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--2005 ARSC AWARDS-- ARSC is pleased to announce the winners of the 2005 ARSC Awards for Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research. Begun in 1991, the awards are presented to authors and publishers of books, articles, liner notes, and monographs, to recognize outstanding published research in the field of recorded sound. In giving these awards, ARSC recognizes outstanding contributions, encourages high standards, and promotes awareness of superior works. A maximum of two awards is presented annually in each category -- one for best history and one for best discography. Certificates of Merit are presented to runners-up of exceptionally high quality. The 2005 Awards for Excellence honor works published in 2004. BEST RESEARCH in RECORDED BLUES Moanin' at Midnight: The Life and Times of Howlin' Wolf, by James Segrest and Mark Hoffman (Pantheon). Certificate of Merit. Robert Johnson: Mythmaking and Contemporary American Culture, by Patricia R. Schroeder (University of Illinois Press). BEST RESEARCH in RECORDED CLASSICAL MUSIC Best Discography. Leroy Anderson: A Bio-Bibliography, by Burgess Speed, Eleanor Anderson, and Steve Metcalf (Praeger). Best History. Performing Music in the Age of Recording, by Robert Philip (Yale University Press). BEST RESEARCH in RECORDED FOLK or COUNTRY MUSIC Country Music Records: A Discography, 1921-1942, by Tony Russell (Oxford University Press). BEST RESEARCH in RECORDED WORLD MUSIC Git Zaman Gel Zaman, by Cemal Unlu (Fonograf Gramofon Tab Plak). Certificate of Merit. Albanian Urban Lyric Song in the 1930s, by Eno Koco (Scarecrow Press). BEST RESEARCH in GENERAL HISTORY of RECORDED SOUND Lost Sounds: Blacks and the Birth of the Recording Industry 1890-1919, by Tim Brooks (University of Illinois Press). Certificate of Merit. Capturing Sound: How Technology Has Changed Music, by Mark Katz (University of California Press). BEST RESEARCH in RECORDED JAZZ Albert Ayler: Holy Ghost, by Ben Young, editor (Revenant Records). Certificates of Merit. Tom Talbert: His Life and Times, by Bruce Talbot (Scarecrow Press). Queen: The Life and Music of Dinah Washington, by Nadine Cohodas (Pantheon). The Complete Columbia Recordings of Woody Herman, 1945-1947, by Loren Schoenberg (Mosaic Records). BEST RESEARCH in RECORD LABELS Discography of OKeh Records, 1918-1934, by Ross Laird and Brian Rust (Praeger). Certificates of Merit. Fonotipia Recordings: A Centennial Survey, by Michael E. Henstock (published by author). Syrena Record: Poland's First Recording Company, 1904-1939, by Tomasz Lerski (Editions Karin). Victor Red Seal Discography: Volume I: Single-Sided Series (1903-1925), by John R. Bolig (Mainspring Press). BEST RESEARCH in RECORDED POPULAR MUSIC That Moaning Saxophone: The Six Brown Brothers and the Dawning of a Musical Craze, by Bruce Vermazen (Oxford University Press). BEST RESEARCH in RECORDED RHYTHM & BLUES, SOUL, or GOSPEL MUSIC People Get Ready: A New History of Black Gospel Music, by Robert Darden (Continuum). Certificate of Merit. House on Fire: The Rise and Fall of Philadelphia Soul, by John A. Jackson (Oxford University Press). BEST RESEARCH in RECORDED ROCK or RAP MUSIC Freddy Fresh Presents the Rap Records, by Freddy Fresh (Nerby Publishing). Certificate of Merit. Nirvana: The Complete Recording Sessions, by Rob Jovanovic (Firefly). LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD ARSC annually presents a Lifetime Achievement Award to an individual, in recognition of a life's work in recorded sound research and publication. The 2005 award was presented to Chris Strachwitz, for his pioneering work in researching traditional musics in the Americas. Strachwitz founded Arhoolie Records in 1960 and, over the decades, amassed a catalog containing hundreds of great sets, most of them produced by Chris himself. In 1995, he established the not-for-profit Arhoolie Foundation to preserve the rarest portions of his collection of commercial recordings. Strachwitz's Frontera Collection of 30,000-plus Mexican and Mexican-American recordings is being cataloged and digitized for eventual on-line display with the help of the UCLA library system and the financial assistance of the Los Tigres Del Norte Foundation. AWARD for DISTINGUISHED SERVICE to HISTORIC RECORDINGS ARSC's Award for Distinguished Service to Historical Recordings honors a person who has made outstanding contributions to the field, outside of published works or discographic research. This year's award was presented posthumously to John R. T. Davies (1927-2004) for his meticulous transfers of classic recordings of jazz and blues. Davies' transfers of King Oliver, Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong, Bix Beiderbecke, The New Orleans Rhythm Kings, Joe Venuti, the great big bands of the 1920s and 1930s, and blues singers were universally applauded for presenting the music in the best possible sound. He worked for Doug Dobell's 77 Records label, formed his own Ristic label, and was the driving force behind Retrieval records. His work also appeared on other small jazz labels including Frog, Hep, JSP, Timeless, Cygnet, and Jazz Oracle. 2005 AWARDS COMMITTEE Winners are chosen by the ARSC Awards Committee: five elected judges representing specific fields of study, the ARSC President, and the Book Review Editor of the ARSC Journal. The members of the 2005 ARSC Awards Committee are: Robert Iannapollo (Awards Committee Chair) Brenda Nelson-Strauss (ARSC President) James Farrington (Book Review Editor, ARSC Journal) Cary Ginell (Judge-at-Large) David Hamilton (Classical Music Judge) Dan Morgenstern (Jazz Music Judge) William L. Schurk (Popular Music Judge) Richard Spottswood (Judge-At-Large) Additional information about ARSC, including lists of past ARSC Award Winners and Finalists, may be found at www.arsc-audio.org .
