Library Person
John Fahey
American fingerstyle guitarist, founder of 'American Primitive' guitar and co-founder of Revenant Records.
John Fahey (1939–2001) built what became known as “American Primitive” guitar, fusing blues fingerpicking learned from old 78s with the dissonance of twentieth-century classical composers such as Béla Bartók and Ralph Vaughan Williams. After a 1994 Spin profile drove a rediscovery of his work, Fahey turned toward the avant-garde in a late-career resurgence: Jim O’Rourke produced his 1997 album Womblife, part of what commentators describe as Fahey’s collaborative turn toward experimental music in that period. In 1996, using an inheritance from his father, Fahey co-founded Revenant Records with Dean Blackwood to reissue obscure blues, old-time, and experimental recordings.
Works in the Library
John Fahey, Dean Blackwood ORGANIZATION
Austin, Texas archival label co-founded by John Fahey in 1996, specializing in blues, old-time, and experimental reissues.
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