Chris Strachwitz, a nationally famend musicologist who based Arhoolie Information in El Cerrito and helped protect and popularize the work of scores of genuine American roots musicians, died Friday at age 91, his label reported.
Stories mentioned Strachwitz died peacefully at his Marin County house surrounded by family and friends. The reason for demise was listed as issues resulting from congestive coronary heart illness, in line with NOLA.com, which famous that the famed music historian’s passing got here simply hours after he was paid particular tribute on the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Pageant, the famed annual occasion that celebrates the genres of music Strachwitz devoted his life to preserving. NOLA.com additionally reported that competition organizers had deliberate a second line — a standard New Orleans-style funeral — for Strachwitz on Sunday afternoon.
Strachwitz shaped Arhoolie Information in 1960, 13 years after emigrating along with his household to the U.S. from Germany. He had fallen exhausting for the uncooked rhythms, melodies and keenness of American roots musicians and made it his life’s goal to protect and doc their songs.
After ending a stint with the U.S. Military, Strachwitz settled within the Bay Space, discovered the necessities of recording music and reportedly traded a few of his treasured 78 rpm report assortment for recording gear.
Arhoolie Information’ first launch, issued in 1960, was a subject recording from rural Texas bluesman Mance Lipscomb, “Texas Sharecropper and Songster.”
The discharge launched Strachwitz’s tireless marketing campaign of touring to genuine American music hotspots all through the U.S. — Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and extra — to report musicians of their pure ingredient. He recorded musicians starting from Tejano accordionist Flaco Jimenez, Delta blues singer and guitarist Huge Joe Williams, Zydeco musician Clifton Chenier and gospel group the Campbell Brothers.
By means of Arhoolie Information, Strachwitz additionally reissued music by musicians whose unique labels had gone out of enterprise. This helped protect priceless recordings from such artists as Huge Joe Turner, credited with being one of many founding fathers of rock ‘n’ roll.
Total, Strachwitrz’s efforts resulted within the recordings or re-releases of numerous data that includes blues, Tex-Mex, Latin, Cajun and Creole, folks and different music genres, a lot of which on the time was largely unknown to mainstream music listeners.
He based mostly his Arhoolie Information label in El Cerrito, alongside along with his Down House Music Retailer, a sprawling assortment of the fruits of his labors.
“Over his 91 years, Chris captured the music that represents one of the best ‘down house music’ the world has to supply,” learn a tribute posted on Twitter by the Arhoolie Basis.
Chris Strachwitz
Arhoolie Information Founder
July 1, 1931 – Might 5, 2023We have a good time the lifetime of our founder, good friend, and nice report man Chris Strachwitz. He died peacefully at house in Marin County, CA, surrounded in his final days by pricey family and friends. pic.twitter.com/ZqW63gKY12
— Arhoolie Basis (@ArhoolieFdn) Might 6, 2023
“He was on the forefront of practically all of the roots revivals during the last 60 years together with blues, zydeco, Cajun, Norteño and Tejano music,” the Basis added. “His drive to doc conventional music helped introduce the nation to our various musical heritage. He had the foresight to avoid wasting music that may have in any other case been misplaced to obscurity and performed a task in strengthening cultural traditions via his data, movies, and most just lately the Arhoolie Basis. He cared for these round him, fought for royalties and recognition for Arhoolie artists, and supplied counsel to numerous musicians, writers, filmmakers, and lecturers.”
Strachwitz was greater than a obsessive music fan; he additionally proved to be a savvy businessman. In 1995, he created the nonprofit Arhoolie Basis to supervise his music pursuits. Members of the muse’s advisory board embody T Bone Burnett, Bob Dylan, Tom Waits and Bonnie Raitt, who reportedly as soon as mentioned that “nobody has meant extra to the preservation and appreciation of Americana roots music than Chris Strachwitz.”
In 2016, Strachwitz bought the enterprise and its holdings — together with some 350 recordings — to Smithsonian Folkways, the nonprofit report label of the Smithsonian Establishment. Although he stored his hand in report producing and different issues, Strachwitz instructed this information group in a 2016 interview the transfer was supposed to protect the outcomes of his labors of affection properly into the longer term.
“Since I’m not King Tut, I can’t take my Arhoolie child with me,” he mentioned. “It was Moe Asch, founding father of Folkways Information, who instructed me in so many phrases, `Chris, you’ve bought to consider what you're going to do with all of your stuff if you kick the bucket.’”
“I had enjoyable,” Strachwitz mentioned of operating Arhoolie. “I actually loved each minute of it. Certain, there have been some complications right here and there — however what the hell?”
The Basis has additionally hosted numerous live shows and awards exhibits within the Bay Space through the years. Its web site has an in depth assortment of music movies and in 2022, the Basis made Strachwitz’s legendary Frontera assortment, mentioned to be the world’s largest non-public archive of Mexican and Mexican-American music, out there on-line. Go to arhoolie.org.
The muse’s music can be extensively out there on Spotify, YouTube and different streaming platforms.
The Arhoolie Basis mentioned a “public celebration” of Strachwitz’s life will likely be scheduled within the close to future.
“Immediately we’re pondering of all that Chris delivered to our lives and the lives of the musicians and followers with whom he shared his ardour.”.