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SFO Museum mourns the loss of Chris Strachwitz (1931–2023), founder of Arhoolie Records. For over fifty years, Strachwitz introduced listeners to music that moved him. Boldly ignoring commercial trends, Strachwitz insisted, “I’ve never recorded things I didn’t like.” In November of 1960, Strachwitz released the first LP on his Arhoolie label featuring Texas “songster” Mance Lipscomb. He recorded a number of important blues singers during his career, and his Cajun, Creole, and zydeco releases aided in popularizing these genres. Strachwitz also released many pivotal Norteño/Tejano albums. Additionally, he “rediscovered” early artists previously recorded on 78-rpm discs, reissuing their music on LPs. Strachwitz’s recordings continue to acquaint generations of fans to a diverse range of American vernacular musicians who might otherwise have remained unknown. SFO Museum was honored to work closely with Chris Strachwitz on the exhibition Down Home Music: The Story of Arhoolie Records, which took place in Terminal 2 in 2018. @arhooliefoundation @smithsonianfolkways #arhoolie #ChrisStrachwitz Long Gone Miles, Lightnin’ Hopkins, and Chris Strachwitz 1959 Houston, Texas Photograph: possibly Mack McCormick Courtesy of the Arhoolie Foundation R2018.1101.185
This image was posted on May 11, 2023.
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