Martin Lang & Rusty Zinn - Mr. Blues, Mr. Blues (2022)

Smooth voiced, California-based Rusty Zinn teams up with gritty Chicagoan Martin Lang for 14 tracks of hard driving electric blues. Backed up by the Bad Man Blues Band.

Random Chance Records DID begin by chance. Randomness may or may not be involved. I was working on a book about the life of blues mandolinist James "Yank" Rachell (Blues Mandolin Man, University Press of Mississippi, 2001) and began thinking about some of his old LPs that were out of print. It was a shame they weren't available. So I got the idea of finding out who owned the rights and putting them out myself. In the process of doing this I inadvertently created a record label...after all I needed a bar code, web site, advertising in blues magazines, etc. Then I started getting sent demos from artists. I just kept taking the next step.

Unfortunately, the licenses I bought for two Yank Rachell albums have long expired, but his work is still available on Bob Koester's great Delmark label. Fortunately, I've kept the label going and have released some really good blues, jazz, latin, world and whatever CDs. The music business environment is nearly impossible, but the hardy indy labels that live more for love than money are still hanging on.