A Roots Staple Returns: HighTone Records Relaunches Under Craft Recordings

Craft Recordings proudly announces the relaunch of HighTone Records—an influential, genre-spanning label reimagined as a curated home for standout releases across the American roots music landscape. Originally founded in 1983, HighTone built its legacy by championing singular voices in blues, country, rockabilly, gospel, and beyond. Now, under Craft Recordings, HighTone returns with a renewed mission: to bring timeless recordings back into focus and introduce foundational artists to a new generation of listeners.

Founded in Oakland by Larry Sloven and GRAMMY®-winning producer Bruce Bromberg, HighTone launched with The Robert Cray Band’s acclaimed sophomore album, Bad Influence. Over the next 25 years, the label released nearly 300 albums from celebrated artists including Dave Alvin, Joe Ely, Joe Louis Walker, Dick Dale, Rosie Flores, Gary Stewart, Geoff Muldaur, and Jimmie Dale Gilmore. In 2016, Concord acquired the catalog, which is now managed by Craft Recordings.

Reflecting on the label’s beginnings, Sloven recalls:

“In 1983, when we started the label, there were already a handful of established independent labels that specialized in roots/folk-based music. Alligator did blues. Sugar Hill was primarily bluegrass. Flying Fish was all acoustic music. Bruce and I didn’t have strict genre parameters—we just wanted to put out music we liked and hoped we could find an audience for it. As it turned out, of the first eleven albums on HighTone, there was blues, blues/rock, Bakersfield country, country rock, Black gospel, Southern soul, and Texas singer-songwriter. Now it has a name—Americana.”

Pulling from the original HighTone catalog—as well as from acclaimed labels like Rounder, Sugar Hill, and Vanguard—the relaunched imprint will offer thoughtfully curated physical and digital releases, playlists, and original editorial content.

Follow along at @hightonerecords.