Vanguard
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Running an independent record company is such a 'hands on' affair, it's inevitable that content will be shaped by its founders' musical tastes and aesthetics. Maynard and Seymour Solomon created Vanguard Records in June 1950. They were classical music lovers but, like so many liberals of the era, interested in other forms of non-mainstream music like jazz, blues and folk music - the art forms that inspired the left-thinking politics of the day. Read more
They brought to all the music they recorded at Vanguard the same values that they applied to classical recordings: the highest sound fidelity available, extensive and informative sleeve notes and good graphic design for each LP jacket. These became the order of the day, rather than the exception. The opportunity to record the influential Newport Folk Festivals of the 1950s and 60s ensured that Vanguard was at the forefront of what was happening as the folk scene developed into the rock music one that closed out the 60s. The Solomons understood that both the Festival scene and the political milieu of the era were at the heart of the growing 1960s youth movement. They captured and reflected the energy of both, allowing tradition to be recorded for posterity but being brave enough to support the contemporary innovations that grew out of older forms. The enlistment of legendary blues writer Sam Charters to handle production on urban blues and rock projects was inspired. Sam's ear for faithfully capturing the tonal forces unleashed by such heavily amplified musicians as Charlie Musselwhite and Country Joe & The Fish was second to none. Vanguard nurtured the careers of many great artists, including those of Joan Baez, Country Joe & The Fish, Buffy Sainte-Maire, Ian & Sylvia, Doc Watson, Junior Wells, Oregon and Larry Coryell, but they also recorded a wealth of music by less well known (though no less fascinating) performers like Sandy Bull and the Frost. In recent years, the avant-moog recordings made at Vanguard by Jean Jacques Perrey have found a new audience through sampling and TV advertising. As Mimi FariƱa once said, "the Solomons were visionaries". |
A
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Eric Andersen
2 releases
B
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Joan Baez
22 releases
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Robbie Basho
5 releases
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The Basie Bunch
1 release
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Count Basie
3 releases
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Ruby Braff
1 release
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Sandy Bull
1 release
C
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The Clancy Brothers
2 releases
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Larry Coryell
10 releases
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James Cotton
2 releases
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The Country Gentlemen
2 releases
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Country Joe & The Fish
10 releases
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Pee Wee Crayton
7 releases
D
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Vic Dickenson
2 releases
E
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Ramblin' Jack Elliott
2 releases
F
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John Fahey
19 releases
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Mimi And Richard Farina
4 releases
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Kinky Friedman
1 release
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Frost
1 release
G
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The Greenbriar Boys
2 releases
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Buddy Guy
6 releases
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John Hammond
6 releases
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John Lee Hooker
23 releases
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Lightnin' Hopkins
6 releases
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Mississippi John Hurt
8 releases
I
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Ian & Sylvia
3 releases
J
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Skip James
4 releases
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Jonathan & Leigh
1 release
K
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The Kingston Trio
1 release
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Jim Kweskin
2 releases
L
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Ellis Larkins/Ruby Braff
2 releases
M
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Mike Mandel
1 release
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Country Joe McDonald
3 releases
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Charlie Musselwhite
5 releases
N
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The New Lost City Ramblers
1 release
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Notes From The Underground
1 release
O
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Odetta
4 releases
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Oregon
6 releases
P
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Tom Paxton
3 releases
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Jean Jacques Perrey
5 releases
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The Players Association
2 releases
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Mel Powell
2 releases
R
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Paul Robeson
1 release
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Jimmy Rushing
3 releases
S
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Buffy Sainte-Marie
12 releases
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Mike Seeger
1 release
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Pete Seeger
1 release
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Brother John Sellers
1 release
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The Serpent Power
1 release
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Sir Charles Thompson/The Hawk
1 release
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Otis Spann
4 releases
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The Stanley Brothers
2 releases
T
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Big Mama Thornton
4 releases
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Ian Tyson
4 releases
W
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Peter Walker
1 release
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Doc Watson
8 releases
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The Weavers
3 releases
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Junior Wells
3 releases
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Hedy West
1 release
Y
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Camille Yarbrough
1 release