Bob Koester
Encyclopedia
Robert Gregg "Bob" Koester (born October 30, 1932) is the American
founder and owner of Delmark Records
, one of the oldest independent record label
s in the United States
, and one of jazz
's best-known imprints. He also operates the Jazz Record Mart in Chicago
, which is the world's largest blues
/jazz record store.
, during the heyday of big band
jazz. He started collecting and then trading records in his high school years. Wanting to become a movie cameraman, he moved to St. Louis, Missouri
, to study cinematography
and business at Saint Louis University
, where he sold records by mail order from his dorm room. He was a founding member of the St. Louis Jazz Club through which he met Ron Fister, another record collector. Koester and Fister opened a small record store called K & F Sales. On moving to bigger premises they renamed it Blue Note Record Shop. After nearly a year together, Koester and Fister decided to split their business and Koester founded Delmar Records on Delmar Blvd. In 1953, Delmar first recorded a traditional jazz group, and then searched out and recorded blues musicians of the 1920s and 1930s (Speckled Red
, Big Joe Williams
, J.D. Short
, and James Crutchfield
among others) who were living in St. Louis. The name of the label was changed from 'Delmar' to 'Delmark', partly because of copyright issues.
Koester moved to Chicago in 1958. He purchased Seymour's Jazz Mart in the Roosevelt University Building from Seymour Schwartz in 1959. In 1963, he relocated the Jazz Record Mart and Delmark Records to 7 West Grand Avenue. In 1971, he purchased premises at 4243 N. Lincoln Avenue and moved Delmark there.
In 1996, Koester was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame
.
The Jazz Record Mart moved to its current location at 27 East Illinois in 2006.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
founder and owner of Delmark Records
Delmark Records
Delmark Records is an independent American jazz and blues record label, based in Chicago since 1958. The label originated in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1953 when owner Bob Koester released a recording of the Windy City Six, a traditional jazz group, under the "Delmar" imprint.-History:Born in 1932 in...
, one of the oldest independent record label
Independent record label
An independent record label is a record label operating without the funding of or outside the organizations of the major record labels. A great number of bands and musical acts begin on independent labels.-Overview:...
s in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and one of jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
's best-known imprints. He also operates the Jazz Record Mart in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, which is the world's largest blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
/jazz record store.
Biography
Koester was born and grew up in Wichita, KansasWichita, Kansas
Wichita is the largest city in the U.S. state of Kansas.As of the 2010 census, the city population was 382,368. Located in south-central Kansas on the Arkansas River, Wichita is the county seat of Sedgwick County and the principal city of the Wichita metropolitan area...
, during the heyday of big band
Big band
A big band is a type of musical ensemble associated with jazz and the Swing Era typically consisting of rhythm, brass, and woodwind instruments totaling approximately twelve to twenty-five musicians...
jazz. He started collecting and then trading records in his high school years. Wanting to become a movie cameraman, he moved to St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
, to study cinematography
Cinematography
Cinematography is the making of lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for cinema. It is closely related to the art of still photography...
and business at Saint Louis University
Saint Louis University
Saint Louis University is a private, co-educational Jesuit university located in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by the Most Reverend Louis Guillaume Valentin Dubourg SLU is the oldest university west of the Mississippi River. It is one of 28 member institutions of the...
, where he sold records by mail order from his dorm room. He was a founding member of the St. Louis Jazz Club through which he met Ron Fister, another record collector. Koester and Fister opened a small record store called K & F Sales. On moving to bigger premises they renamed it Blue Note Record Shop. After nearly a year together, Koester and Fister decided to split their business and Koester founded Delmar Records on Delmar Blvd. In 1953, Delmar first recorded a traditional jazz group, and then searched out and recorded blues musicians of the 1920s and 1930s (Speckled Red
Speckled Red
Speckled Red was born Rufus Perryman in Monroe, Louisiana. He was an American blues and boogie-woogie piano player and singer, most noted for his recordings of "The Dirty Dozens", with exchanges of insults and vulgar remarks that have long been a part of African American folklore.The family moved...
, Big Joe Williams
Big Joe Williams
Joseph Lee Williams , billed throughout his career as Big Joe Williams, was an American Delta blues guitarist, singer and songwriter, notable for the distinctive sound of his nine-string guitar...
, J.D. Short
J.D. Short
J.D. Short was an American Delta blues singer, guitarist and harmonicist. He was a multi-instrumentalist, and possessed a distinctive vibrato laden, singing voice. Early in his career, Short recorded under a number of pseudonyms, including Jelly Jaw Short...
, and James Crutchfield
James Crutchfield
James Crutchfield was an American St. Louis, Missouri based, barrelhouse blues singer, pianist, and songwriter, whose career spanned seven decades...
among others) who were living in St. Louis. The name of the label was changed from 'Delmar' to 'Delmark', partly because of copyright issues.
Koester moved to Chicago in 1958. He purchased Seymour's Jazz Mart in the Roosevelt University Building from Seymour Schwartz in 1959. In 1963, he relocated the Jazz Record Mart and Delmark Records to 7 West Grand Avenue. In 1971, he purchased premises at 4243 N. Lincoln Avenue and moved Delmark there.
In 1996, Koester was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame
Blues Hall of Fame
The Blues Hall of Fame is a listing of people who have significantly contributed to blues music. Started in 1980 by the Blues Foundation, it honors those who have performed, recorded, or documented blues.-1980:*Big Bill Broonzy*Willie Dixon*John Lee Hooker...
.
The Jazz Record Mart moved to its current location at 27 East Illinois in 2006.
External links
- History of Delmark Records by Sandra Pointer-Jones
- [ Bob Koester] by Steve Huey at Allmusic