Episode 122 with John Broven, Music History Author and Researcher

My guest today is John Broven, a man whose passion for music has carried him across both oceans and eras. Born and raised in England, John came of age with his ear tuned to a distant signal: the raw, unvarnished sound of American rhythm and blues. Not content merely to listen, he became a chronicler, a preservationist, and, one might say, a cultural translator between continents.

Through his pioneering work with Blues Unlimited and his stewardship at Ace Records, John has helped bring to light the stories and songs of musicians who laid the groundwork for whose sounds form the bedrock of everything from rock ‘n’ roll to soul to hip-hop. His books, Walking to New Orleans and South to Louisiana, are not only histories, they are acts of devotion, richly researched and deeply felt.

In our conversation, we explore the formative friendships that shaped his early work, his first encounters with the backstreets and backbeats of New Orleans, and the indelible influence of artists like Professor Longhair and Huey “Piano” Smith. We discuss the challenges of historical fidelity, the role of reissue labels in cultural memory, and what it means to carry a torch for music that refuses to be forgotten.

John Broven is, in a very real sense, a bridge between England and America, scholarship and soul, the past and its enduring legacy.