Nashville Gets First Look at Rounder Records 40th Anniversary Concert

NPT will broadcast premiere ROUNDER RECORDS 40TH ANNIVERSARY CONCERT on January 14 at 8:00 p.m. on NPT-Channel 8, months before the PBS broadcast in March 2010 as part of March fund drive programming. Filmed in October 2009 at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry House, the concert was a celebration of Rounder’s 40 years in the music industry and featured Grammy® winning Rounder artists Alison Krauss & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Bela Fleck and Irma Thomas along with musical host, Minnie Driver, and special guests Nathan & The Zydeco Cha Chas and Jazz/R&B pianist, Henry Butler. The special will include performances by these artists as well as select performances from Steve Martin’s show at The Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, from Alison Krauss and Robert Plant’s 2008 CMT “Crossroads” special, and from Madeleine Peyroux’s 2009 concert in Los Angeles.

The concert was filmed in high definition by High Five Entertainment. Some of the program highlights include Alison Krauss & Union Station’s performance of the song “Restless” from their Grammy® winning, million selling album Lonely Runs Both Ways, Mary Chapin Carpenter’s performance of her smash radio hit “He Thinks He’ll Keep Her,” Irma Thomas belting out her R&B chart topper “You Can Have My Husband But Don’t Mess With My Man,” Steve Martin’s performance of songs from his Grammy® nominated album The Crow, Bela Fleck tearing it up with Jerry Douglas on a song from the early Rounder Bela Fleck recording “Duets,” and a rousing grand finale that blended blues, R&B, zydeco, country, and bluegrass during a gospel medley of “Angels Watching Over Me,” “I’ll Fly Away” and “Down By The Riverside.”

Rounder Records was founded in 1970 by Ken Irwin, Marian Leighton Levy and Bill Nowlin. With only their passionate enthusiasm for American roots music lighting the way, the three Boston area college students cast their lot into the perilous music industry. “Before founding Rounder, we were basically music fans,” says Rounder Records co-founder Ken Irwin. “None of us had any record industry experience whatsoever,” echoes co-conspirator Bill Nowlin.

This untested trio have gone the distance: from humble beginnings 40 years ago, to winning Album of the Year for Raising Sand at the 2009 Grammy® Awards. Rounder is now considered one of America’s premier independent record labels, and has emerged as the preeminent source for vital, uncompromised music of all genres.