Bill Callahan is an American singer-songwriter, who has also recorded and performed under the band name Smog. Callahan began working in the lo-fi genre, with home-made tape-albums recorded on four-track tape recorders. Later he began releasing albums with the label Drag City, to which he remains signed today.
Callahan performing in 2007
Lo-fi is a music or production quality in which elements usually regarded as imperfections in the context of a recording or performance are present, sometimes as a deliberate choice. The standards of sound quality (fidelity) and music production have evolved over the decades, meaning that some older examples of lo-fi may not have been originally recognized as such. Lo-fi began to be recognized as a style of popular music in the 1990s, when it became alternately referred to as DIY music. Some subsets of lo-fi music have become popular for their perceived nostalgic and/or relaxing qualities, which originate from the imperfections that define the genre.
A minimal bedroom studio set-up with 1980s–1990s equipment
The Beach Boys (pictured in 1967) recorded albums at Brian Wilson's home studio from 1967 to 1972.
R. Stevie Moore (pictured in 2011) is frequently referred to as the "godfather" of home recording.
Calvin Johnson (pictured c. 2000s), founder of K Records and co-founder of Beat Happening