy' from the 1985 Rounder LP "I’m Alright" in his Desert Island Discs.[3]

Sessions[]

(Peel session artists with releases on Rounder, including only outside the UK and sessions while on other labels or performing in other groupings. Please add more information if known.)

Compilations[]

(Plays by Peel of various artist (v/a) releases on the Rounder label, in order of first play. Please add more information if known.)

(EP - Hollerin')

(LP - Atomic Cafe: A Soundtrack Album)

(LP - The Early Days Of Bluegrass Volume 2)

Jesse_James_-_Toby_Stroud_and_the_Blue_Mountain_Boys

Jesse James - Toby Stroud and the Blue Mountain Boys

(LP - The Rich-R-Tone Story: The Early Days Of Bluegrass, Volume 5)

(LP - Radio Freedom: Voice Of The African National Congress And The People's Army Umkhonto We Sizwe)

Radio_Freedom-_Voice_Of_The_African_National_Congress_And_The_People's_Army_Umkhonto_We_Sizwe

Radio Freedom- Voice Of The African National Congress And The People's Army Umkhonto We Sizwe

  • 23 June 1986: Unknown Artist: Abasakwazi Nokupumula (They Cannot Rest)
  • 23 June 1986: Unknown Artist: South Africa Is In A State Of War
  • 24 June 1986: Unknown Artist: Solomon Mahlangu / Dawn Breaks / Closing Signature

(LP - South African Trade Union Worker Choirs)

(LP - Work Don't Bother Me: Old Time Comic Songs From North Georgia (Original 1926-31 Recordings))

(LP - The Early Days Of Bluegrass. Vol. 3, New Sounds Ramblin' From Coast To Coast)

Lonesome_Pine_Fiddlers_-_Will_I_Meet_Mother_in_Heaven

Lonesome Pine Fiddlers - Will I Meet Mother in Heaven

(LP - They'll Never Keep Us Down: Women's Coal Mining Songs)

(LP - Homeland: A Collection Of Black South African Music) Rounder / Greensleeves

Ea_Nyoloha_Khanyapa

Ea Nyoloha Khanyapa

- Manka Le Phallang

(LP - The Nairobi Beat (Kenyan Pop Music Today)

(CD - Vintage Hawaiian Music: Steel Guitar Masters 1928-1934)

Hula_Love_Medley_March

Hula Love Medley March

- Hilo Hawaiian Music Orchestra

(CD - Son Of Rounder Banjo)

(LP - Old Originals Volume One)

(CD - One World: Music From Around The World)

Astor_Piazzolla_and_The_New_Tango_Quintet_-_Tanguedia_III

Astor Piazzolla and The New Tango Quintet - Tanguedia III

(CD - Deep River Of Song: Black Appalachia - String Bands, Songsters And Hoedowns)

(CD - Italian Treasury, The Trallaleri Of Genoa)

The_Trallaleri_Of_Genoa_-_1954_-_Alan_Lomax_Recordings

The Trallaleri Of Genoa - 1954 - Alan Lomax Recordings

(CD - Anthology Of World Music - The Music Of Laos) Rounder Select

(2xCD - Hand-Picked: 25 Years Of Bluegrass Music On Rounder Records)

(CD - Bluegrass Mountain Style)

See Also[]

Links[]

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