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.

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.