High Water's Discography

High Water has a vast discography, with releases beginning in 1980 and continuing even into 2023. Explore the timeline below to see samples from each High Water single and album. 

Above: John Stover's LPBelow: Memphis State Jazz Band's LP(Both courtesy of HW Records)

A Brief Note on other “High Water” Records

Bear in mind that when High Water Records opened in 1980, it was the only entity of its kind at the University of Memphis (or Memphis State University as it was called at the time. As such, two separate publishing companies: Mississippi River Music Publishing and Music River Publishing Company. These two companies were designed to work under ASCAP and BMI, respectively. Note that these companies generally revolve around copyright laws in entirely different fields of music.

Thus, throughout High Water’s tenure as the sole record label at the university, several professors and student groups would often look to have albums released of their work. These albums, while bearing the familiar High Water logo, were not officially part of the record lineup, and often featured call numbers that were spaced away from the main line of albums.

This includes albums from the university’s jazz band, marching band, and some professors, such as John Stover, a classical guitarist. For example, the aforementioned John Stover Album is marked HW-8201, whereas the official High Water releases are all marked in the 1000’s. 

Please note that for the remainder of this exhibit, these specific albums will not be included, as Dr. David Evans, the founder of High Water Records, often had no involvement with these projects and does not consider them to be relevant to the main mission of the company.