John Storm Roberts, 1936-2009

January 8, 2010 4:23 AM

John Storm Roberts, 1936-2009. A magnificent scholar and record producer, and the author of great classics including The Latin Tinge and Black Music of Two Worlds,, and the founder of Original Music, John Storm Roberts passed away at the age of 73 back on Nov. 29. Few figures have had such a profoundly intertwined influence on both musical scholarship and popular musical culture.

I was surprised to see he hadn't been memorialized on MeFi yet.

posted by fourcheesemac (4 comments total)

His Original Music label's Africa Dances was one of the very first recordings of African music that I heard/owned: a record I practically wore out the grooves on.

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posted by flapjax at midnite at 4:38 AM on January 8, 2010

♪
posted by Smart Dalek at 5:27 AM on January 8, 2010

> His Original Music label's Africa Dances was one of the very first recordings of African music that I heard/owned: a record I practically wore out the grooves on.

Same here, and I bought it from the man himself at a NYC music fair shortly after I moved to the city in the early '80s.

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posted by languagehat at 6:17 AM on January 8, 2010

♪ indeed. I have a bunch of the Original Music albums and highly recommend them all if you can find them:
- Africa Dances
- Do Better if You Can
- Money No Be Sand
- Rain in the Hills
- Telephone Lobi
- Under The Coconut Tree
- Yoruba Street Percussion
posted by twsf at 9:13 AM on January 8, 2010