ARHOOLIE FOUNDATION COLLECTIONS:Audio Interviews
Audio interviews by Chris Strachwitz during his research into the music he was recording for his label Arhoolie Records as well as for his radio programs on KPFA-FM (Berkeley, CA) in the 1960’s through 1980’s, and by Dr. Manuel Peña during his research for his several books on Mexican American music.
Martín Echeverría Interview – Los Hermanos Chavarría
Along with Rocha & Martinez, Martin and Alphonso Echeverría, Los Hermanos Chavarría, as their name was always spelled on the record labels, were one of the pioneer duetos to record in San Antonio and their fierce rural, defiant, and unrestrained vocal style made them remarkably popular for over a decade.
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Chris Strachwitz on Fred McDowell
In 1964 Chris Strachwitz went to Como, Mississippi to record Fred McDowell for his record label Arhoolie Records. In this interview, Chris talks about his memories of going to Mississippi, meeting and recording Fred, going to a house party, the Rolling Stones, and how things were back then.
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Octa Clark Interview – Cajun
And you take Joe Falcon, was very good too. And Amédé Breaux was very good too. Amédé Breaux was good too. He was first a singer and he was good, too. A lot of people were good, but some like Aldus Roger, you going to hear him. He’s a good playing, but an old musician told me. He said, “Clark, nobody can beat you for dance.” I said, “You believe so?” He said, “Yes.”
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Piano Red Interview
“I started wandering about then, from town to town, after I found out I could make a buck playing. We would go from towns like… through South Carolina, North Carolina, and the lower parts of Georgia, all around. We would play, and the guys would be glad for musicians to come in town. They would give us what they could take in the door just for us to stop over and play…”
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Don Santiago Jiménez Interview
Santiago Jiménez, Sr. learned to play accordion watching his father, Patricio Jiménez, who was the only accordion player Santiago recalls playing at dances around town in San Antonio, where he grew up. He talks to Chris Strachwitz about learning to play at age 10, and buying his first two-row accordion from a pawn shop in 1935. He would later become known for his consistent use of the two-row button accordion.
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Nathan Beauregard Interview
Singer-guitarist Nathan Beauregard is one of the most interesting of the newly discovered veteran performers of blues and Negro folksong. The vigor and charm of his playing belie his advanced age (though he does not know his birthdate, he claims to be more than 100 years old!) and provide occasional glimpses of some of the oldest styles of music from the Deep South.
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John Delafose Interview – Zydeco
John Delafose and his band, the Eunice Playboys, represent both a return to old time zydeco as well as a unique modern sound. He plays the old time button accordion in a staccato style that emphasizes syncopated rhythm over melody; at the same time he plays the more melodic modern soul/blues sound often on the piano accordion.
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Smiley Winters Interview
Smiley Winters talks with Chris Strachwitz about his life as a jazz drummer. “I just studied. For awhile, I did to advance my studies. But after a while I did nothing but to learn theory and everything. And then I got a group, a bebop group in 1948 and we made the downbeat Ralph Gleason wrote about us.”
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Joe Pullum Interview
Blues singer Joe Pullum talks with Chris Strachwitz about the music scene in Houston, TX in the 1930’s and later in Los Angeles.
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Canray Fontenot Interview
Canray Fontenot was a legendary Creole french fiddle player. “…We played for white people…I still think about that…You go play dances, you could get in the front, or anywhere. The next day you wanted to buy a drink, you had to go in the back, if you was Black.”
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