Herwin Records has two distinct chapters in American music history. The original label operated as a budget mail-order company in St. Louis from the mid-1920s until 1930. Decades later, collector and blues enthusiast Bernie (Bernard) Klatzko revived the name in the 1960s and 1970s as a specialist reissue label dedicated to rare early jazz, blues, and ragtime. Both incarnations contributed to the documentation and preservation of American vernacular music, with the later revival becoming especially important to blues collectors.
Original Herwin Records (1924–1930)
The first Herwin Records was founded in St. Louis, Missouri, around 1924–1925 by Herbert Schiele and his father Edwin Schiele (the name is a portmanteau of their first names: HERbert + EdWIN). The company functioned primarily as a mail-order operation, advertising in farming magazines and selling affordable 78 rpm discs of jazz, blues, old-time country, and popular material. Most masters were leased from Gennett Records and Paramount Records (and later pressed by those companies or the New York Recording Laboratories).
The original catalog included race records and hillbilly sides. Notable artists who appeared on Herwin pressings (often under alternate takes or couplings) included Charley Patton (sometimes under pseudonyms), Vernon Dalhart, Ernest Stoneman, and various blues and gospel performers. In 1930 the label was sold to the Wisconsin Chair Company (parent of Paramount), which discontinued the Herwin name.
The Revival: Bernie Klatzko’s Herwin Records (1960s–1970s)
In the early 1960s, blues and jazz collector Bernie Klatzko revived the Herwin name. He initially issued limited 10-inch 78 rpm–style records of rediscovered artists and Library of Congress material. From 1971 onward he shifted to full-length LPs, organizing the catalog into series: jazz (100 series), blues (200 series), and ragtime (400 series). Klatzko’s Herwin focused on rare and historically important material, often with careful transfers and informative notes. In the late 1970s the label was sold to Shanachie Records.
Ownership Summary
- 1924–1930: Herbert and Edwin Schiele (St. Louis mail-order operation).
- 1960s–late 1970s: Bernie (Bernard) Klatzko (reissue specialist).
- Late 1970s onward: Shanachie Records (acquired the revival catalog).
Notable Artists and Recordings (Emphasis on the Klatzko Era)
The revival Herwin is best remembered for its blues and early jazz reissues. Key examples include:
Blues Artists and Releases
- Bukka White – Sic ’Em Dogs On / Po’ Boy (Herwin 92400, mid-1960s 78-style release) and related LP material. White’s powerful voice and slide guitar were presented in high-quality transfers.
- Son House – The Pony Blues / The Jinx Blues (Herwin 92401) and other sides. These releases helped document House’s intense Delta style during the rediscovery period.
- Skip James – Four O’Clock Blues / How Long Blues (Herwin 92402) and Illinois Blues / Drunken Spree (Herwin 92403). James’s haunting falsetto and unique guitar/piano work received careful presentation.
- Robert Wilkins – The Original Rolling Stone 1928–1935 (Herwin H-215). A strong compilation of Wilkins’s pre-war sides.
- Charley Patton – Material from his later sessions (including sides with Bertha Lee) appeared on Herwin compilations such as Sims and Bertha Lee 1929–1934 (Herwin 213).
- Cannon’s Jug Stompers – The Complete Works (Herwin 208). A comprehensive survey of the classic Memphis jug-band ensemble.
- Thematic blues LPs such as Delta Blues Heavy Hitters 1927–1931 (Herwin 214), Sic ’Em Dogs On Me (Herwin 201), Fillin’ In Blues (Herwin 205), and sacred blues collections (The Rural Blues – Sacred Tradition, Sanctified Singers volumes).
Jazz and Related Releases
Herwin’s 100 series featured important early jazz reissues, including:
- King Oliver’s Creole Jazz Band – The Great 1923 Gennetts (Herwin 106).
- Johnny Dodds – Paramount-era sides.
- Compilations such as Rare Hot Chicago Jazz, Paramount Hot Jazz Rarities, St. Louis Jazz, and The Jazz Wizards volumes.
Ragtime Series
The 400 series preserved piano ragtime from the teens through the 1940s, including collections of classic and lesser-known rags.
Suggested Listening
Buy from Amazon The Original Rolling Stone
Legacy and Impact
The original Herwin of the 1920s was a typical budget mail-order label of its time, helping disseminate blues, jazz, and old-time music to rural customers. The later revival under Bernie Klatzko became a respected specialist imprint that made rare and important pre-war recordings available to a new generation of collectors and scholars. Alongside labels such as Yazoo, Origin Jazz Library, and Mamlish, Herwin contributed significantly to the documentation and appreciation of early American blues and jazz during the 1960s–1970s revival.
Original Klatzko-era Herwin LPs remain sought after by collectors, and the material continues to circulate through later reissues. The label’s dual history—from 1920s commercial budget discs to 1970s archival scholarship—illustrates the evolving ways in which American vernacular music has been preserved and celebrated.
