Samuel Charters

Category: Patron
Time period: Present day

Date nominated: Aug 20, 2011
Date inducted: Sep 1, 2013
Ratings: 6
Average rating: 4.01

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From the 1950s through present, Sam Charters has studied, collected and written about blues and roots music across America. He has published over 16 books on American music chronicling the roots and progression of pre-war jug band music as well as blues, jazz and other more obscure forms.

In the early 1960s, he appeared briefly with Dave Van Ronk's "Ragtime Jug Stompers" and the "True Endeavor Jug Band" with Danny Kalb, but his major contribution to jug band music was in chronicling roots music history and collecting obscure recordings - both old records and field recordings along with his wife, Ann. Their field recordings, sometimes for Folkways, led to the re-discovery of several artists including Lightnin' Hopkins.

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