Earwig Music Company
Encyclopedia
Earwig Music Company is an independent American blues
and jazz
record label, founded October 1978 in Chicago
by Michael Frank.
Before setting up his label Michael Frank from 1975 until 1977 had been - like Bruce Iglauer
of Alligator Records
and Jim O'Neal
of Living Blues
magazine - employed in Bob Koester's
Chicagoan Jazz Record Mart.
Since its foundation Earwig Music has issued fifty-seven albums, of which fifty were produced by its CEO, Michael Frank, among them the last recordings of Louis Myers
, Maxwell Street Jimmy Davis
, and early Howlin’ Wolf Band's guitarist Willie Johnson.
Other artists among the label's roster are 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
, Johnny Ray
, and Liz Mandville Greeson, jazz musicians Carl Arter and Tiny Irvin, a gospel
group: the Gospel Trumpets, and renowned folk
storytellers
Jackie Torrence, Alice McGill
, Bobby Norfolk
and Laura Simms.
Those storytellers’ Earwig recordings won American Library Association
, Parents′ Choice
, and NAIRD
Awards, Johnny ″Yard Dog″ Jones in 1998 won a Handy Award – Best New Artist – for his Earwig CD Ain’t Gonna Worry.
In 2008 Michael Frank received The Blues Foundation's
Keeping the Blues Alive Award - category "Manager".
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
record label, founded October 1978 in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
by Michael Frank.
Before setting up his label Michael Frank from 1975 until 1977 had been - like Bruce Iglauer
Bruce Iglauer
Bruce Iglauer is the American founder and head of the independent blues record label Alligator Records in Chicago.Iglauer was born in Ann Arbor and grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan and Cincinnati, Ohio...
of Alligator Records
Alligator Records
Alligator Records is a Chicago-based independent blues record label founded by Bruce Iglauer in 1971.Iglauer started the label with his own savings to record and produce his favorite band Hound Dog Taylor & The HouseRockers, whom his employer, Bob Koester of Delmark Records, declined to record...
and Jim O'Neal
Jim O'Neal
Jim O'Neal is an American blues expert, writer, record producer and record company executive. He co-founded America's first blues magazine, Living Blues, in Chicago in 1970. Since that time the magazine has set standards for blues history, culture, and journalism worldwide...
of Living Blues
Living Blues
Living Blues is a bi-monthly magazine focused on covering the African American blues tradition, and America's oldest blues periodical. The magazine was founded as a quarterly in Chicago in 1970 by Jim O'Neal and Amy van Singel. Alligator Records owner and founder Bruce Iglauer was also one of the...
magazine - employed in Bob Koester's
Bob Koester
Robert Gregg "Bob" Koester is the American founder and owner of Delmark Records, one of the oldest independent record labels in the United States, and one of jazz's best-known imprints...
Chicagoan Jazz Record Mart.
Since its foundation Earwig Music has issued fifty-seven albums, of which fifty were produced by its CEO, Michael Frank, among them the last recordings of Louis Myers
The Aces (blues band)
The Aces was one of the earliest and most influential of the electric Chicago blues band in the 1950s. Led by the guitarist brothers Louis and Dave Myers, natives of Byhalia, Mississippi, the brothers originally performed under the name The Little Boys; with the subsequent addition of harmonica...
, Maxwell Street Jimmy Davis
Maxwell Street Jimmy Davis
Maxwell Street Jimmy Davis was an American electric blues singer, guitarist and songwriter. He played with John Lee Hooker, recorded an album for Elektra Records in the mid 1960s, and remained a regular street musician on Maxwell Street, Chicago, for over 40 years.He was also known as Jewtown...
, and early Howlin’ Wolf Band's guitarist Willie Johnson.
Other artists among the label's roster are blues musicians The Jelly Roll Kings
The Jelly Roll Kings
The Jelly Roll Kings were an electric Delta blues band. The members of the band were: Frank Frost , Big Jack Johnson and Sam Carr . Their most famous songs included "The Jelly Roll King", and "Catfish Blues".-Career:...
(with Frank Frost
Frank Frost
Frank Frost Frank Frost Frank Frost (April 15, 1936 — was one of the foremost American delta blues harmonica players of his generation.-Life and career:Born Frank Otis Frost in Auvergne, Arkansas, United States, Frost learned to play piano at church as a young boy. He moved to St. Louis, Missouri...
), Honeyboy Edwards, Johnny Drummer, Big Jack Johnson
Big Jack Johnson
Big Jack Johnson was an American electric blues musician.One commentator noted that Johnson, along with R. L...
, Jimmy Dawkins
Jimmy Dawkins
James Henry "Jimmy" Dawkins is an American Chicago blues and electric blues guitarist and singer. He is generally considered a part of the "West Side Sound" of Chicago blues.-Career:...
, Louisiana Red
Louisiana Red
Louisiana Red is an African American blues guitarist, harmonica player, and singer, who has recorded more than 50 albums...
, Willie Kent
Willie Kent
Willie Kent was an American blues singer, bassist and songwriter.-Career:Kent was born in Inverness, Sunflower County, Mississippi....
, H-Bomb Ferguson
H-Bomb Ferguson
H-Bomb Ferguson was an American jump blues singer from Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. He was an early pioneer of the rock and roll sound of the mid 1950s, featuring driving rhythm, intensely shouted vocals, honking tenor saxophone solos, and outlandish personal appearance...
, Sunnyland Slim
Sunnyland Slim
Albert "Sunnyland Slim" Luandrew was an American blues pianist, who was born in the Mississippi Delta, and later moved to Chicago, Illinois, to contribute to that city's post-war scene as a center for blues music...
, Little Brother Montgomery
Little Brother Montgomery
Eurreal Wilford "Little Brother" Montgomery was an American jazz, boogie-woogie and blues pianist and singer....
, Jim Brewer
Jim Brewer (blues musician)
Jim Brewer aka Blind Jim Brewer, although Brewer did not like this additive , was an African-American blues singer and guitarist....
, Homesick James
Homesick James
Homesick James was an American blues musician. He most notably played slide guitar, and recorded covers of "Stones In My Passway" and "Homesick"...
, John Primer
John Primer
John Primer is an American Chicago blues and electric blues singer and guitarist.-Biography:He played guitar at Theresa's, a club in Chicago, between 1974 and 1980. He was influenced by Muddy Waters' former sideman, Sammy Lawhorn, who taught him to play slide guitar...
, Lil' Ed Williams
Lil' Ed Williams
Lil' Ed Williams is an American blues guitarist, singer and songwriter. With his backing band, the Blues Imperials, slide guitarist Williams has built up a loyal following.-Biography:...
, Lester Davenport
Lester Davenport
Lester "Mad Dog" Davenport , was an American Chicago blues harmonica player and singer.Born in Tchula, Mississippi, United States, Davenport moved from Mississippi to Chicago, Illinois, when he was 14...
, Johnny Ray
Johnny Ray
John Cornelius Ray is a former second baseman in Major League Baseball who had a 10-year career from 1981 to 1990. He played for the Pittsburgh Pirates of the National League and the California Angels of the American League...
, and Liz Mandville Greeson, jazz musicians Carl Arter and Tiny Irvin, a gospel
Gospel
A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...
group: the Gospel Trumpets, and renowned folk
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
storytellers
Storytelling
Storytelling is the conveying of events in words, images and sounds, often by improvisation or embellishment. Stories or narratives have been shared in every culture as a means of entertainment, education, cultural preservation and in order to instill moral values...
Jackie Torrence, Alice McGill
Alice McGill
Alice McGill is an award-winning author of children's books and a professional storyteller. In many of her books have African American protagonists or deal with African American issues...
, Bobby Norfolk
Bobby Norfolk
Bobby Norfolk is an American storyteller and arts educator. He has received three Emmy Awards as host for the television series Gator Tales and is also the host of the Emmy Award nominated cable series Children's Theater at Bobby's House...
and Laura Simms.
Those storytellers’ Earwig recordings won American Library Association
American Library Association
The American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
, Parents′ Choice
Parents' Choice Award
The Parents' Choice Award is an award presented by the non-profit Parents' Choice Foundation to recognize "the very best products for children of different ages and backgrounds, and of varied skill and interest levels." It is considered a "prestigious" award among children's products, and has been...
, and NAIRD
American Association of Independent Music
The American Association of Independent Music, or A2IM, is a not-for-profit trade organization serving the Independent music community as a unified voice representing a sector that comprises over 30% of the music industry's market share in the United States...
Awards, Johnny ″Yard Dog″ Jones in 1998 won a Handy Award – Best New Artist – for his Earwig CD Ain’t Gonna Worry.
In 2008 Michael Frank received The Blues Foundation's
Blues Foundation
The Blues Foundation is an American nonprofit corporation, headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, that is affiliated with more than 175 Blues organizations from various parts of the world....
Keeping the Blues Alive Award - category "Manager".
Sources
- Hoffman, Steve: Earwig.- in
- Vabres, Jean-Luc: Entretien avec Michael Frank.- Soul Bag no. 140 (Fall 1995), pp. 6-8
- Penchansky, Alan: Interest in Blues Spawns 2 Labels.- Billboard 91 (24 November 1979), p. 70
- Stephenson, Mike & Les Irvine: Recording the Blues. Blues & RhythmBlues & RhythmBlues & Rhythm, The Gospel Truth is a British music magazine dealing with all aspects of blues and gospel music. Founded in July 1984 it is - along with its American counterpart Living Blues - considered one of the premier magazines for all aspects of blues and rhythm & blues music Blues & Rhythm,...
178 (April 2003), pp. 10–11