Rounder Records to digitally reissue hundreds of recordings.

ROUNDER RECORDS TO REISSUE
HUNDREDS OF RECORDINGS NEVER BEFORE AVAILABLE
FOR DIGITAL STREAMING

October releases include key bluegrass albums by

 Norman Blake and Béla Fleck

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — On October 1, 2015, Rounder Records, a division of Concord Bicycle Music, will begin releasing hundreds of legacy albums into full digital distribution, making many songs available on streaming services for the first time. One new title will be announced each day via Rounder’s social media network, and each month a different musical genre will be featured, from reggae to children’s music, blues and zydeco. A Spotify playlist with one track from each album will be available at the end of each month as well.

Directed by Concord Bicycle Music SVP of Catalog Development Sig Sigworth, in conjunction with Rounder Records founder Bill Nowlin and VP of A&R Scott Billington, this carefully curated program taps Rounder’s legacy of over 3,000 albums of roots music from around the world. Sigworth comments, “Not only did we want to get these important records up and out globally across all digital platforms, but we also wanted to incorporate a marketing campaign to immediately connect, or re-connect, fans to this great Rounder catalog on a daily basis."

October will spotlight Rounder’s extensive bluegrass catalog, with releases by such significant artists as Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard, the Nashville Bluegrass Band, Norman Blake and Béla Fleck. Says Billington, “It was records such as Norman Blake’s Whiskey Before Breakfast and Ricky Skaggs’s Family and Friends that put Rounder on the map, and that established the label’s high standard. It’s wonderful to see them fully available to new audiences.”

Title rollouts in coming months will include both popular albums, such as the Dirty Dozen Brass Band’s Live: Mardi Gras in Montreux and Laura Nyro’s Angel in the Dark, as well as deep catalog treasures from the likes of Alhaji Ibrahim Abdulai & the Master Drummers of Dagbon and selections such as Michael Doucet’s Le Hoogie Boogie: Louisiana French Music for Children.

Real Gone Music : John Hartford - Aereo-Plain/Morning Bugle: The Complete Warner Bros. Recordings - New Release review

John Hartford was an incredibly creative, talented, irreverent and funny musician and song writer. For the general public, Hartford's work is condensed to one track, Gentle On My Mind, made popular by Glen Campbell. I was more attracted to Hartford's incredible musicianship, ability to attract the absolute best talent in the bluegrass world and get them focused on his projects and just to write creative stories and funny songs. Hartford would "tap dance" along with his banjo playing to add his own percussion having fabricated a wooden platform with a microphone underneath to amplify his foot steps. Hartford also performed a number of bluegrass standards and, along with the likes of David Bromberg, Jerry Garcia and the New Grass Revival, brought the joy of the bluegrass movement into the public eye. This double cd recording includes the original 16 tracks from Aero-Plain plus an additional 4 unreleased tracks. The release opens with Turn Your Radio On, the opening track which is as earthy as they come. Done in a very pure form this track is a real treat. Hartford is in the middle of his most creative period when this recording was released and Up On The Hill Where They Do The Boogie is a good example. Followup track, Boogie, was always a crowd favorite and it still brings a smile to my face when I hear it. The most heartfelt grunts ever recorded! Presbyterian Guitar has a beautiful melody and holds its own with most any Lennon McCartney melody. Symphony Hall Rag gives the guys a great opportunity to just stretch out and do what they do best...sit back and enjoy! Tear Down The Grand Ole Opry, a collaboration with Taylor, is distinctively Hartford because of his vocal style but the arrangement of the vocals on this track are particularly smart. Leather Britches featuring Clements is another standout. If you have never seen Vassar, he's a treasure. Sweetheart Can't You hear Me Calling, the first of the unreleased tracks, is a terrific track with traditional bluegrass picking and harmonizing. Taylor and Blake wrote Weave and Way and that should be enough to perk your ears in itself. If you love listening to people who can really play.... this is it! Cumberland Gap adds fuel to the instrumental fire and the boys just jam out concluding with Orange Blossom Special. This is a terrific recording in it's entirety. The second cd, Morning Bugle includes the original 11 tracks plus 4 additional unreleased tracks. This is an extremely strong contemporary bluegrass recording, some of my favorites being Old Joe Clark, instrumental track My Rag, Got No Place To Go where Hartford creates and world of his own both with candid instrumentals and unique vocals and the extremely traditional sounding Flower Power. Among the unreleased tracks, Don't Let Your Deal Go Down gets a great Hartford-esqe treatment. Back Up And Push is another great instrumental that is a fortunate find. Hartford closes the package with original track Bye-Bye where the boys rip it up and Hartford has a good time on his vocals. A perfect send off. This package is also supplemented with a beautiful 14 page booklet which include the original liner notes and covers, 4 pages of history, a great photo of Hartford performing with Earl Scruggs and Norman Blake, one of Hartford playing banjo in front of the White House and another candid photo of Tut Taylor, Vassar Clements, Norman Blake and Hartford. If you support live Blues acts, up and coming Blues talents and want to learn more about Blues news and Fathers of the Blues, Like ---Bman’s Blues Report--- Facebook Page! I’m looking for great talent and trying to grow the audience for your favorites band! -  ”LIKE”

Nashville Blues

Is this the blues...

Norman Blake (born March 10, 1938 in Chattanooga, Tennessee) is an instrumentalist, vocalist, and songwriter. In a career spanning more than 50 years Blake has played in a number of folk and Country groups. He is considered one of the leading figures in the Bluegrass revival of the 1970s and is still active today, playing concert dates and making albums with his wife Nancy Blake.
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