Earwig Music Company
Founded1978 (1978)
FounderMichael Frank
Distributor(s)Burnside Distribution Corporation (US), Parsifal bvba, Belgium (Europe)
GenreBlues, jazz
Country of originUnited States
LocationChicago, Illinois
Official websitewww.earwigmusic.com

Earwig Music Company is an American blues and jazz independent record label, founded by Michael Frank in October 1978 in Chicago.[1][2]

From 1975 until 1977 Frank was employed by the Jazz Record Mart, like Bruce Iglauer of Alligator Records and Jim O'Neal of Living Blues magazine.[3][4]

Since its founding, Earwig Music has issued 66 albums, fifty-one produced by Frank,[5] among them the last recordings of Louis Myers,[6] Maxwell Street Jimmy Davis, and Willie Johnson.[4]

Other artists on the label include blues musicians The Jelly Roll Kings (with Frank Frost), Honeyboy Edwards, Johnny Drummer, Big Jack Johnson, Jimmy Dawkins, Louisiana Red, Willie Kent, H-Bomb Ferguson, Sunnyland Slim, Little Brother Montgomery, Jim Brewer, Homesick James, John Primer, Lil' Ed Williams, Lester Davenport, Kansas City Red,[7] Scott Ellison,[8] and Liz Mandeville; jazz musicians Carl Arter and Tiny Irvin; the Gospel Trumpets; and folk storytellers Jackie Torrence, Alice McGill, Laura Simms, and Bobby Norfolk.

The storytellers' Earwig recordings won the American Library Association Parents2 Choice and NAIRD Awards.[9]

Earwig released four albums by the Chicago blues duo, Chris James and Patrick Rynn.[10]

In 1998, Johnny "Yard Dog" Jones won a W. C. Handy Award for Best New Artist for the album, Ain't Gonna Worry.[11]

In 2008, Frank received the Blues Foundation's Keeping the Blues Alive Award (Manager).

References

  1. ^ Hoffman, Steve (2006). "Earwig". In Komara, Edward (ed.). Encyclopedia of the Blues. New York, NY: Routledge. p. 294. ISBN 0-415-92699-8.
  2. ^ Penchansky, Alan (24 November 1979). "Interest in Blues Spawns 2 labels". Billboard: 70.
  3. ^ Vabres, Jean-Luc (Fall 1995). "Entretien avec Michael Frank". Soul Bag (140): 6–8.
  4. ^ a b "Earwig's Michael Frank". Delmark.com. Archived from the original on 2011-07-09. Retrieved 2011-03-16.
  5. ^ "Michael Frank, Earwig Music Company". Chicago Artists Resource. Archived from the original on 2010-12-07. Retrieved 2011-03-16.
  6. ^ Dahl, Bill. "Louis Myers". Allmusic. Retrieved November 16, 2010.
  7. ^ "Old Friends". Discogs.com. Retrieved September 17, 2014.
  8. ^ "Scott Ellison - YEG Live". Yeglive.ca. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  9. ^ "Teacher's Guide for Robots" (PDF). Discoverytheater.org. Retrieved 2011-03-16.
  10. ^ "Chris James | Album Discography". AllMusic. Retrieved 2016-05-23.
  11. ^ "Blues On Stage - Johnny "Yard Dog" Jones Interview". Mnblues.com. 1941-06-21. Retrieved 2011-03-16.

External links

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