March 3, 1993

Press Contact: John Sullivan (202) 707-9216

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Mickey Hart, Rykodisc, and Library of Congress Launch Endangered Music Project

The American Folklife Center of the Library of Congress, drummer Mickey Hart of the Grateful Dead, and the record company Rykodisc will announce the joint formation of "The Endangered Music Project" at a press conference on Monday, March 15, at 11 a.m. in the Mumford Room, Sixth Floor, James Madison Memorial Building, 101 Independence Ave., SE. An afternoon symposium titled "Music and Cultural Conservation" and an evening reception (by invitation only) will mark the announcement.

Musicians of the Aluku people from the rainforests of French Guiana will attend the events.

The press conference will coincide with the release by Rykodisc of a compact disc produced by Mickey Hart and the American Folklife Center from archival recordings at the Library of Congress titled "The Spirit Cries: Music from the Rainforests of South America & the Caribbean." The disc is the first in the series dedicated to endangered music.

The Endangered Music Project is being launched to highlight traditional music as an endangered cultural resource throughout the world. Proceeds from the project will be used to support the performers and their cultures, as well as the release of additional recordings in the series.

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PR 93-026
3/3/93
ISSN 0731-3527