Bruce Bastin, English musicologist and author
Bruce Bastin (born 19 September 1939) is an English folklorist and a leading expert on the blues styles of the southeastern states of America, (East Coast Blues and Piedmont Blues). In 2022, his publication Red River Blues: The Blues Tradition in the Southeast was inducted into the Blues Hall of Fame, as a 'Classic of Blues Literature'.He is responsible for much ground-breaking research (much done initially with folklorist Peter B. Lowry) over the decades.Bastin was born in Chelmsford, Essex, England. A former secondary school geography teacher, he holds a master's degree in Folklore from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and is the author of two books on the Piedmont blues, Crying for the Carolines and Red River Blues: The Blues Tradition in the Southeast, as well as a biography of music publisher Joe Davis, Never Sell a Copyright. He has written articles for many music journals and books over the decades, plus liner note essays on the South Eastern blues style.
Bruce Bastin is also the managing director of Interstate Music, Ltd., West Sussex, England, with its labels:
Country Routes
Flyright
Harlequin
Heritage
Krazy Kat
Magpie
Travelin' ManHe has produced and/or programmed albums for them in many musical genres, generally re-issue in nature.