Holger Petersen Interview

Holger Petersen is an award-winning Canadian broadcaster and record producer. He started his career in music as a drummer in Edmonton, and after graduating from NAIT’s Radio and Television Arts program, founded the independent label Stony Plain Records in 1976. Once a “kitchen-table operation”, Stony Plain is now one of Canada’s longest surviving independent record companies. Petersen credits his longevity to “focusing on blues and roots music, and keeping the roster relatively small”. As a broadcaster, Petersen has hosted CBC radio’s Saturday Night Blues since 1986, and CKUA’s Natch’l Blues since 1969—Canada’s longest running blues program. A self-confessed “music junkie”, Petersen generously gives his time to music industry organizations such as SOCAN, the Canadian Independent Record Production Association, the Alberta Recording Industries Association, and the Edmonton Folk Music Festival.

Career Highlights

In 1987, Stony Plain Records released Ian Tyson’s Cowboyography, which went platinum in Canada and cemented the independent label’s status in Canada’s roots music scene.

As a producer, Petersen has worked with artists like Maria Muldaur, Corb Lund, Jay McShann, Jeff Healey, Ronnie Earl, and Amos Garrett.

Petersen served as a director of the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada (SOCAN) from 1990-2006. He is a member of the Canadian Independent Record Production Association (CIRPA) and a founding member of the Alberta Recording Industries Association (ARIA).

He was one of the founders of the Edmonton Folk Music Festival and served as the Festival’s artistic director for three years.

In his role as a record producer, Petersen has received six Grammy nominations, ten JUNO awards, and numerous awards from the Western Canadian Music Association, Canadian Country Music Association (CCMA), Alberta Recording Industries Association (ARIA), American Foundation for Independent Music, and the Prairie Music Association.

He was voted “Media Person of the Year” at the National Maple Blues Awards, has received honorary doctorates from both the University of Alberta and Athabasca University, and was the first non-American citizen to receive the Public Radio Award from The Blues Foundation in Memphis, Tennessee.

Petersen has received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Calgary Blues Music Association, and an induction into the Canadian Blues Museum Hall of Fame. In 2003 he was appointed to the Order of Canada for his contributions to Canadian arts and culture.

“Holger and his wonderful label are endangered species in a threatening environment. In the milieu of monolithic mergers, he has flourished against damn near insuperable odds, holding on—and holding out—in his Edmonton fortress, a virtual Masada of Canada.” – Jerry Wexler, producer and founder of Atlantic Records.

Source: http://www.ckua.com/hosts/holger-petersen/ and    http://www.stonyplainrecords.com/Web/about_us.asp