Alligator
Records has set a June 10, 2016 release date for the Alligator Records 45th Anniversary
Collection. The 2CDs-for-the-price-of-one set -- boasting over
148 minutes of music -- features career-defining performances from blues
royalty past, present and future.
The blues and roots music
Alligator Records has been releasing since 1971 -- created by iconic giants of
the genre like Hound Dog Taylor, Koko Taylor, Albert Collins, Luther Allison,
James Cotton, Elvin Bishop and Mavis Staples, and label-nurtured legends including
Son Seals, Lil’ Ed & The Blues Imperials, Saffire—The Uppity Blues Women
and Michael “Iron Man” Burks -- has more than stood the test of time. With the Alligator Records 45th Anniversary
Collection, label founder and president Bruce Iglauer,
along with his 15-person staff (many of whom have been on board for well over
20 years) celebrate Alligator’s extraordinary past, history-in-the-making
present, and a future filled with more "Genuine Houserockin’ Music."
The Alligator Records 45th Anniversary
Collection clearly lays out Alligator’s wide-ranging,
forward-looking vision with tracks from newer voices – Selwyn Birchwood,
Toronzo Cannon, Shemekia Copeland, Moreland & Arbuckle and Jarekus
Singleton – seamlessly programmed next to legendary artists including Curtis
Salgado, Rick Estrin & The Nightcats, Joe Louis Walker, Delbert McClinton,
Anders Osborne, The Holmes Brothers, Guitar Shorty, JJ Grey & Mofro, Ann
Rabson and Roomful Of Blues. Together, the Alligator Records 45th Anniversary Collection
presents a comprehensive portrait of this singular, rooted, soul-stirring
American music.
On June 10, the day of the album's release, the City Of Chicago will celebrate
the label's 45th anniversary during the 33rd Annual Chicago Blues Festival in
Grant Park. Alligator artists scheduled to perform are Shemekia Copeland, Lil’
Ed & The Blues Imperials, Tommy Castro & The Painkillers, Curtis
Salgado, Toronzo Cannon, Moreland & Arbuckle, Corky Siegel and Eddy
"The Chief" Clearwater.
The history of Alligator Records,
founded by blues-bitten Bruce Iglauer in 1971 for the express purpose of
releasing an album by Hound Dog Taylor & The HouseRockers, reads like a
history of contemporary blues and roots music. Iglauer, a native of Cincinnati,
first fell in love with the blues in 1966. A live performance by the great
Mississippi Fred McDowell struck him deep inside. "It was as if he reached
out and grabbed me by the collar, shook me and spoke directly to me," he
recalls. After that show, Iglauer, a student at Lawrence University in
Appleton, Wisconsin, immersed himself in the blues. In 1968, he made his
initial pilgrimage to experience Chicago's thriving blues scene. His first stop
was the famous Jazz Record Mart, where he met proprietor Bob Koester, also the
owner of the prestigious blues and jazz label Delmark Records. With Koester as
his de facto guide, Iglauer began making regular visits to Chicago to see Buddy
Guy, Junior Wells, Otis Rush, J.B. Hutto, Carey Bell and many other stars in
the ghetto blues clubs.
Koester was impressed with
Iglauer's passion for the music and his promotion of two sold-out Luther
Allison performances at Lawrence. When Iglauer moved to Chicago for good at the
beginning of 1970, Koester hired him as a $30-per-week shipping clerk. Almost
every night, Iglauer hung out in the funky South and West Side bars, spellbound
by the blues men and women performing on their home turf. He accompanied
Koester to the studio for every Delmark session, where he watched blues greats
such as Junior Wells, Roosevelt Sykes and Robert Lockwood, Jr. create classic
blues albums. Iglauer wanted Delmark to release an album by his favorite band,
Hound Dog Taylor & The HouseRockers. But Koester wasn’t interested, so
Iglauer gathered up what little money he had and decided to do it himself,
soaking up everything he could learn about record production before heading
into the studio with Hound Dog in 1971.
Iglauer became producer, booking
agent, business manager, roadie, promotion man and publicist for Hound Dog. He
ran Alligator out of his tiny apartment, filled with stacks of record cartons
and a shipping table next to the bed. For years, each record had to finance the
next one, which meant Alligator released about one record a year. Luckily,
those records continued to impress fans and critics and sell enough to keep the
label going. Albums by Big Walter Horton, Son Seals and Fenton Robinson all
contributed to getting the fledgling company off the ground. When Koko Taylor came
aboard in 1975, the label was taking larger steps, soon attracting giants like
Albert Collins, Roy Buchanan and Johnny Winter.
Now, Alligator Records is the
largest independent blues label in the world, and has been repeatedly honored
for its achievements. Three Alligator recordings have won Grammy Awards, and 41
titles have been nominated. The label and its artists have received well over
100 Blues Music Awards and more than 70 Living
Blues Awards. But even with all of the accolades, Alligator Records
never rests on its laurels. According to Iglauer, "Alligator should be the
label that's exposing the next generation of blues artists and bringing their
music to the next generation of blues fans. I want the future of the blues and
the future of Alligator Records to be one and the same. I want to keep bringing
blues and roots music to new fans and getting them as excited about the music
as I am." With those goals, Alligator Records is still fueled by the same
principles that it first established in 1971. The staff continues to push
forward, still bucking the odds, with everybody working long hours on a
shoestring budget.
Throughout its history, Alligator
has operated not only as a business, but also as a tight-knit family.
Relationships between the staff and the artists are personal and run deep. It's
not at all uncommon for an artist performing a Chicago show to drop by the
office for an unannounced visit. Musicians regularly call Iglauer at any hour,
looking to have CDs shipped out at the last minute, or to discuss their
upcoming recording sessions or sing new tunes over the phone. Iglauer has
opened his house to musicians needing a place to live during times of personal
trouble.
From the early days of recording
only Chicago talent, to attracting national and international musicians, to the
label's commitment to nurturing the next generation of blues artists, Alligator
continues to break new ground. Now, as clearly proven by the Alligator Records 45th
Anniversary Collection, the label is still dedicated to
recording and promoting great talent, confirming that the passion, energy and
soul-healing power of Alligator’s music is strong, genuine, and capable of
rocking the house with no end in sight.
