From its founding in 1970, Rounder Records was different. What started as the passion project for three New England music lovers who wanted to preserve and proselytize folk and roots music, eventually grew into a record label with an eclectic catalogue featuring long-forgotten bands, promising musicians such as George Thorogood and Allison Krauss, and even an album just called “Hollerin’” (which is exactly what it says it is). Along the way, Rounder Records became indispensable in transforming American folk music. In this episode, we learn more about the history of Rounder Records from music historian David Menconi, author of the new book Oh, Didn’t They Ramble: Rounder Records and the Transformation of American Roots Music (UNC Press, 2023).
You can hear David Menconi’s playlist of key tracks from the Rounder catalogue on Spotify by clicking here.
This episode was edited by Gary Fletcher.