Oh, Didn't They Ramble

August 15, 2023
A history of an independent record label that has left an indelible imprint on musical culture. This admiring tribute to Rounder Records shows just what a remarkable achievement it has been for the label to last a half-century, release so many albums, and cover so much of the musical map, geographically and stylistically--especially considering that it began as a labor of love for three college students who had no business background nor interest in the commercial mainstream. Menconi provides interesting biographies of those three--Ken Irwin, Marian Leighton Levy, and Bill Nowlin--whose partnership itself seems like a remarkable fluke. The two men met as randomly assigned roommates when they entered college, and Irwin and Leighton Levy were a couple during a period when all three of them lived together. Their only real criterion for the music they would release was, "Do we like this?" Often their tastes were very similar, and the passion of one for a project could influence the others. "Rounder began as less a conventional record company," writes the author, "than a quixotic quest that unexpectedly lasted for decades." Early on, the label began releasing more albums than was financially viable and made significant inroads with bluegrass in particular, a genre in which Rounder's leftist politics and female presence (in ownership and on the roster) made it a progressive anomaly. Though it amassed a well-respected catalog, the success of two artists proved transformative. The first was George Thorogood, whose aggressive, rock-oriented, bar-band blues was a contrast to the label's folk approach. The second was Alison Krauss, discovered by the label when she was 13 and then nurtured into critical renown and commercial success. Much of the book is more about business than music, culminating in the sale of the label in 2010. A well-researched celebration of Rounder's influence and accomplishments.

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