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Vinyl Ventures: My Fifty Years at Rounder Records

2022; University of Illinois Press; Volume: 135; Issue: 537 Linguagem: Inglês

10.5406/15351882.135.537.13

1535-1882

James H. Edgar,

Music History and Culture

Vinyl Ventures: My Fifty Years at Rounder Records surveys the history of Rounder Records through the lens of one of its three founders, Bill Nowlin, with special attention given to its formative years. Nowlin prefaces his account by acknowledging the limitations of one individual's perspective, making it clear to readers that it should not be taken as a definitive history. Following a loosely chronological format, Nowlin balances a remarkable amount of historical detail with personal anecdotes, allowing for a colorful, engaging read that avoids getting bogged down in minutiae. With supporting quotes from the other founders—or “Rounders”—the reader gains an appreciation for the strengths and shortcomings of Rounder's inner circle, as well as the sense of mission that saw the company through the ups and downs of nearly half a century in the record business.Nowlin begins with a brief overview of the folk and popular music landscape during the postwar years, focusing in part on the independent record labels that helped pave the way for Rounder and others that followed. The first chapter opens with Nowlin and fellow co-founder Ken Irwin assigned as roommates at Tufts College in Massachusetts in 1962. Firmly placing Rounder within the context of the folk music revival, Nowlin spends much of the chapter describing the Boston-area folk scene of the 1960s, before arriving at the events that ultimately set Rounder in motion, which by then included a third co-founder, Marian Leighton Levy.Chapter 2 tells the backstory of Rounder's first releases in October 1970, featuring George Pegram (Rounder 0001) and the Spark Gap Wonder Boys (Rounder 0002). Emphasizing the necessary frugality of starting—and sustaining—an independent record label, Nowlin proceeds to itemize the shoestring budget on which Rounder released those first two records. Because Rounder's thrifty resourcefulness is clearly a point of pride, it appears throughout the book. While acknowledging the trio's lack of business savvy at founding, Nowlin underscores their work ethic and commitment to building the company, which had expanded to include distribution for other independent labels within the first year.The third chapter covers a period of rapid growth, which saw their catalog grow by 19 records in 1972, after releasing only five in the first 2 years. This chapter also introduces Bruce Kaplan, who played a significant role in coordinating and funding this period of growth before branching off to start his own label, Flying Fish. Nowlin touches on the founding ideals of Rounder, frequently referring to the label as a “collective,” which included living and operating out of the same house during the early years. Rounder also emphasizes doing right by the artists, from paying higher royalties to non-exclusive record contracts, which allowed artists the freedom to record elsewhere.Chapter 4 sees the company continuing to expand its horizons, which includes a focus on Louisiana's Cajun music, a genre Rounder helped introduce to a global audience. In the ensuing chapters, Rounder begins to outgrow its image of itself as a non-hierarchical collective, facing the realities of the record industry, and eventually hiring employees. Nowlin revisits some of these challenges in chapter 8, addressing the unionization of Rounder employees, which caught the founders off guard. While they viewed themselves as benevolent employers, in the spirit of the original collective, it's clear there was a disconnect with some of the employees, who voted to unionize in 1979.Nowlin gives considerable attention—and rightfully so—to two of Rounder's biggest success stories: George Thorogood and the Destroyers and Alison Krauss. While rooted in blues music, Thorogood represented a shift toward the rock and roll market, which was not made without some hesitancy on the part of Nowlin and the other founders, who had always been content to operate as a folk label outside the commercial mainstream. Nevertheless, Thorogood developed a strong, mutually beneficial relationship with the label, and resisted cutting ties when it became clear the Destroyers were outgrowing the resources Rounder could provide. In Krauss, Rounder stumbled across an extraordinary young talent who fell right in line with the label's bluegrass roots. However, it would have been impossible to predict her immense success—platinum-selling records, seemingly countless Grammy Awards—or that she would stay loyal to the relatively small, independent Rounder for 3 decades.While the careers of Thorogood, Krauss, and other stars deserve recognition, Rounder's most impactful contributions may reside in some of the lesser-known artists it took on, understanding the limits of their commercial appeal. Nowlin acknowledges an awareness of “doing important work,” stating: “We were well aware that, in some cases, we might be documenting music that otherwise would never be recorded” (p. 43). One such example was legendary old-time fiddler Clark Kessinger who recorded at the peak of his craft in 1971, shortly before suffering a stroke that cost him the utility of his left hand. Similarly, Rounder recorded and interviewed Kentucky fiddler Buddy Thomas in 1974, months before his sudden passing at age 39. Each of the subsequent records are highly regarded as documents of old-time Southern fiddling.Since its inception, Rounder has established a legacy as perhaps the most influential record label in contemporary American roots music. Vinyl Ventures will be of particular interest to fans and scholars of bluegrass music, or any of the individual artists featured therein. As a memoir, it invaluably documents a period of rapid change in the music industry, which Nowlin witnessed firsthand during his 5 decades with Rounder. Criticisms are few, but more testimony from the artists might have been of interest, as would more behind-the-scenes details from the music-production side, especially for some of the label's most historic releases. In all, Nowlin offers an entertaining, informative read that doubles as a valuable document of one of the music industry's most prominent independent record labels of the past 50 years.