The long Road to down the road

“For more than fifty years, these Rounders have introduced the Obscure, the Ancient, and the long almost gone. And now they continue to court and support the Next Wave reaching high into the New World of meld and mix.” —Robert Plant

Down The Road Records is the next chapter in the story of The Rounders: Three friends, music lovers, and cultural iconoclasts who launched the legendary Rounder Records from their Boston apartment in 1970. Over the next 50 years, Ken Irwin, Marian Leighton Levy, and Bill Nowlin would develop a music catalog of impossibly high quality—a feat made all the more astounding considering its breadth and eclecticism. The Rounders’ passion and commitment attracted established legends and supernaturally talented newcomers to their label, where they were able to mine the fertile histories of folk, bluegrass, rock ’n’ roll, country, blues, soul, and beyond to create music that stretched back—and forward—through time.

Now the Rounders, who’ve adopted long-time Rounder president John Virant, Jr into the fold—are forging a new path built on their old values, bringing artists they’ve known and loved for years along for the ride. Respecting tradition just enough to know when to break from it, they’re also still listening and searching for the next generation of players who will untangle music’s twisted roots in new ways. The road stretches on. Let’s take a listen to what’s next.