John Broven (born 4 November 1942)[1][2] is a British music historian, author, and reissue producer who has written about blues and R&B music in the United States.[3] He was inducted into the Louisiana Hall of Fame in 1995.[4]
He was born in Maidstone, Kent, England and attended Bexhill Grammar School in Sussex, where he became friendly with Mike Leadbitter.[1][5] After leaving school, he worked for the Midland Bank, a career that he maintained for over thirty years.[1] He began writing for Blues Unlimited in 1963, maintaining his input to the magazine as a hobby until about 1978.[1][5] In the 1970s and 1980s, he wrote many liner notes for blues CD reissues.[4] In 1985, he co-founded Juke Blues magazine with Cilla Huggins and Bez Turner.[1] From 1991 until about 2006, he worked for reissue company Ace Records.[4]
Broven made his first trip to Louisiana in 1970,[1] when he met musicians Archibald, Professor Longhair and Huey "Piano" Smith.[5] His first book, Walking to New Orleans (issued in the U.S. as Rhythm & Blues in New Orleans) was published in 1974. It was followed in 1983 by South to Louisiana.[4] An article in The Advocate described his books on Louisiana music history as definitive.[6] His book was featured on New Orleans radio station WWNO.[7]American Songwriter[8] and Pop Matters also gave Record Makers and Breakers, which was published in 2008, favourable reviews.[3]
Broven has also lectured and made radio broadcasts covering the history of R&B music.[4]
Bibliography
Rhythm and Blues in New Orleans, Pelican Publishing 1977 (original version published as Walking to New Orleans in 1974. It was updated in 2015)[9]
South to Louisiana: The Music of the Cajun Bayous, Pelican Publishing, 1983
Record Makers and Breakers, University of Illinois Press, 2009[10]
