For forty years, Rounder Records has been on a singular mission to record the magnificent range of American roots music styles-- bluegrass, New Orleans R&B, old time fiddling, singer-songwriter, blues, country, rockabilly, roots rock, Cajun and a few that cross enough boundaries to be genres of their own. 

The 87 songs they selected for this 4 CD set show the true breadth of the label's catalog, from the old time folk music of Ola Belle Reed to the Grammy sweeping triumph of Robert Plant and Alison Krauss. 

The discs are arranged by decade, and it is fascinating to hear both the underlying consistencies and the ongoing evolution of the label's vision, while the list of musicians includes many of the defining names in roots music. Includes extensive notes by Washington Post journalist Geoff Himes.