Founded in 1950 by brothers
Seymour Solomon and
Maynard Solomon just as the LP format was taking hold (it had been introduced to the market two years previously),
Vanguard Records took full advantage of the longer playing time afforded and began life as a
classical label, moving easily into
jazz, then
gospel,
bluegrass,
blues, and
folk (as
Joan Baez's label, they had a high profile during the 1960s
folk revival), eventually experimenting with
rock groups like
the Frost, although
folk and
classical remained the label's forte.
Vanguard was sold to
the Welk Group in 1985. The new owners set about revitalizing the imprint's back catalog, and also began adding contemporary recordings of
country and
pop artists as the 21st century began. To celebrate the imprint's rapidly approaching 60th anniversary,
Vanguard has released a series of brief artist samplers (
Vanguard Visionaries) from the label's peak 1960s and early-'70s era, including this one from
Mimi & Richard Farina. The husband-and-wife duo recorded two fine albums for
Vanguard, 1965's
Celebrations for a Grey Day and 1966's
Reflections in a Crystal Wind, both full of
Richard's jazzy,
modal dulcimer playing and
Mimi's unsung but solid guitar skills, before
Richard's death in 1966. A third
Vanguard album,
Memories, appeared in 1968. This brief sampler takes tracks from all three LPs and is representative of the duo's work for the label, but listeners should definitely seek out the original issues. ~ Steve Leggett
