Label Guide: Flying Fish

Flying Fish Records was a folk-oriented independent record label, started in 1974 by Bruce Kaplan. Kaplan had a degree in anthropology from the University of Chicago and did graduate work in folklore in India. He was president of the university's folklore society and chairman in 1965 of its annual folk festival. After working briefly as an independent record producer, he started Flying Fish to release music by traditional and contemporary folk artists who might not otherwise be heard.

Over the course of two decades the label released more than 500 albums, next to folk music also blues, bluegrass, jazz, country, new age, reggae, rock and ethnic music. After Kaplan died very unexpectedly in 1992, the label was sold to Rounder Records shortly after.