Rounder Records 40th Anniversary Celebration

Photo of Rounder Records founders, from left, Marion Leighton-Levy, Ken Irwin, and Bill Nowlin after their label won the 2009 Grammys for album and record of the year. (Jonathan Alcorn, The Boston Globe)

Rounder Records will celebrate 40 years of making music with a concert by its star artists Alison Krauss & Union Station featuring Jerry Douglas, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Bela Fleck, Irma Thomas and others yet to be announced. Minnie Driver will host the October 12 event at The Grand Ole Opry House in Nashville, TN. The show will be filmed by High Five Entertainment for a PBS television special that will begin airing on the network in March 2010. A portion of the ticket proceeds will be donated to NARAS’ Grammy® in the Schools Programs.

Rounder Records was founded in 1970 by Ken Irwin, Marian Leighton Levy and Bill Nowlin. With no record industry experience the then Boston area college students and music lovers started what would become one of the country’s preeminent roots music labels. Their legacy continues with winning Album of the Year for Alison Krauss and Robert Plant’s Raising Sand at the 2009 Grammy® Awards.

Concert tickets are on sale via Ticketmaster and Gaylord/Grand Ole Opry outlets.