Newsletter : February 2010

Rev. Johnny L. JonesRev. Johnny L. Jones on CNN
On January 28, CNN.com ran a feature on Rev. Johnny L. "Hurricane" Jones as part of their annual Grammy Awards coverage. Journalist Ashley Fantz and photographer Robert Johnson put together a powerful piece that included an article and a photo essay about Rev. Jones and Dust-to-Digital. The article was among the top five most clicked-on links for CNN the day it was posted. We could not be happier for Johnny and his congregation. (Click here to read more about Johnny's first LP on Parlortone.)

Grammy Awards Recap
As for the Grammy Awards, the trip out west was a blast. Unlike last year, the Dust-to-Digital title which was nominated, Take Me to the Water, did not win. Instead, the Best Historical Album of 2009 was awarded to The Complete Chess Masters of Marion "Little Walter" Jacobs. How could anyone get upset about losing to Little Walter?

That said, we had a wonderful time. We got to visit the fine folks at Amoeba Records, Aquarius Records, Archeophone Records, Arhoolie Records and Capitol Mastering. We also got to spend time with some old friends and some new: Zach Cincotta, Jim Linderman, Rob Millis, David Murray, Opal Louis Nations and Jonathan Ward. (Click here if you would like to see some photos from the trip.)

Upcoming Releases
Strings, Ely, FaheyEnough looking back, let's take a look forward to what is in store for 2010. At the moment, everything is in place for having the following three releases out before the end of the August:

1. Excavated Shellac: Strings
An LP of 14 never-before-reissued musical gems from around the world. Compiled by Jonathan Ward, this LP features recordings of guitar, oud, violin, tar and more from the 78rpm era.

2. Ain't No Grave: The Life and Legacy of Brother Claude Ely
A biography by Macel Ely II who interviewed more than 1,000 persons in the Appalachian Mountains who personally knew Brother Claude Ely during various times in his life. The book will come with a CD of rare family recordings of the gospel icon.

3. John Fahey's Fonotone Years
A five-CD box set of John Fahey's earliest recordings available for the first time ever on CD and LP. Scholarly research and many never-before-published photographs will be included.