Arhoolie Deep Dive: Chris's 91st Birthday

First published in 1971, the short-lived Arhoolie Occasional was a music lover’s dream. Brimming with original articles by Chris Strachwitz and reprints from Rolling Stone, Broadside, and a host of local papers, the publication is both an insider’s guide to the record business and a journey through the lives and music of Arhoolie’s signature artists. From Chris’s explainer “What’s Involved in Making Arhoolie LP’s” to colorful profiles of Mance Lipscomb and John Jackson, to a guide entitled “How to Hire Blues Artists,” the Occasional packed enough information in its pages to satisfy even the most diehard Arhoolie fan. Best of all might be Chris’s description of the “down-home” music he loved: “It’s the music you hear at beer joints, taverns, dance halls, picnics, weddings, fiestas, in homes, in churches, and wherever people gather naturally to worship life with all its joys and pains.” Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
In honor of Chris’s 91st birthday, we invite you to explore the newly digitized Arhoolie Occasional Number 1 and all the wonderful stories inside it. arhoolie.org/a...
Forget to get Chris a birthday present? We got you covered. Donate $91 to the Arhoolie Foundation, add a note and receive a special birthday t-shirt. donorbox.org/h...

[@herbbirdsfoot]

Wow. Thank you for this! Very cool.