ARHOOLIE FOUNDATION COLLECTIONS:Chris Strachwitz Collection
Johnie Lewis Interview
“I said well Lord, if you let me live to see tomorrow I’m going to get me a guitar. That’s how I had my start. Then I went to Mrs. Patterson Pawn Shop”… “and I bought me a guitar with the name was Value. That’s the name of the guitar with pearl and ivory all around it. About a week, I was playing pretty good.”
Read MoreSonny Simmons, Barbara Donald, Juma Sultan Interview
“Yeah, they was very musical peoples, in fact, on this island, it was a tribal-like thing on the weekends. All the peoples would get together and they would go into this spot, their favorite spot and they would have festivities of music and voodoo. They’d deal in voodoo and witchcraft and all that. It was all surrounded with music.”
Read MoreK.C. Douglas Interview – Blues
“This guy, when the high water was in 1927, the Mississippi River had all that, they had all kind of”…”The guy made a record called “Barbecue Bob” about Mississippi Heavy Water Blues.”…”That’s the biggest high water they ever had in the Mississippi River. That’s the time, oh man. Washing houses and everybody, people was going down there to sit on top of houses, just going on out.”
Read MoreLeo Soileau Interview – Cajun Music
Leo Soileau was a traditional Cajun music pioneer. Listen to his 1974 interview with Arhoolie Records’ Chris Strachwitz to learn more about Cajun music history.
Read MoreFlaco Jimenez Interview | Tejano Music
“Naturally now you can’t stick just with polka and redova and schottisches. You have to play what’s going on in the world. Starting with polka, and a little rock-and-roll, or a little cumbia, cha-cha-cha”…”Because it’s pretty hard just to play just polka, polka, polka, polka, or just cumbia, cumbia, cumbia. You have to mix it up.”
Read MoreLos Alegres de Terán Photo Gallery
Los Alegres de Terán Photo Gallery Los Alegres de Terán were one of the earliest Mexican Norteño bands started by Eugenio Abrego and Tomás Ortiz in...
Read MoreChris Strachwitz Photos
Chris Strachwitz Photos Chris Strachwitz, founder of both Arhoolie Records and the Arhoolie Foundation, has been documenting vernacular music since the 1950’s. An avid photographer, he...
Read MoreLuis Acosta Interview – Tejano Music
Born on May 4th, 1906, Luis Acosta was one of three brothers who made the best bajo sextos in the world. Acosta bajo sextos were the preferred accompaniment to pioneering accordionists Don Santiago and Narciso Martinez and played by La Alondra De La Frontera herself Lydia Mendoza. Here is a rare interview of Luis Acosta conducted by Chris Strachwitz.
Read MoreChris Strachwitz on Houston Record Labels
Jazz Report Vol. 2 No. 8. In 1962 Chris Strachwitz was writing a blues column for Jazz Report magazine. Here is part two of three articles...
Read MoreFred and Rose Maddox Interview
“I had about 10 pounds in my sack and I sat down and just started thinking…’Fred, what are you doing back there?’ I said, ‘I’m thinking.’ ‘What are you thinking?’ I said, ‘I’m thinking let’s go into the music business.”
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