Dr. Harry Oster’s Folk-Lyric Records

Between 1956 and 1963, Dr. Harry Oster, professor of English at LSU Baton Rouge, roamed the back roads of Louisiana in search of traditional music. A background in literary folklore put him on the trail of French and Anglo ballads, but it did not take long for a much broader field of music and related culture to reveal itself: blues, Cajun dance music, African American old time fiddle tunes, informal jam sessions and religious gatherings, prison work songs and spirituals, children’s songs, street vendor cries, personal histories, and folktales.

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In 1970 Folk-Lyric Records was sold to Arhoolie Records which re-issued many of Dr. Oster’s recordings under the Arhoolie brand. Arhoolie used the Folklyric brand (now spelled without the hyphen) for its reissue series, mostly from 78rpm recordings.