Cornerstone Recordings

Welcome to Cornerstone Recordings. We are preservationists, restorationists, and archivists. For 45+ years our team has been deeply immersed in the raw historical archives of America's music and cultural foundations. From Appalachia to the Rockies, from New York City to Los Angeles, Cornerstone Recordings has covered ground in every root genre of the USA. Whether is Louisiana Jazz, Georgia Blues, California Folk, Texas Country; the list goes on.

Cornerstone Recordings is proud to present to the digital landscape the highest quality audio and film recordings of these musical legends of historic significance. So please be sure to watch our videos and playlists, follow Cornerstone Recordings on your favorite social media and web platforms, stream and download our albums online, or subscribe to our monthly newsletter. We thank you for supporting Cornerstone Records.

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Cornerstone Recordings

Wishing Ida Cox a happy heavenly birthday (February 25, 1888 - November 10, 1967).

One of the great architects of classic blues, a commanding vocalist and businesswoman whose artistry helped define the vaudeville blues tradition of the 1920s, she was born in Toccoa, Georgia, and began performing in traveling minstrel and medicine shows before emerging as a major recording artist in 1923.

Ida Cox cut dozens of singles that showcased her rich, forceful voice and sharp interpretive skill, including Wild Women Don't Have the Blues, The Soul of a Woman, Death Letter Blues, and I've Been Treated Wrong.

More than a recording star, Cox led her own touring troupe - Ida Cox and Her Raisin' Cain Company - demonstrating rare independence and leadership for a Black woman in the early twentieth-century entertainment world.

After stepping away from performing in the 1930s, she made a celebrated return in 1961 with the album Blues for Rampart Street, affirming the enduring power of her voice. Inducted posthumously into the Blues Hall of Fame, Ida Cox remains a towering figure of early blues: bold, self-possessed, and foundational to the music's history.

4 days ago | [YT] | 18

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Wishing a happy heavenly birthday to Johnny Winter (February 23, 1944 - July 16, 2014), one of the most electrifying blues guitarists of his generation and a fiercely original player whose slide work, speed and raw tone reignited mainstream interest in the blues during the late 1960.

Born in Beaumont, Texas, Winter was performing professionally as a teenager and rose to national prominence after a breakthrough performance at the 1968 Miami Pop Festival which led to a landmark major-label contract.

Albums such as Johnny Winter (1969) and Second Winter (1969) showcased his blistering interpretations of songs like Be Careful with a Fool and Highway 61 Revisited, while later classics including Rock and Roll, Hoochie Koo cemented his crossover appeal.

In the 1970s he also played a pivotal role in revitalizing the career of Muddy Waters, producing and performing on Grammy-winning albums such as Hard Again (1977), helping return Waters to critical acclaim.

Over a career spanning more than four decades, Winter earned multiple Grammy Awards and was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, remaining a tireless touring musician until his passing in Zurich at age 70.

Johnny Winter's searing guitar tone and uncompromising devotion to the blues continue to influence players around the world.

6 days ago | [YT] | 17

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Remembering Henry Gray, who passed on this day in 2020. A towering figure in American blues, Henry Gray was a masterful pianist and singer whose life and work helped define the heartbeat of Chicago blues piano and the deep roots of swamp blues alike.

Born in Kenner, Louisiana and raised in a rural community near Baton Rouge, Gray began playing piano as a boy and, after serving in World War II, moved to Chicago where his playing became indispensable to a generation of blues greats; from his recordings and performances with Howlin' Wolf (becoming Wolf's primary pianist for more than a decade) to session work backing Muddy Waters, Little Walter, Jimmy Rogers and others, his touch was foundational to the sound that emerged from Chess Records and the city's vibrant blues scene.

Honored with a 2006 National Heritage Fellowship and later induction into the Blues Hall of Fame, Gray also recorded extensively under his own name and continued performing into his nineties, delighting audiences from local clubs in Louisiana to festivals around the world. Though he passed at 95, his tasteful, powerful piano and the countless notes he shared live and on record ensure that his influence will resonate in the blues forever.

R.I.P. Henry Gray (January 19, 1925 - February 17, 2020)

1 week ago | [YT] | 27

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Remembering Nat King Cole who passed away this day in 1965.

Nat King Cole was one of the most elegant and influential voices in 20th century music, a masterful jazz pianist and smooth-voiced vocalist whose artistry bridged jazz, pop, and American songbook tradition.

Born in Montgomery, Alabama and raised in Chicago, he first gained renown as the leader of the King Cole Trio before becoming a solo star with a warm baritone that brought timeless classics such as Mona Lisa, Unforgettable, The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire), Nature Boy, Straighten Up and Fly Right and L-O-V-E to audiences around the world.

Beyond his musical gifts, Cole broke significant barriers, becoming the first African American to host a national television variety show and navigating the racial challenges of his era while earning widespread adoration. Though he died far too young at 45 from lung cancer, his legacy endures in the melodies and performances that continue to resonate across generations.

R.I.P. Nathaniel Adams Coles (March 17, 1919 - February 15, 1965)

2 weeks ago | [YT] | 32

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Wishing a happy birthday to Slim Harpo (born on this day as James Isaac Moore, February 11, 1924 - January 31, 1970) who was an important voice in American blues, with a laid back swamp blues style and harmonica rich grooves that left a lasting imprint on both blues and rock music.

Originally rising from Lobdell and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Slim Harpo cut his first hit I'm a King Bee in 1957 and followed with enduring classics like Rainin' in My Heart and the sultry, chart topping Baby Scratch My Back, songs that blended deep blues feeling with a rhythmic groove that crossed over beyond traditional blues audiences.

Slim Harpo's influence reached far beyond the American South: British Invasion bands such as The Rolling Stones, The Yardbirds, and The Kinks each recorded his songs and helped spread his sound worldwide, while his hypnotic harmonica and vocals continue to inspire musicians decades after his untimely death of a heart attack at age 46.