The Post War Blues

The Post War Blues was a United States record label established in 1965 by blues writer and researcher Mike Rowe. Its purpose was to make difficult-to-find postwar blues recordings available to listeners at a time when many of the relevant performances remained scattered across scarce 78 rpm records. Rather than concentrating on contemporary stars or newly recorded acts, the label created thematic compilations devoted to regional scenes and styles, including Chicago, Memphis and the Delta, the eastern and Gulf Coast states, Texas, and Detroit. The label emerged during the 1960s blues revival, when a growing audience—particularly among white blues enthusiasts—was becoming interested in artists whose work had received limited attention from major record companies. The Post War Blues helped meet that demand by bringing together recordings by both relatively recognized performers and highly obscure musicians. Its compilations included material associated with artists such as Big Walter Horton, Joe Hill Louis, Willie Love, Charley Booker, Harmonica Frank, Junior Brooks, Driftin' Slim, Boyd Gilmore, Dan Pickett, Jesse Thomas, Alex Moore, Carolina Slim, Bobo Jenkins, and many others. The label's catalog therefore functioned not only as a commercial reissue program but also as a form of preservation and access for regional blues recordings. The core catalog consisted of five numbered albums issued between 1965 and 1968. The first volume, Chicago, appeared in 1965, followed by Memphis ...On Down and Eastern and Gulf Coast States in 1966, and Texas and Detroit in 1968. The label also issued the 1966 EP Hobos & Drifters. Detailed notes by Paul Oliver, Charles Radcliffe, and Rowe accompanied the releases. The packaging and documentation were important parts of the label's identity: contemporary commentary described the later albums as professionally produced, with laminated sleeves, photographs, and extensive notes. The recordings were also noted for strong sound quality. Blues scholar Keith Briggs later characterized the five albums as sought-after records. He observed that although much of the Chicago volume had subsequently appeared elsewhere, the other regional compilations contained rare selections that were otherwise unavailable on LP at the time. Another contemporary commentator, Phil Turton, described Rowe's label as an important starting point in the development of specialist blues reissue labels and praised its deliberate attention to artists and styles neglected by major companies. Mike Rowe's wider work reinforced the label's scholarly character. He contributed to Blues Unlimited and other blues periodicals, wrote album liner notes, and authored Chicago Blues: The City and the Music, first published in 1973 under the title Chicago Breakdown. The Post War Blues was consequently associated with the overlap between independent record production, blues collecting, historical research, and music journalism. The available reference material documents its principal releases and historical significance but does not establish a current operating status, later ownership, or a contemporary website.

The Post War Blues was founded in 1965 by Mike Rowe as an independent label devoted to postwar blues reissues. Its catalog developed during the 1960s blues revival, a period in which interest in African American blues traditions was expanding among record collectors and new audiences, while many original recordings remained available only on scarce 78 rpm discs. The label addressed this access problem by assembling recordings into LP samplers organized primarily by region and local blues tradition. The first release was Chicago - The Post-war Blues Volume 1, issued in 1965. It was followed in 1966 by Memphis ...On Down - The Post-war Blues Volume 2 and Eastern and Gulf Coast States - The Post-war Blues Volume 3. The series concluded with Texas - The Post-war Blues Volume 4 and Detroit - The Post-war Blues Volume 5, both released in 1968. In addition to the numbered LPs, the label issued the EP Hobos & Drifters in 1966. The compilations drew on recordings by a broad range of performers, from figures such as Big Walter Horton and Joe Hill Louis to lesser-known artists including Levi Seabury, Luther Huff, Manny Nichols, Soldier Boy Houston, Country Jim, Nat Terry, L.C. Green, and Andrew Durham. The label's contribution was not limited to selecting tracks. Paul Oliver, Charles Radcliffe, and Rowe supplied detailed liner notes, while later issues were described as having laminated sleeves, photographs, and extensive contextual information. These design and editorial features gave the records a more serious archival and educational character than a basic reissue package. According to later assessments by blues specialists, the Chicago album included a substantial amount of material that eventually became available elsewhere, but the Memphis, eastern and Gulf Coast, Texas, and Detroit volumes preserved rare selections that were otherwise difficult to find on LP. The sound quality of the records was also regarded favorably. Rowe was active in the broader blues documentation community. He contributed to Blues Unlimited and other magazines, wrote liner notes, and later published Chicago Blues: The City and the Music, originally issued in 1973 as Chicago Breakdown. His activities connected The Post War Blues with the collector and scholarly culture that helped document regional blues histories outside the catalog priorities of major record companies. The label's five-album output remained notable among collectors and blues historians. Keith Briggs later identified the releases as sought-after records and regarded the series as an important example of specialist blues-label activity. Phil Turton similarly emphasized the label's pioneering position and its purposeful focus on artists and styles that larger companies had largely ignored. Available references do not provide reliable information about a formal closing date, subsequent ownership, continuing operations, or digital reissue activity, so its present status remains unconfirmed.

• 1973

  Mike Rowe published a major Chicago blues study

  [1]The Post War Bluesen.wikipedia.org

  Rowe's book Chicago Blues: The City and the Music was first published under the title Chicago Breakdown, extending his blues documentation work beyond the label.

• 1968

  Texas and Detroit volumes completed the series

  [1]The Post War Bluesen.wikipedia.org

  The fourth and fifth numbered volumes, Texas and Detroit, were released, completing the documented core LP series.

• 1966

  Memphis and eastern and Gulf Coast volumes released

  [1]The Post War Bluesen.wikipedia.org

  The second and third LPs, Memphis ...On Down and Eastern and Gulf Coast States, expanded the series beyond Chicago.

• 1966

  Hobos & Drifters EP issued

  [1]The Post War Bluesen.wikipedia.org

  The label released the Hobos & Drifters EP alongside its regional LP program.

• 1965

  Label founded

  [1]The Post War Bluesen.wikipedia.org

  Mike Rowe established The Post War Blues as a specialist label for reissuing obscure postwar blues recordings.

• 1965

  Chicago compilation released

  [1]The Post War Bluesen.wikipedia.org

  The label issued Chicago - The Post-war Blues Volume 1, beginning its geographically organized compilation series.

A specialist archival blues label focused on making rare and overlooked postwar blues recordings accessible through geographically organized compilations, strong sound transfers, and substantial historical documentation.

• Compilation LP · 1965

  Chicago - The Post-war Blues Volume 1

  The first numbered Post War Blues compilation, released in 1965. It presented recordings associated with Chicago blues and introduced the label's regional approach. Later commentary noted that much of its material eventually became available through other channels, although the original issue remained important as the beginning of the series and as a documented specialist reissue.

• Compilation LP · 1966

  Memphis ...On Down - The Post-war Blues Volume 2

  The second volume shifted the series toward Memphis and Delta-related material. It formed part of the label's effort to gather recordings that were difficult for collectors to locate in their original formats. Later assessments identified the non-Chicago volumes as especially valuable for rare selections that had not otherwise been available on LP.

• Compilation LP · 1966

  Eastern and Gulf Coast States - The Post-war Blues Volume 3

  This 1966 compilation covered blues recordings connected with the eastern and Gulf Coast states. Its geographic organization reflected The Post War Blues' archival method: rather than presenting a single commercial artist, it assembled regional performances by a mixture of known and obscure musicians, supported by extensive notes and visual documentation.

• EP · 1966

  Hobos & Drifters

  Hobos & Drifters was an EP issued by The Post War Blues in 1966. The available reference material identifies the release but does not provide a complete track listing or detailed description of its editorial concept.

• Compilation LP · 1968

  Texas - The Post-war Blues Volume 4

  The Texas volume, released in 1968, continued the label's regional survey of postwar blues. It was one of the issues later valued by blues specialists for rare material that was otherwise unavailable on LP at the time. As with the other later volumes, its presentation included detailed notes and professionally produced packaging.

• Compilation LP · 1968

  Detroit - The Post-war Blues Volume 5

  The Detroit volume was the fifth and final numbered LP documented in the label's core series, released in 1968. It focused on Detroit-associated postwar blues recordings and maintained the label's emphasis on archival discovery, contextual liner notes, and high-quality presentation.

• 1965

  Adopted a regional archival compilation strategyStrategy

  Background

  Many postwar blues recordings were difficult to access because they survived mainly on rare 78 rpm records, while major record companies gave limited attention to numerous regional performers.

  Action taken

  The label organized reissues into geographically themed LP samplers covering scenes such as Chicago, Memphis and the Delta, the eastern and Gulf Coast states, Texas, and Detroit.

  Aftermath

  The approach produced five documented LPs and helped expose both known and obscure blues artists to the expanding 1960s revival audience.

  Source

• 1965

  Launched the Post-war Blues compilation seriesProduct launch

  Background

  The label sought to provide access to historically important blues performances that were not readily available in contemporary LP catalogs.

  Action taken

  It released Chicago - The Post-war Blues Volume 1 and subsequently expanded the series with regional volumes.

  Aftermath

  The series became a collector-oriented reference point and was later praised for its documentation, sound quality, and preservation of rare selections.

  Source

1. 1The Post War Bluesen.wikipedia.org