Gary and Gillian Atkinson own the independent roots music label Document Records. Based in the United Kingdom, it is known for specializing in the issue and reissue of early recordings of American blues, gospel, spirituals, jazz, and old-timey music, covering the complete recorded works of artists, presented in chronological order. Originally created in 1985, Document Records reputedly has the largest catalogue of its kind in the world. The Atkinsons continue to dedicate themselves to making this rich musical heritage available. With the enthusiastic help and support of collectors, writers, and historians around the world, their work has ensured the continuing accessibility of thousands of recordings, many of them extremely rare, that would have otherwise been lost or at the very least relegated to record-company vaults. The Atkinsons have donated the entire Document Records catalogue of more than 25,000 recordings to the Samuel and Ann Charters Archives of Blues and Vernacular African-American Musical Culture at the University of Connecticut’s Thomas J. Dodd Research Center. The donated works include previously unreleased music and other audio media produced between the late 1800s and the 1960s. The addition of the Document catalogue helps complete the Charters Archives’ holdings of traditional blues recordings. As the Atkinsons release new productions of early blues recordings, they will add them to the Charters Archives, continuing to help pass the legacy of blues recordings to future generations. The newly designed Document Records online store is also a valuable source of information for researchers and radio programmers, and does much to raise the recognition of the blues to its deserved position of prominence.
