Nonesuch Records will make a series of special releases available on Saturday, April 21, in honor of the fifth annual Record Store Day, a celebration of the unique culture surrounding over 700 independently owned record stores in the USA and hundreds of similar stores internationally. Among the artists releasing albums and singles that day are The Black Keys, Dr. John, Billy Bragg & Wilco, Sara Watkins, and Carolina Chocolate Drops.

The Black Keys' critically acclaimed 2011 album El Camino will be released in a stunning and highly collectible deluxe vinyl issue, cut for vinyl from the master tapes at Bernie Grundman Mastering and pressed at Pallas for sonic perfection. This Record Store Day exclusive package also contains a bonus CD, a limited-edition poster, and a 45 RPM 7" single featuring two previously unreleased live tracks: "Sister" and "Money Maker."

The most enduring achievements of Rock and Roll Hall of Fame-inducted boogie and blues pianist Dr. John have fused New Orleans R&B, rock, and the Mardi Gras party spirit to come up with his own brand of "voodoo" music. His new album, Locked Down, due out April 3 on CD, is a bold statement produced by The Black Keys' Dan Auerbach and will be Dr. John's first for Nonesuch Records. The vinyl edition of the album will be released on Record Store Day, April 21. Both versions of the album are now available to pre-order in the Nonesuch Store with an exclusive print of Dr. John and Dan Auerbach.

On Record Store Day, Nonesuch releases Mermaid Avenue: The Complete Sessions, featuring lyrics by Woody Guthrie set to music by Billy Bragg and Wilco. The 3CD/DVD set includes the original Mermaid Avenue; Mermaid Avenue Vol. II (re-mastered); Mermaid Avenue Vol. III, comprising 17 previously unreleased recordings made during the Mermaid Avenue sessions; director Kim Hopkins' 1999 film Man in the Sand, which documents those sessions; and a 48-page booklet with new liner notes by Nora Guthrie, full lyrics, archival photographs, and facsimiles of lyric sheets and sketches by Woody Guthrie. The set is available to pre-order in the Nonesuch Store now with an exclusive print of Guthrie’s lyric sheet for the song “Hoodoo Voodoo.”

Two Nonesuch artists—Sara Watkins and Carolina Chocolate Drops—join this year's "Side by Side" series, a continuation of the well-received Warner Bros. Records series introduced last year. All are exclusive for Record Store Day on uniquely colored and extremely limited-edition 7" vinyl singles, featuring Warner artists covering other historic and personally influential iconic artists.

On her "Side by Side" disc, Sara Watkins covers The Everly Brothers classic "You're The One I Love," featuring co-vocals from a very special guest, Fiona Apple, with the original on the flip side. It will be pressed on 7" olive green vinyl with blue/black splatter. The single comes from Sara's new full-length album, available later this spring.

Carolina Chocolate Drops offer their own string-band take on the Run-DMC classic "You Be Illin'" on a 7" Coke-bottle green vinyl single paired with the original. The Drops' version was recorded at the same sessions as their new album, Leaving Eden, which was produced by Nashville legend Buddy Miller and released on CD just last week on Nonesuch. The vinyl edition of the album will be available on March 20 and may be pre-ordered now in the Nonesuch Store.

For more on Record Store Day, and to find a participating local retailer near you, head to recordstoreday.com.