Congratulations to Patricia for winning Putumayo’s 5-CD reggae collection and thanks to all of you who shared your favorite Bob Marley song with us!

Dan Storper is the CEO and Founder of Putumayo World Music.

Few people have made the kind of lasting, universal impact that Bob Marley has made with his music. In his short 36 years, Marley managed not only to introduce hundreds of millions to reggae but also spread powerful messages of peace, love, human rights and acceptance. It’s no surprise that almost 30 years after his death, one can travel to any part of the globe and witness his far-reaching musical legacy. (Read on for a chance to win a 5 CD Putumayo Reggae collection.)

Bob Marley would have been 65 in 2010, and in celebration, Putumayo World Music is releasing Tribute to a Reggae Legend, a multi-genre album featuring artists from around the world performing many of his best-loved songs. The collection is the first tribute album Putumayo has produced and its first with five exclusive, original tracks. Read the rest of this entry »

Congratulations to Sarah from Miami for being randomly chosen as the winner of the African CD collection!

Dan Storper is the CEO and Founder of Putumayo World Music.

With the opening of the Soccer World Cup in South Africa on June 10th, the first on African soil, a new milestone will have been achieved in this country’s remarkable journey. Until 20 years ago, South Africa, with its apartheid policies, was a pariah isolated from the rest of the world. Over the past 20 years, with Nelson Mandela’s moral leadership and intense desire for reconciliation, true democracy for all of its citizens and economic revival, South Africa has become Africa’s leading success story. (Read on for a chance to win some Putumayo CDs.)

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Podcast: Download

Dan is the founder and president of Putumayo World Music. Their newest release Rhythm and Blues is available in Whole Foods Market stores today.

As a kid growing up in the 1960′s, rhythm and blues was the music that I loved the most. Groups like the Four Tops and the Supremes were the soundtrack of my high school years. I’ll never forget a magical night at the Apollo Theater with one of my favorite groups, the Spinners. The melodic hooks, harmonies and upbeat vibe helped set the stage for my eventual career in world music, which shares many of the same characteristics.

Rhythm and blues is part of America’s musical DNA and nowhere more so than my adopted home, New Orleans, the birthplace of jazz and rhythm and blues. Putumayo’s newest release Rhythm and Blues captures what I like best about the music and features New Orleans favorites like Snooks Eaglin (who passed away last year), Irma Thomas and the under-appreciated Rocky Charles.

It also includes some rising stars like Sharon Jones (who had the unforgettable opening song, This Land is Your Land, on the George Clooney film Up in the Air) and UK star James Hunter who was discovered by Van Morrison. And, of course, there are some surprises like Panamanian soul singer, Kafir, who sings on this track with the Quantic Soul Orchestra, the brainchild of British musician, Will Holland.

Note: you can simply listen online using the player below, or you can “right click” to download the mp3 file.

Podcast: Download

I hope this sample inspires you to hear more classic rhythm and blues performed by first generation legends and rising stars of today’s retro R&B revival.

Around here, we feel like Putumayo World Music and Whole Foods Market kind of grew up together. In celebration of our 30th birthday this year, we asked Dan Storper, founder and president of Putumayo, to write about how it all came to be. Post a comment by February 7th with your favorite kind of world music or Putumayo CD and you might just win a copy of their upcoming release, Rhythm & Blues.

Putumayo World Music was created as a result of a happy series of coincidences. I must say that serendipity (destiny?) has played a major role in much of my professional life. Back in 1991, on my return from Bali, where I was designing and buying clothing and handicrafts for my wholesale and retail business based in New York, I stopped off in San Francisco for a day. On the way to visit a museum exhibit in Golden Gate Park, I heard an incredible African band called Kotoja performing in front of a few hundred people of all ages and backgrounds who were dancing to their wonderful Nigerian-based Afro-beat music. I was struck by how the music had brought these different types of people together on a beautiful San Francisco day in the park. Read the rest of this entry »