Video: Arhoolie Records and a Man Who Enriched the Treasury of Recorded Music
Video: Arhoolie Records and a Man Who Enriched the Treasury of Recorded Music
November 27, 2010
By Megan Orr
ElCerritoPatch
"Without collector Chris Strachwitz, there'd be no record of some of America's greatest folk music, from zydeco to the Delta blues."
— San Francisco Chronicle headline
Founder and president of Arhoolie Records in El Cerrito and the non-profit Arhoolie Foundation, Chris Strachwitz set out on a journey to find and record the "down home" music of America's back country. Over the past 49 years Strachwitz has recorded zydeco, Cajun, blues and border Tex-Mex music.
Coming up on the 50th anniversary of Arhoolie Records on Feb. 4-6, what Strachwitz considers to be his hobby has for decades nourished the world with music from all walks of life.
He "also is the man most responsible for the spread of zydeco," wrote music critic Joel Selvin. And, Selvin noted, "he single-handedly rescued Mexican American folk music."
Musicians such as Clifton Chenier, Lightnin' Hopkins, Mance Lipscomb, George Lewis, Los Pinguinos, Big Joe Williams, Jesse Fuller, Country Joe McDonald and many more would not have otherwise been heard — or would have been less heard — if it weren't for Strachwitz's determination and love for the art.
This video is a brief introduction to zydeco music, the journey of Chris Strachwitz, and the foundation for Arhoolie Records. To learn more about Chris Strachwitz and Arhoolie Records, visit: www.arhoolie.com.

