The following companies have lots of blues for sale. No endorsement is given, or implied. I have some recordings from several of them, though. Most remastering removes the snap, crackle, and pop from the old 78 rpm recordings. A few rare masters survive in good shape; the remaining recordings have to be made from shellac discs, or even wax cylinders. Of course, the new artists benefit from crystal clear sound!

Arhoolie Records has been around for almost forty years. A strong collection of Cajun and Zydeco gives their catalog a very spicy flavor. They have been producing this music long before the present popularity boom that both styles have enjoyed recently. This company was responsible for me discovering Zydeco in the mid '70's. I loved it enough to thumb my way to one of the first Jazz/Heritage Music Festivals in New Orleans in '77. It was worth it just to see Queen Ida and Clifton Chenier for the first time. I also met one of my strongest blues influences, piano player Roosevelt Sykes. I learned from Arhoolie that Louisiana's musical gumbo offers a savory mix of black, white, creole, and cajun styles. The blues figures in all of them, as it has in New Orleans for decades. If this music doesn't get a rise out of you, check your pulse...