From left to right:
John Wesley Work III,
Lewis Wade Jones,
Willis Laurence James.
The Peachite Vol. II, No. 2, Folk Festival Number, March 1944.
The Fort Valley State College Folk Festival collection from the American Folklife Center consists of 104 surviving sound recordings and related written documents (song lists and correspondence with the Archive of American Folk Song about the trips) created by John Wesley Work III, Willis Laurence James, and Lewis Jones on three recording trips to document the folk festival held at Fort Valley State College (now Fort Valley State University), Fort Valley, Georgia, in 1941 and 1943. Some of the instruments featured include guitar, banjo, and harmonica, and choral arrangements.
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From left to right:
The Peachite Vol. II, No. 2, Folk Festival Number, March 1944. |
The first set of recordings, AFS 5147-5167, consists of twenty-one twelve-inch acetate discs, which are copies of originals made in various parts of Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia by John Work with the help at various times of Harold Schmidt and John Ross, using the Model D machine belonging to Fisk University. These include six recordings of Sacred Harp singing made in September 1938 and three recordings of the Holloway High School Quartet made in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, in 1941.
Between March 5 and March 7, 1943, Lewis Jones of Fisk University and Willis Laurence James of Spelman College made eight twelve-inch records, AFS 6986-6993. One of the performers recorded was Buster Brown, from Cordele, Georgia, who would later record a number one rhythm and blues hit, "Fannie Mae," for Fire Records.
In June and July, 1943, James, who was a visiting professor of music on the summer faculty of Fort Valley State College, made fifteen more twelve-inch discs, AFS 7039-7053, which focused primarily on African-American prayers and songs. Highlights include recordings by the New York, Georgia, Singers, the Golden Jubilee Quartet, and Deacon Sam Jackson, along with more wartime secular songs performed by Buster (Bus) Ezell.
These recording projects were supported by the Library of Congress's Archive of American Folk Song, now known as the Archive of Folk Culture. The recordings document what may be the first folk festival organized entirely by and for African Americans. In addition, as Benjamin Albert Botkin noted, the festivals presented "an unusual opportunity to forward our war-time program of recording soldiers' songs and other folkloristic and documentary material growing out of the war."
Please note that these titles were adapted from traditional tunes by the singers to reflect issues of concern during the war and, as primary historical documents, they reflect the attitudes, perspectives, and beliefs of different times. The Library of Congress does not endorse the views expressed in these collections, which may contain materials offensive to some readers.
The Peachite Vol. II, No. 2, Folk Festival Number, March 1944. |
This presentation was produced with the consent of members of the families of John W. Work III and Willis Laurence James. We have been unable to locate members of Lewis Wade Jones' family. We attempted to contact the performers in this collection, but our letters were returned. We welcome any further information about Lewis Jones and the performers featured in this presentation.