ARHOOLIE FOUNDATION COLLECTIONS:Featured
Record Company Catalogs and Publications of International and Regional Music
As an avid record collector, Chris Strachwitz also collected many vintage record company catalogs and publications of regional and ethnic music. Albanian, Scandinavia, Old Familiar Tunes,...
Read MoreAlbert Chevalier Zydeco Roots Interview
Albert Chevalier was born March 20, 1909 in Lafayette, LA. His father played accordion often accompanied by someone beating on a piece of tin, someone scraping a broom handle on the wooden plank floor, and accompanied by fiddle and triangle.
Read MoreFrankie Lee Sims Interview
“I always could sing see. I always could sing but my hobby, what I really loved, was the guitar. You go somewhere where the guitar was at. I just didn’t pay no attention.”
Read MoreHerbert Sam Interview – Zydeco
Herbert Sam was born near Opelousas, LA., in 1924 into a musical Creole family. His father played accordion and so did his mother and two brothers, including Ambrose Sam who in the 1950s went to Los Angeles, Ca, and played for the Creole community in that area.
Read MoreBlind James Campbell Interview
Born in Nashville in 1906, Blind James Campbell was a blues singer and guitarist who was blinded in a work accident. He and his Nashville street band were active from the ‘30s to the ‘60s, and they recorded and released a record on Arhoolie in 1963 (Blind James Campbell and His Nashville Street Band).
Read MoreStanley Willis Interview
Stanley Willis was born in Birmingham, Alabama, on November 15, 1922. His mother played piano, and Stanley remembered musicians coming to the house to rehearse when he was just a small child. He recalled being passed around “like a loaf of bread” by a group of old women and placed in front of the church piano at the age of four.
Read MoreMartín 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.
Read MoreChris 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.
Read MoreOcta 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.”
Read MoreA 2019 Year End Letter From Chris
December 19, 2019 Dear Friends, It has been a busy year for the Arhoolie Foundation. We head into 2020 with lots of plans to continue...
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