| Free Dirt Records | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Founded | 2006 (2006) |
| Founder | John Smith, Erica Haskell |
| Distributor(s) | AMPED Distribution (US), MNRK Music Group |
| Genre | Folk, American roots, country |
| Country of origin | U.S. |
| Location | Washington, DC |
| Official website | www |
Free Dirt Records is an American independent record label and label services company founded in 2006 by John Smith and Erica Haskell that releases folk and roots music. The label's releases have received three Grammy nominations.
History
John Smith met Erica Haskell when Haskell interned at Smithsonian Folkways in 2000. Later while Haskell was attending graduate school in ethnomusicology they collaborated on a box set of spoken word introductions paired with original songs by anarchist folk musician and storyteller Utah Phillips before founding Free Dirt Records in 2006. The label's first official release was by the traditional Bosnian group Mostar Sevdah Reunion. Smith and Haskell ventured to create a label where they could work with young artists making traditionally rooted music and showcase often overlooked material like spoken word. Since 2006, the label has released music by Pokey LaFarge, Anna & Elizabeth, Hackensaw Boys, Julian Lage & Chris Eldridge (Grammy-nominated), Cahalen Morrison, Che Apalache (Grammy-nominated), Dori Freeman,
Roster
- Anna & Elizabeth
- Che Apalache
- Dori Freeman
- The Hackensaw Boys
- Hazel Dickens & Alice Gerrard
- Mat Callahan & Yvonne Moore
- Pokey LaFarge
- Jake Blount
- Joe Troop
- JP Harris
- Julian Lage & Chris Eldridge
- Kaia Kater
- Utah Phillips
- Rachel Baiman
- The Two Man Gentlemen Band
See also
References
- "Distribution". Free Dirt Records & Service Co. Retrieved 2018-01-13.
- Laban, Linda. "Free Dirt Records Showcase". The Village Voice. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
- Lynch, Joe. "Grammys 2018: See the Complete List of Nominees". Billboard. Retrieved 2 July 2018.
- "2020 Grammy Awards: Complete Nominees List". Recording Academy. Grammy.com. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
- Enos, Morgan. "2024 Grammy Nominations: See The Full Nominees List". Grammy Awards. The Recording Academy. Retrieved 14 November 2023.
- ^ Leger, Devon. "Growing Up with Utah Phillips: Nevada City, Erica Haskell, and Utah's West Coast Legacy". Kithfolk. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
- McLaughlin, Lacey. "Erica Haskell". Jackson Free Press. Retrieved 25 February 2016.
- Larry, Leblanc (13 September 2018). "John Smith". Celebrity Access. Retrieved 7 May 2021.
- Horn, Nick. "Pokey LaFarge on His Rounder Records Debut, Something in the Water". Riverfront Times. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
- Adams, Mason (15 March 2015). "Listen to Anna & Elizabeth's Spooky New Take on an Old Appalachian Murder Ballad". Vice. Retrieved 29 February 2016.
- Wicks, Amanda (22 January 2016). "The Virginia Songbird Takes Flight: A Conversation With Dori Freeman". The Bluegrass Situation. Retrieved 29 February 2016.