Tompkins Square Records

Tompkins Square Records is an independent record label founded by Josh Rosenthal in New York City in 2005. The label emerged from Rosenthal's long career in the music business, including approximately 15 years working in various roles at Sony Music, and was built around a collector-oriented approach to repertoire. Rather than concentrating on a single contemporary genre, Tompkins Square combines newly recorded work with historically important, rare, or previously unreleased material. Its catalog spans American roots music and related traditions, including gospel, blues, jazz, country, folk, and fingerstyle guitar. The label's first major project was Imaginational Anthem, an anthology devoted to fingerstyle guitarists. The series brought together musicians such as John Fahey, Sandy Bull, Max Ochs, Jack Rose, and Kaki King, positioning Tompkins Square as a curator of both foundational and lesser-known strands of American guitar music. The project subsequently expanded into a multi-volume series. The label also developed a substantial archival program, including a previously unreleased 1967 Tim Buckley concert recording, Live at the Folklore Center, NYC — March 6, 1967. Compilation projects have been central to Tompkins Square's identity. Its gospel releases include Fire in My Bones: Raw & Rare & Other-Worldly African American Gospel (1944–2007) and This May Be My Last Time Singing: Raw African-American Gospel on 45RPM (1957–1982). These collections emphasize historically significant and difficult-to-find recordings, presenting them to listeners through carefully selected and contextualized reissues. The label has similarly worked with established artists and legacy performers, including Charlie Louvin, whose Tompkins Square recordings introduced aspects of his work to a newer audience. Tompkins Square has also commissioned reinterpretations of neglected songwriting catalogs. Remembering Mountains: Unheard Songs of Karen Dalton presented songs written by Dalton and performed by artists including Lucinda Williams, Sharon Van Etten, Tara Jane O'Neil, and Diane Cluck. In addition, the label has issued limited 78 rpm records for Record Store Day, with participants including Luther Dickinson, Tyler Ramsey, and Ralph Stanley, reinforcing its connection to physical media and independent record-store culture. The company moved from New York City to San Francisco in 2011. Rosenthal continues to run the label with assistance from an art director and a publishing company, giving Tompkins Square an unusually hands-on, owner-led structure. The business is best understood as a specialist independent label whose value proposition lies in archival discovery, historically informed compilation, artist curation, and high-quality physical releases rather than mass-market scale. Rosenthal's 2015 memoir, The Record Store of the Mind, further documented the collecting and record-company perspective that informs the label's public identity.

Tompkins Square Records was established in New York City in 2005 by Josh Rosenthal. Before founding the label, Rosenthal had spent roughly 15 years in a variety of positions at Sony Music. His background in the commercial music industry was paired with a strong interest in record collecting, historical recordings, and specialized American musical traditions. Tompkins Square was therefore conceived not simply as a vehicle for current releases, but as a small, curator-driven label capable of bringing rare, overlooked, and archival music to a broader audience. The label's opening statement was Imaginational Anthem, an anthology centered on fingerstyle guitar. Its repertoire brought together figures associated with American primitive guitar and adjacent traditions, including John Fahey, Sandy Bull, Max Ochs, Jack Rose, and Kaki King. The project helped define Tompkins Square's editorial character: historically aware, eclectic, and willing to place established archival artists alongside more recent musicians. The anthology later grew into a seven-volume series. Archival recordings became another important part of the catalog. Tompkins Square issued Live at the Folklore Center, NYC — March 6, 1967, a previously unreleased concert recording by Tim Buckley. Releases of this kind demonstrated the label's interest in documenting performances and repertoire that had not received a conventional commercial release, while also extending the historical record of influential American musicians. Gospel music has been particularly prominent in the label's reissue and compilation work. Fire in My Bones: Raw & Rare & Other-Worldly African American Gospel (1944–2007), released in 2009, surveyed decades of raw and unusual gospel recordings. This May Be My Last Time Singing: Raw African-American Gospel on 45RPM (1957–1982) narrowed the focus to a specific period and format. These compilations reflected Tompkins Square's preference for deep catalog research and for presenting music outside the most familiar canonical selections. The label has also worked directly with artists from earlier generations. Rosenthal brought Charlie Louvin to record a series of albums for Tompkins Square, helping introduce Louvin's music to listeners who may not have encountered his work through the traditional country market. The company later organized Remembering Mountains: Unheard Songs of Karen Dalton, in which contemporary performers including Lucinda Williams, Sharon Van Etten, Tara Jane O'Neil, and Diane Cluck recorded songs written by Dalton. This project connected a historically underrecognized songwriter with a newer independent-music audience through reinterpretation rather than a conventional archival reissue. Tompkins Square's physical-media activity has included several 78 rpm releases made for Record Store Day. Artists associated with these releases include Luther Dickinson, Tyler Ramsey, and Ralph Stanley. The format and event tie the label to independent record stores, collectors, and the continuing cultural value of limited physical editions. In 2011, Tompkins Square moved from New York City to San Francisco. The label has remained a small, owner-led operation: Rosenthal runs it himself with assistance from an art director and a publishing company. This structure supports a selective catalog built around curation rather than a large roster or high-volume release schedule. In 2015, Rosenthal published The Record Store of the Mind, a memoir that offered additional insight into the collecting culture and independent-label experience behind Tompkins Square. The label's documented identity remains that of an independent imprint devoted to new and archival gospel, blues, jazz, country, folk, and related American musical traditions.

• 2015

  The Record Store of the Mind is published

  [1]Tompkins Square Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Josh Rosenthal published a memoir about record collecting and running a record company.

• 2011

  The label moves to San Francisco

  [1]Tompkins Square Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Tompkins Square relocated its base from New York City to San Francisco.

• 2009

  Fire in My Bones is released

  [1]Tompkins Square Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Tompkins Square issued a broad compilation of raw, rare, and unconventional African American gospel recordings spanning 1944 to 2007.

• 2005

  Tompkins Square Records is founded

  [1]Tompkins Square Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  Josh Rosenthal founded the independent label in New York City after a long career in several Sony Music roles.

• 2005

  Imaginational Anthem begins the label's catalog

  [1]Tompkins Square Recordsen.wikipedia.org

  The first album was an anthology of fingerstyle guitar featuring historical and contemporary performers; the series later expanded to seven volumes.

A collector-led independent label specializing in archival discovery, American roots music, overlooked songwriters, historically important recordings, and carefully curated physical releases.

• Fingerstyle guitar anthology series · 2005

  Imaginational Anthem

  Tompkins Square's first album and a defining catalog project, Imaginational Anthem surveys fingerstyle and American primitive guitar through a mixture of influential historical musicians and later practitioners. Participants identified with the series include Jack Rose, Sandy Bull, John Fahey, Max Ochs, and Kaki King. The project eventually expanded to seven volumes and established the label's interest in connecting archival traditions with contemporary listeners.

• Gospel compilation · 2009

  Fire in My Bones

  Fire in My Bones: Raw & Rare & Other-Worldly African American Gospel (1944–2007) is a wide-ranging compilation devoted to unusual, raw, and historically significant gospel recordings. Its long chronological span reflects Tompkins Square's archival approach and its interest in material beyond the best-known gospel canon.

• Gospel compilation

  This May Be My Last Time Singing

  This May Be My Last Time Singing: Raw African-American Gospel on 45RPM (1957–1982) focuses on gospel recordings originally associated with the 45 rpm format. The compilation presents a concentrated historical selection and illustrates the label's emphasis on independent, rare, and collector-valued recordings.

• Archival concert recording

  Live at the Folklore Center, NYC — March 6, 1967

  This release documents a previously unreleased Tim Buckley concert recorded at New York City's Folklore Center on March 6, 1967. It exemplifies Tompkins Square's role in bringing historically valuable live recordings into its catalog.

• Tribute and reinterpretation album

  Remembering Mountains: Unheard Songs of Karen Dalton

  Remembering Mountains presents songs written by Karen Dalton and performed by a group of later artists, including Lucinda Williams, Sharon Van Etten, Tara Jane O'Neil, and Diane Cluck. The project uses contemporary interpretations to draw attention to Dalton's songwriting and legacy.

• Limited physical-format singles

  Record Store Day 78 rpm releases

  Tompkins Square has issued several limited 78 rpm discs for Record Store Day. Associated artists include Luther Dickinson, Tyler Ramsey, and Ralph Stanley. These releases reinforce the label's connection to collectors, independent record shops, and historically resonant physical formats.

• 2011

  Relocation to San FranciscoStrategy

  Background

  After operating in New York City since its founding, Tompkins Square changed its base of operations while continuing its independent, archive-focused label model.

  Action taken

  The label moved to San Francisco.

  Aftermath

  The move did not alter the label's documented emphasis on American roots music, archival recordings, and collector-oriented physical releases.

  Source

1. 1Tompkins Square Recordsen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Tompkins Square Records official websitetompkinssquare.com