Rounder Records

Rounder Records is an independent record label founded in 1970 in Somerville, Massachusetts by Marian Leighton Levy, Ken Irwin, and Bill Nowlin. Focused on American roots music, Rounder's catalogue of more than 3000 titles includes records by Alison Krauss and Union Station, George Thorogood, Tony Rice, and Béla Fleck, in addition to re-releases of seminal albums by artists such as the Carter Family, Jelly Roll Morton, Lead Belly, and Woody Guthrie. "Championing and preserving the music of artists whose music falls outside of the mainstream," Rounder releases have won 54 Grammy Awards representing diverse genres, from bluegrass, folk, reggae, and gospel to pop, rock, Americana, polka and world music. Acquired by Concord in 2010, Rounder is based in Nashville, Tennessee.
(Read more at Wikipedia.)
== Links to Peel ==
The diverse Rounder catalogue featured a wide range of "roots music and its contemporary offshoots" (as the label's founders put it in their 1980 catalogue) that appealed to Peel, although initially he didn't seem to pay much attention to its early releases, mainly of bluegrass and old-timey country artists. Later, however, he was especially drawn by its bluegrass and world music releases - although, as with his tastes in blues, he tended to prefer older bluegrass styles to the newer, more contemporary artists who comprised much of Rounder's catalogue. 
His first known play of a record on the label was from folk session artist Michael Hurley's "Have Moicy!" LP with the Unholy Modal Rounders and Jeffrey Fredericks & The Clamtones in late 1976. Both Hurley and the Rounders (formerly the Holy Modal Rounders) had previously recorded for larger labels (Reprise and Elektra respectively), but without major commercial success, and in the 1970s and later Rounder (rather like Topic in the UK) became a home for many folk, blues or country-based artists ignored by major record companies. (It also provided US releases of LPs by some British folk artists who had done sessions for Peel, among them Martin Carthy and the Boys Of The Lough.) In the late 1970s, the DJ gave strong support to breakthrough Rounder releases by "high-energy boogie-blues" performer George Thorogood, although these came out on other labels in the UK.
As Rounder expanded its lineup over the years, releases featured by the DJ ranged from albums by session favourite Loudon Wainwright III to blues (Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, Otis Clay, Ted Hawkins, John Lee, Harry McClintock, Mississippi Fred McDowell, Joseph Spence), country (Connie & Babe, Church Brothers, George Jones, Georgia Yellow Hammers, Louvin Brothers, Gid Tanner, Dan Tyminski, Joe Val & the New England Bluegrass Boys), world music (Boyoyo Boys, Klezmatics, Mzwakhe, Tiger(3), Sol Hoopii), reggae (Gladiators) and indie rock outsiders (Pianosaurus, Jonathan Richman, Shaggs).
Friend and Radio One colleague Andy Kershaw also gave extensive airtime to the label, picking Wainwright's 'One Man Guy' from the 1985 Rounder LP "I’m Alright" in his Desert Island Discs.
== Sessions ==
(Peel session artists with releases on Rounder, including only outside the UK and sessions while on other labels or performing in other groupings. Please add more information if known.)
*Boys Of The Lough: (7 sessions, 1972-1978)
*Martin Carthy: (9 solo sessions, 1972-1983)
*John Fahey: (1 session, 1969)
*Michael Hurley: (1 session, 1999)
*Robert Plant: (3 sessions with Led Zeppelin, 1969)
*Linda Thompson: (3 sessions with Richard & Linda Thompson, 1973-73)
*Loudon Wainwright III: (16 sessions, 1971-2003)
== Compilations ==
(Plays by Peel of various artist (v/a) releases on the Rounder label, in order of first play. Please add more information if known.)
	
	
(EP - Hollerin') 
*24 April 1980: OB Jackson: Hollerin'
*28 January 1987: Leonard Emmanuel: Untitled
(LP - Atomic Cafe: A Soundtrack Album) 
*23 November 1982: Lowell Blanchard And The Valley Trio: Jesus Hits Like An Atomic Bomb
*25 November 1982: Jackie Doll And His Pickled Peppers: When They Drop The Atomic Bomb
*29 November 1982: Buchanan Brothers: Atomic Power
*02 December 1982: Billy Hughes And His Rhythm Buckeroos: Atomic Sermon
*06 December 1982: Sonny Russell: 50 Megatons
*07 December 1982: Five Stars: Atom Bomb Baby
*19 December 1982 (BFBS): Billy Hughes And The Rhythm Buckaroos: Atomic Sermon
*25 January 1984: Little Caesar: Atomic Love
*17 January 1989: Karl And Harty: When The Atom Fell
(LP - The Early Days Of Bluegrass Volume 2) 
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*18 July 1984: Toby Stroud And The Blue Mountain Boys: Jesse James
*08 August 1984: Red Allen: Paul And Silas
*24 March 1987: Country Pardners: Another Old Dog In The Race
*25 March 1987: Dave Woolum And His Kentucky Mountain Boys Featuring Noah Crase: Noah's Breakdown
*25 March 1995: Wright Brothers: Island Creek Mine Fire
*01 April 1995 (BFBS): Wright Brothers: Island Creek Mine Fire
*06 April 1987: Red Allen: Paul And Silas
*25 March 1995: Wright Brothers: Island Creek Mine Fire 
*01 April 1995 (BFBS): Wright Brothers: Island Creek Mine Fire
(LP - The Rich-R-Tone Story: The Early Days Of Bluegrass, Volume 5)
*05 December 1984: Glen Neaves & The Grayson County Boys: Black Mountain Rag
(LP - Radio Freedom: Voice Of The African National Congress And The People's Army Umkhonto We Sizwe) 
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*23 June 1986: Unknown Artist: Abasakwazi Nokupumula (They Cannot Rest)
*23 June 1986: Unknown Artist: South Africa Is In A State Of War
*24 June 1986: Unknown Artist: Solomon Mahlangu / Dawn Breaks / Closing Signature
(LP - South African Trade Union Worker Choirs)
*03 September 1986: K-Team: Siyabonga
*10 September 1986: D.T.M.B. Choir: Hlanganani
(LP - Work Don't Bother Me: Old Time Comic Songs From North Georgia (Original 1926-31 Recordings))
*03 February 1987: Lowe Stokes And His North Georgians: It Just Suits Me
(LP - The Early Days Of Bluegrass. Vol. 3, New Sounds Ramblin' From Coast To Coast)
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*April 1987 (Radio Bremen): Lonesome Pine Fiddlers: Will I Meet Mother In Heaven 
*April 1987 (Radio Bremen): Lonesome Pine Fiddlers: Will I Meet Mother In Heaven
*15 April 1987: Rebe & Rabe: Helen
*15 May 1987 (Radio Bremen): Jerry & Sky: Sparkling Brown Eyes
(LP - They'll Never Keep Us Down: Women's Coal Mining Songs)
*19 May 1987: Hazel Dickens: Coal Mining Woman 
(LP - Homeland: A Collection Of Black South African Music) Rounder / Greensleeves
thumb|- Manka Le Phallang
*23 March 1988: Manka Le Phallang: Ea Nyoloha Khanyapa
*29 March 1988: Elias Mathebula & The Chivani Sisters: Ntlela A Tingängeni
*05 April 1988: Dilika: Ngayishela Yavuma
*20 July 1988: Manka Le Phallang: Ea Nyoloha Khanyapa
(LP - The Nairobi Beat (Kenyan Pop Music Today)
*12 June 1989: Kalambya Sisters: Kopulo Onesi
*03 July 1989: Original Kilimambogo (O.K.B.) Stars: Mama Sheria Pt. 1
(CD - Vintage Hawaiian Music: Steel Guitar Masters 1928-1934)
thumb|- Hilo Hawaiian Music Orchestra
*03 October 1989: Hilo Hawaiian Music Orchestra: Hula Love Medley March
*01 November 1989: Tau Moe With Mme. Riviere's Hawaiians: Ellis March
(CD - Son Of Rounder Banjo)
*21 August 1992: David Grisman: My Aching Heart
*28 August 1992: Johnson Mountain Boys: Adams County Breakdown
*29 August 1992: Nashville Bluegrass Band: No Hiding Place
*04 September 1992: Kentucky Colonels: Kicking Mule
*07 September 1992 (Ö3): Frank Necessary: Blue Eyed Darlin
(LP - Old Originals Volume One)
*05 March 1993: Kimble Family: Train On The Island
(CD - One World: Music From Around The World) 
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*28 October 1994: Astor Piazzolla & The New Tango Quintet: Tanquedia III
*04 November 1994: Astor Piazolla Y Su Quinteto Tango Nuevo: Tanguedia 111
*11 November 1994: Mingo Salvidar Y Sus Tremendos Cuatro Espadas: Impossible
*12 November 1994 (BFBS): Mthembu Queens: Julieta
*19 November 1994 (BFBS): Mingo Saldivar Y Sus Tremendos Cuatro Espadas: Impossible
(CD - Deep River Of Song: Black Appalachia - String Bands, Songsters And Hoedowns) 
*06 July 1999: Nashville Washboard Band: Soldier's Joy
*14 July 1999: Nashville Washboard Band: Old Joe
*15 July 1999 (Radio Eins): Nashville Washboard Band: Soldier's Joy
(CD - Italian Treasury, The Trallaleri Of Genoa)
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*08 July 1999 (Radio Eins): Unknown Artist: Partiro, Faro Partenza
*13 July 1999: Unknown Artist: Partiro, Faro Partenza (I Shall Leave)
(2xCD - Hand-Picked: 25 Years Of Bluegrass Music On Rounder Records)
*04 December 2001: Boone Creek: Drifting Too Far From The Shore
*06 December 2001 (Radio Eins): Johnson Mountain Boys: My Better Years
(CD - Bluegrass Mountain Style) 
*06 August 2002: Whitstein Brothers: Rose Of My Heart
*08 August 2002: McCoury Brothers: My Sweet Love Ain't Around
*15 August 2002: Dry Branch Fire Squad: Someone Play Dixie For Me
*06 September 2002 (BBC World Service): Dry Branch Fire Squad: Someone Play Dixie For Me
== See Also ==
*Desert Island Discs (Andy Kershaw)
== Links ==
*Wikipedia
*Discogs
*Illustrated Rounder Records discography by Stefan Wirz
*Official site
*Bandcamp
Category:Record Labels
Category:Compilations