Earwig Music Company is an American blues and jazz independent record label, founded by Michael Frank in October 1978 in Chicago.[1][2]
From 1975 until 1977 Frank was employed by the Jazz Record Mart, like Bruce Iglauer of Alligator Records and Jim O'Neal of Living Blues magazine.[3][4]
Since its founding, Earwig Music has issued 66 albums, fifty-one produced by Frank,[5] among them the last recordings of Louis Myers,[6] Maxwell Street Jimmy Davis, and Willie Johnson.[4]
Other artists on the label include blues musicians The Jelly Roll Kings (with Frank Frost), Honeyboy Edwards, Johnny Drummer, Big Jack Johnson, Jimmy Dawkins, Louisiana Red, Willie Kent, H-Bomb Ferguson, Sunnyland Slim, Little Brother Montgomery, Jim Brewer, Homesick James, John Primer, Lil' Ed Williams, Lester Davenport, Kansas City Red,[7] Scott Ellison,[8] and Liz Mandeville; jazz musicians Carl Arter and Tiny Irvin; the Gospel Trumpets; and folk storytellers Jackie Torrence, Alice McGill, Laura Simms, and Bobby Norfolk.
The storytellers' Earwig recordings won the American Library Association Parents2 Choice and NAIRD Awards.[9]
Earwig released four albums by the Chicago blues duo, Chris James and Patrick Rynn.[10]
In 1998, Johnny "Yard Dog" Jones won a W. C. Handy Award for Best New Artist for the album, Ain't Gonna Worry.[11]
In 2008, Frank received the Blues Foundation's Keeping the Blues Alive Award (Manager).