More results...

Filter by Categories
Photo Galleries
Audio Interviews
The Frontera Collection
Close
Menu

Dry dusty roads, dark end streets, and rowdy juke joints are where you hear the blues. It was his love of down home blues that inspired Chris Strachwitz to start Arhoolie Records. The earliest releases on the label are blues classics today. Through them, Chris was able to help introduce regional blues artists to fans throughout the country and around the world. This month our Deep Dive takes us to some of the places Chris and Arhoolie traveled with the blues,  and includes stories, photos, posters, and performances from the Blues greats that are housed in our collections.

Visit the Blues Collection at the Arhoolie Foundation Store

Check out our Spotify Blues on Tour playlist to enjoy during the trip:

Listen to the Blues on Tour Playlist on Spotify

Ever wonder what it was like on the American Folk Blues Festival Tour in Europe in 1964 with Sonny Boy Williamson, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Willie Dixon and other greats? Arhoolie Records founder Chris Strachwitz was there and shares stories of the tour and others involving Sonny Boy Williamson.

Chris Strachwitz on Sonny Boy Williamson
Mance Lipscomb at the Greek Theatre

Mance Lipscomb hadn’t wanted to come all the way, but the $300 check with his name on it, made even a place as far away as California shift just a little bit closer to Texas. UC Berkeley promised another $200 if he made the trip and he would need that money, as he told Chris Strachwitz in a letter to “buy clothes to wair up there and leave my people food.”

Enjoy this picture of Mance at the Berkeley Folk Festival and other blues players and musicians of all kinds on our website:

Mance at the Berkeley Folk Festival and Other Musician Photography

Poster Collection – During his years collecting and recording music Arhoolie Records founder Chris Strachwitz acquired many blues, zydeco and gospel posters. So many great artists came through the area and Chris also gathered them on his trips to Texas and Louisiana. The walls at the Arhoolie Foundation are covered with these rare posters. 

Strachwitz Vintage Poster Collection

Down Home Music – In 1963 filmmaker Dietrich Wawzyn set out to shoot a series of films for German television that took him on a tour of the southern US. He contacted Arhoolie Records founder Chris Strachwitz, who jumped at the chance to join him and share his enthusiasm for regional musical traditions. Arhoolie Foundation took Wawzyn’s footage and made Down Home Music, now available to watch on our YouTube channel. Here is Lowell Fulson singing the blues in San Francisco from the film. (footage starts around 7:51)

Dear friends, 

We’re thrilled to announce that the Arhoolie Foundation and Les Blank Films are joining together to purchase our longtime home at 10341 San Pablo Avenue in El Cerrito. 

The decision to buy the building comes after several months of thoughtful consideration and a strong response from our community. It has become clear to us that continuing our work in the place where Chris Strachwitz originally conceived it is the best way forward for the organization. Staying in our longtime home preserves an important part of Arhoolie’s cultural legacy, prevents the disruption that moving would cause, and—most importantly—opens up possibilities for closer collaboration with Les Blank Films, Down Home Music, and our local East Bay community.

Now comes the hard part. While we are under contract to buy the building, we need to raise $2.4 million to meet the purchase price by April 15. Here are two ways you can donate to our cause:

  • The GoFundMe page for the capital campaign
    (donations to this fund are shared by all three of the tenants).

  • Direct tax-deductible donations/securities to either of the two non-profits who are buying the building:
    Contact Harrod Blank at Les Blank Films https://lesblank.com/contact/;
    or Adam Machado at Arhoolie Foundation, adam@arhoolie.org.

As we begin this capital campaign, we will continue our normal operations in the building while forging a closer institutional bond with Les Blank Films and taking modest, collaborative steps to bring more public programming into Down Home Music. We plan to revive Les Blank and Chris’ tradition of in-store film screenings and will host more informal, free performances and gatherings in the store as part of our outreach work. We believe this collaboration will result in a vibrant community gathering place dedicated to music, film, and deep roots culture. 

We’re grateful for your support. We look forward to updating you on our progress in the coming weeks and months.