It’s perhaps natural that when we think of the great record labels, we recall them primarily by an identifiable sound: Think of the slapback-drenched hits of Sun Records, the energetic thump of classic Motown, the slow-groove roil of Hi and Stax, the primal screech of Sub Pop.
That overshadows a more important fact: The great labels represent(ed) not just techniques or styles, but ideas. In the music business, the companies that make their mark often represent notions of how the music business ought to operate.
Edmonton-based Stony Plain may not have made much of a dent on the charts — the label’s biggest-seller is folk icon turned cowboy crooner Ian Tyson; the Guess Who offshoot Crowcuss provided their only chart hit…in Guatemala — and it may lack a trademark sound or style. But for a quarter-century, Stony Plain’s principle value has been its core mission: To be an artist-friendly haven for a diverse coterie of blues, folk and country artists dwelling on the fringe of the mainstream music biz.
And that’s the true legacy celebrated on 25 Years, a two-disc compilation of highlights from across the Stony Plain catalogue. The company was launched at the kitchen table of Holger Petersen, the host of a blues program on Alberta public radio who began recording albums with visiting blues acts such as Walter Horton, Roosevelt Sykes and Johnny Shines. Over the years, as Stony Plain began to take shape, the roster swelled to include Lowell Fulsom, Jimmy Witherspoon and Jay McShann (all represented on 25 Years).
The company’s way of doing business attracted an array of artists from outside the blues field. Emmylou Harris’ live disc Spyboy was distributed in Canada by Stony Plain, as was Steve Earle’s Train A Comin’ (both excerpted here). Asleep At The Wheel’s 1985 album Pasture Prime (represented here by their collaboration with Willie Nelson on “Write Your Own Song”) was reissued by Stony Plain in 1998.
While those notables may lure buyers to check out 25 Years, the collection’s real appeal may be in the lesser-known artists the company has championed. Come to Stony Plain for Earle, Harris or the Holmes Brothers, but stay for Tom Landa & the Paperboys (who light a Celtic-rock fire on “Standing Here”), Jr. Gone Wild (proto-cowpunk on “Poet’s Highway”), the Rockin’ Highliners (slinky big-beat blues on “Sassy Sally”) and Linda McRae (hardscrabble modern folk on “Roll On Down”).