Our Story

In the end, in one way or another, it all started on the bayou...

Arguably, all popular music is derived from two distinct styles - Jazz and Blues; Jazz being a direct descendent of Classical Music and Blues being born of Negro Spirituals and Gospel. From these broad categories, all other genres were born - and the Bayou had a huge part to play in their development. Both styles grew up along the Mississippi river from Memphis to New Orleans. 

From those catalytic roots came genres like Delta Blues, Western Swing, Country and even Rock n Roll. The popular music explosion of the 60s, featuring such heavyweights as The Beatles, The Beach Boys, Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones is a direct result of the collision between ever expanding sounds derived from Blues and Jazz. Even modern Pop music, which today is a far broader term than Rock ever was, has its roots in a fusion of Tin Pan Alley, Vaudeville Blues and Chicago Jazz. 

Curated, not catalogued. 

Whilst all popular music may have come from the same roots, it's not all made equal. Knowing music's history is one thing. Choosing which parts of it deserve to endure is another entirely. So difficult is this task, most vinyl retailers avoid it altogether. They chase profits with an 'everything to everyone' approach.  

At Bayou Records, we do things a little differently. We believe in curated, not catalogued. For us, this is a lifetime's passion, and we want the titles we offer to reflect that. So, each one is hand picked. Chosen from very specific criteria for it's value as a piece of popular music history.

We have no commercial agreements with suppliers or record labels. We do not refuse to stock things we can't sell a certain amount of. We don't seek to manipulate our customers, only to lead them.

There's no question this philosophy costs us sales, but we don't care. We're not in this to make our millions. We do this, above all else, for the love of the music.

If you made it to this page and read this far, chances are you're picking up what we're putting down. So enjoy your time browsing the site today. Know that time has been spent by real humans to choose each one of these records, to administrate the site and to write the product descriptions. And know that that has all been done for you. And if you choose to order, know that those same humans will carefully pack your order and send it off satisfied that they have done their bit for the noble pursuit of great music.