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American Folk Music and Folklore Recordings: A Selected List 1992
Tenth Anniversary Edition
Jennifer Cutting
Project Coordinator
American Folklife Center
Library of Congress Washington 1993
SELECTION PANEL FOR 1992
- Horace Clarence Boyer University of Massachusetts, Amherst
- David Evans Memphis State University
- Charlotte Heth University of California, Los Angeles
- Philip Schuyler University of Maryland, Baltimore County
- Dick Spottswood WAMU FM Radio, Washington, D.C.
This publication was funded partially by a grant from the National Academy
of Recording Arts and Sciences, Inc.
Available free of charge from the American Folklife Center, Library of
Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540-8100
ISSN 0748-5905
INTRODUCTION
Since 1928 the Library of Congress has been collecting sound recordings,
manuscripts, motion pictures, and photographs that document America's folk
artists; and for the last fifty years the Library has published a series
of phonograph records and audiocassettes that provide highlights from the
collections in the Archive of Folk Culture. In keeping with this effort,
since 1983 the Library's American Folklife Center has published American
Folk Music and Folklore Recordings: A Selected List to help promote the
best recordings of American folk music and folklore issued by various companies
and organizations the previous year. This edition for 1992 is the tenth
in the series.
Small companies and organizations produce the greatest number of contemporary
traditional music recordings. Many recordings result from field research
projects that have received support from state arts councils, state humanities
committees, and the Folk Arts Program of the National Endowment for the
Arts. Although these folk music and folklore recordings elude mainstream
distribution networks and seldom appear in record shops and catalogs, they
present some of the finest examples of American folk artistry and help
to encourage performers in local communities. The recordings are also valuable
resources for students, teachers, and libraries. We hope that the publication
of this annotated list will foster an increased awareness of such recordings
and of the forms of expression they present.
Each year a panel of specialists in American traditional music meets
to select a group of outstanding recordings from the approximately three
hundred compact discs, audiocassettes, and phonograph records submitted
by producers and manufacturers or suggested by various interested parties.
The resulting list is not comprehensive but is intended to make known to
libraries, educators, and others important recent sound recordings. To
be eligible for consideration for this edition of the list, a recording
must:
1. have been released in 1992 (or 1991 if not previously submitted);
2. feature cultural traditions found within the United States;
3. emphasize "root traditions" over popular adaptations of traditional
materials;
4. be conveniently available to purchasers in the United States;
5. include well-annotated liner notes or accompanying booklets relating
the recordings to the performers, their communities, genres, styles, or
other pertinent information.
The American Folklife Center hopes that this list will encourage the
continuing production of documentary folk recordings, which in turn will
help conserve our country's rich folk heritage. We also hope that the list
will stimulate record companies to include sufficient documentation with
each recording to make it an efficient tool for education.
The recordings in the following annotated listing are produced by the
companies and organizations listed at the end of the booklet. None of the
recordings listed is manufactured or distributed by the Library of Congress.
The booklet also lists other publications that review folk music and folklore
recordings, and major mail-order dealers of folk recordings. We have included
Library of Congress control numbers for the convenience of librarians;
they need not be used when ordering these recordings from the particular
company.
To receive additional copies of this booklet, please write to: Selected
List, American Folklife Center, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540-8100.
Florencio Baro and Eri Okan: Afro-Cuban Percussion. Global Village C 2004.
Cassette.
Afro-Cuban drumming and vocals by master drummer Florencio Baro, who was
instructed by older members of his family in Cuba in the art of bembe,
the drum and song performances associated with traditional santería religious
festivals. Side 1 contains songs devoted to particular orishas (African
deities who became identified with Catholic saints). Side 2 explores both
roots and contemporary forms of Afro-Cuban music. Members of the Miami,
Florida-based band Eri Okan include Armando Santoyo on bass and agogo (a
struck hoe blade), and Raúl Pérez and Felix Rodriguez on guiros (calabash
rattles). Notes in English and Spanish by Barbara Lau and Mercedes Sandoval.
LCCN 93-718016. Contemporary / Afro-Cuban
Better Boot That Thing: Great Women Blues Singers of the 1920's. RCA Heritage
Series/Bluebird 07863/660652. Cassette/CD.
Five selections each from four pioneering blueswomen of the 1920s. Memphis-born
Alberta Hunter and Houston's Victoria Spivey came to blues from vaudeville
and variety; lesser known Texas singers Bessie Tucker and Ida May Mack
emerged from southern blues traditions. Two of Hunter's 1927 tracks feature
Thomas "Fats" Waller on the Victor pipe organ. Notes by Billy Altman. LCCN
93-717456. Historical / African-American / Blues
The Birmingham Sunlights: For Old Time's Sake. Flying Fish FF 70588. Cassette/CD.
Young five-member Alabama group inspired by Sam Cooke and the Soul Stirrers
brings contemporary influences to a style deeply rooted in the a cappella
gospel quartet tradition of their native Jefferson County. Traditional
gospel quartet repertoire (including pieces by Rev. Charles A. Tindley
and Thomas A. Dorsey) is augmented by an original from the group's music
director/lead tenor James Alex Taylor. Other members of the group are Taylor's
two brothers Steve (baritone) and Barry (bass) and lead singers Reginald "Ricky" Speights
(baritone) and Wayne Williams (tenor). Notes by Julia Olin. LCCN 93-717669.
African- American / Gospel
Canned Heat Blues: Masters of the Delta Blues. RCA Heritage Series/Bluebird
07863/610472. Cassette/CD.
Contains the complete commercially issued recordings made for Victor by
bluesmen Furry Lewis, Tommy Johnson, and Ishman Bracey, recorded in Memphis,
Tennessee, in 1928. Includes Johnson's "Big Road Blues" and title track "Canned
Heat Blues," as well as Lewis's "Kassie (i.e., Casey) Jones" and "I Will
Turn Your Money Green." Notes by Billy Altman. LCCN 92-759590. Historical
/ African-American / Blues: Delta
Clyde Case, Jim Knicely, William May, and Bonnie McKinney: Folksongs & Ballads,
Volume 4. Augusta Heritage Recordings AHR 010. Cassette.
Field recording anthology of fifteen songs from four West Virginia traditional
singers born between 1903 and 1936. Contents include ballads and songs
of British origin, songs about local incidents and personalities, humorous
songs from the minstrel tradition, songs from West Virginia logging camps,
and a song from the Baptist repertoire. Most selections have introductions
and reminiscences by the singers. Most are unaccompanied, although William
May accompanies himself on the fiddle on five of his six songs. Insert
notes by Gerry Milnes. LCCN 93-718004. Contemporary / Appalachian
Michael Coleman: 1891-1945. Viva Voce 004. Two-cassette/two-CD box set.
The 78-rpm records made by Michael Coleman between 1921 and 1936 set the
standard for Irish traditional fiddle style and repertoire in both his
native Ireland and the United States. This set contains forty-eight of
Coleman's eighty commercial sides (forty on cassette version), most recorded
during his peak years of 1921 to 1927 for a variety of labels. Most of
the tunes and tune sets including jigs, reels, polkas, hornpipes, and other
dance tunes have piano accompaniment. Ninety-six-page book by Harry Bradshaw
chronicles Coleman's life and music with oral histories collected from
Coleman's family, friends, fellow musicians, and others; also contains
numerous photos, illustrations, and discography. LCCN 93-717960. Historical
/ Irish-American / Fiddling
Clyde Davenport: Puncheon Camps. Appalachian Center AC 002. Cassette.
Master old-time fiddler and banjo player Clyde Davenport plays twenty-nine
Kentucky fiddle and banjo tunes, recently recorded in his home in Monticello,
Kentucky. Among the repertoire on this recording are some rare versions
of tunes Davenport learned from his father; minstrel tunes, regional tunes,
and versions of more widespread pieces, also learned from his father and
other local musicians; two original banjo tunes, and one he learned from
radio. Notes by Jeff Titon give information on each selection and list
Davenport's numerous fiddle and banjo tunings. LCCN 93- 717982. Contemporary
/ Old-time / Kentucky
Dear Old Erin's Isle: Irish Traditional Music from America. Nimbus NI
5350. CD.
Twelve leading Irish-American musicians who traveled to Ireland to perform
at the 1992 Cork University Traditional Music Festival, recorded live at
the festival and in studio settings. The musicians span three generations,
from older players born in Ireland to young American-born players who introduce
their own innovations within the tradition. Mostly traditional tunes, with
some originals from performers Liz Carroll (fiddle) and Jimmy Keane (piano
accordion). Notes by Mícheál O'Súilleabháin and Mick Moloney. LCCN 93-717946.
Contemporary / Irish-American / Instrumental
Fairfield Four: Standing in the Safety Zone. Warner Brothers 9269452,
in cooperation with the Country Music Foundation. Cassette/CD.
Now actively performing and recording again since their 1980 reunion,
this five-member a cappella gospel quartet was prominent in the 1940s on
a daily live radio broadcast from Nashville. Members are musical director
Isaac Freeman (bass), James Hill (baritone), W.L. Richardson (lead), Walter
Settles (utility lead), and Wilson Waters (tenor). Members of the Nashville
Bluegrass Band sing on "Roll Jordan Roll." Notes by Lee Olsen. LCCN 92-765596.
Contemporary / African-American / Gospel
The Four Eagles Gospel Singers: Traditional Gospel Quartet Singing From
Alabama. Global Village C 227. Cassette.
First release in almost ten years from this eight-member group from Jefferson
County, Alabama. Now in its fifty-fifth year, the Four Eagles is one of
the oldest gospel singing organizations still active. Current members continue
the tradition of the weekly live radio show that the group has broadcast
each Sunday morning since 1941. The recording features six different lead
singers on eleven selections from the group's current repertoire. Notes
by Doug Seroff. LCCN 93-717687. Contemporary / African- American / Gospel
Aziz Herawi: Master of Afghani Lutes. Arhoolie CD 387. CD.
Aziz Herawi, originally from western Afghanistan, is based in California
but performs for Afghan refugee communities around the world. Herawi plays
both the fourteen-stringed dutar (long-necked lute) and the Afghan rebab
(short-necked lute). Selections are a mixture of live and studio recordings
of original instrumental compositions by Herawi and others, and instrumental
interpretations of traditional songs. Sons Omar and Azim provide some accompaniment
on the zirbaghali (goblet drum) and daira zangi (frame drum with jingling
rings); Ghulam Abbas Khan plays the tabla (drums), and Anayat Habibi the
daira zangi. Notes by David Roche. LCCN 93-717968. Contemporary / Afghan-American
Iron Mountain String Band: Music From the Mountain. Heritage HRC- C 101.
Cassette.
Thirteen traditional tunes from four-member southwestern Virginia community
dance band known for their fast but smooth Grayson County style, powered
by hard-driving clawhammer banjo. The last three tunes on side B are longer
than the others, at the request of the band's many local clog teams, who
use them for dancing. Group members are Nancy Bethel on bass, Gene Hall
on guitar, Enoch Rutherford on banjo, and W.S. Mayo on fiddle. Dale Morris
guests on vocals. LCCN 93-718017. Contemporary / Old-time String Band
Johnnie & Jack and the Tennessee Mountain Boys. Bear Family BCD 15553
FI. CD.
Six-CD box set contains the complete recorded work of Tennessee country
duo Johnnie Wright and Jack Anglin, recorded between 1947 and 1962 for
Apollo, King, RCA, and Decca. Most of the recordings have been unavailable
since their initial release on 78- and 45- rpm records, and over twenty
are previously unissued songs. Sixty-eight-page book contains history of
Johnnie and Jack by Eddie Stubbs and Walt Trott, song and recording session
notes (with detailed reminiscences by Johnnie Wright) and key musician
biographies by Eddie Stubbs, photos and other illustrations, and discography
by Eddie Stubbs and Richard Weize. LCCN 93-717315. Historical / Country
Jubilation! Great Gospel Performances, Volumes I, II, and III. Rhino R2
70288/70289/70290. Cassette/CD.
A comprehensive three-volume collection spanning the years 1929 to 1980,
and featuring many of gospel music's most significant artists and recordings.
Volumes I and II are anthologies of black gospel, including the Swan Silvertones,
Dixie Hummingbirds, Mahalia Jackson, and Aretha Franklin. Volume III is
a collection of country gospel, including selections by the Carter Family,
Louvin Brothers, Hank Williams, Kitty Wells, Ricky Skaggs and Tony Rice,
and others. Each volume has a different booklet with essays that include
biographical information on the artists by Ray Funk and Stephen K. Peeples.
LCCN 93-717244. Historical and Contemporary / Gospel
Vic Kibler: Adirondack Fiddler. Sampler Records 8914, in cooperation with
the Folk Arts Program of the New York State Council on the Arts and the
Saratoga County Historical Society. Cassette/booklet set.
Old-time fiddler Vic Kibler was born in 1918 and has spent his life in
the Adirondack mountains of New York State. The thirty- one jigs, reels,
hornpipes, breakdowns, and two-steps on this recording include tunes he
learned from older family members and more recent pieces from the current
Canadian and New England fiddle repertoire. Companion booklet contains
essay by James W. Kimball, list of tune sources, and transcriptions of
the tunes. LCCN 93-718019 (cassette) / 93-718021 (booklet). Contemporary
/ Old-time / Fiddling
Chet Kowalkowski & John Jaworski with the Mountaineer Orchestra: Original
Old Country Songs. Bel-Aire BAC 4072. Cassette/booklet set.
Two vocalists from the contemporary Chicago polka community, singing a
collection of songs Kowalkowsi learned as a child from his father, who
performed with Polish Highlander groups at local social gatherings. Selections
include polkas, waltzes, and obereks played in a style derived from southern
Polish village music. Members of the Mountaineer Orchestra are Frank Berendt,
Jr., on concertina, Bogdan Pawlikowski on lead violin, Walter Krystofiak
on second violin, and Jim Kucharski on bass. LCCN 93- 718018. Contemporary
/ Polish-American / Polka
Iry LeJeune: The Definitive Collection. Ace CDCHD 428. CD.
Historic recordings of style-setting Louisiana singer and diatonic button
accordion player Iry LeJeune, who, in the late 1940s until his death in
1955, established the accordion as an essential Cajun dance hall instrument.
All but one selection were recorded by Eddie Shuler for Goldband and other
labels on acetate disks in radio stations, and on an early reel-to-reel
tape recorder in LeJeune's home. Compilation includes twenty-five waltzes
and two-steps performed with three different groupings of musicians; many
selections appear for the first time without the bass guitar overdubs heard
on earlier reissues. Notes by Ann Allen Savoy. LCCN 93-71778. Historical
/ Cajun
The Louvin Brothers: Close Harmony. Bear Family BCD 15561 HI. CD.
Eight-CD box set contains the complete recorded work of Alabama country
brother duo The Louvin Brothers (aka Ira and Charlie Loudermilk), recorded
between 1947 and 1963 for Apollo, Decca, MGM, and Capitol. Ira (tenor vocal
and mandolin) and Charlie (lead vocal and guitar) are joined on various
albums by lead guitarists Chet Atkins, Jimmy Capps, and Paul Yandell, with
a variety of other session musicians. The compilation, approximately half
gospel and half secular, includes the Louvin's tribute albums to Roy Acuff
and the Delmore Brothers, as well as the rare Apollo 78 "Alabama." Fifty-two-page
booklet has notes by Charles Wolfe, photos, and a complete discography
by Eddie Stubbs, Richard Weize, Charles Wolfe, and Gary Reid. LCCN 93-
717327. Historical / Country
The Lynn Morris Band: The Bramble and the Rose. Rounder CD 0288. Cassette/CD.
Second album from four-member bluegrass band based in Winchester, Virginia.
Bandleader Lynn Morris shares lead vocals with husband and bass player
Marshall Wilborn. Morris plays clawhammer banjo on one selection, rhythm
guitar on the others. Other band members are mandolinist David McLaughlin
and banjoist Tom Adams. The selections include original songs from Wilborn,
Morris, and Adams, as well as bluegrass stylings of songs usually associated
with country (Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash) and acoustic folk (Barbara
Keith). Stuart Duncan guests on fiddle. LCCN 93-717331. Contemporary /
Bluegrass
Wade & Julia Mainer: In the Land of Melody. June Appal JA 0065D. Cassette/CD.
First CD-format recording from North Carolina country music pioneer Wade
Mainer, whose old-time singing style and banjo picking on recordings in
the 1930s helped to launch the genre. His wife and singing partner Julia
Mainer plays guitar and sings both lead and harmony vocals; guest Mel Hammon
plays fiddle and sings harmony vocals. The nineteen selections, some recorded
in the studio and some live, are a cross-section of the Mainers's old and
new repertoire, including both traditional and original songs. Notes by
Charles Wolfe. LCCN 93-717963. Contemporary / Old-time Country
Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys: The Essential Bill Monroe and His
Blue Grass Boys (1945-1949). Columbia/Legacy Country Classics C2K 52478.
CD.
Two-CD box set presents, in chronological order, the seminal Columbia
recordings made between 1945 and 1949 by Bill Monroe, the "Father of Bluegrass
Music," with various lineups of his band the Blue Grass Boys. Among the
forty recordings are sixteen previously unissued takes (including nine
with the "classic" Blue Grass Boys lineup that included banjo player Earl
Scruggs, singer/songwriter/guitarist Lester Flatt, fiddler Robert R. "Chubby" Wise,
and bassist Cedric Rainwater (aka Howard Watts). Thirty-six-page booklet
by Mark A. Humphrey contains history, song notes, bibliography, and discography.
LCCN 93-715378. Historical / Bluegrass
Music of New Mexico: Hispanic Traditions. Smithsonian/Folkways SF 40409.
Cassette/CD.
Sampler of Hispanic New Mexico's diverse musical traditions, mostly concentrated
in the northern part of the state. All of the recordings were made in New
Mexico; many at the homes of the musicians, others in local churches, schools
and theatres. Vocal music includes hymns; narrative, ritual, and lyric
songs; and songs of seasonal folk plays. Instrumental music includes social
dance tunes and tunes associated with the ritual dance complex of the Matachines.
Booklet contains historical overview and notes on the selections by James
K. Leger; essay on the use of language in New Mexican music and transcriptions/translations
of Spanish song texts by Enrique R. Lamadrid; bibliography and discography.
LCCN 93-718006. Contemporary / Hispanic-American / New Mexico
Navajo Songs Recorded by Laura Boulton in 1933 and 1940. Smithsonian/Folkways
SF 40403. Cassette/CD.
Never-before-released recordings of Navajo music collected by Laura Boulton
on a 78-rpm disc recorder. Includes Boulton's first recordings of Navajo
music, made in 1933 at the Chicago Century of Progress Exposition; later
recordings, from 1940, were made in New Mexico and Arizona. Contents include
songs associated with work and recreation (such as Corn Grinding and Moccasin
Game songs), joking songs, and songs associated with the Nightway and Enemyway
ceremonials. Extensive notes by Charlotte J. Frisbie and David P. McAllester
contain sample musical and vocabalic transcriptions; translations of texted
portions of songs; bibliography and discography. LCCN 93-717999. Historic
/ Native American: Navajo
Molly O'Day & the Cumberland Mountain Folks. Bear Family BCD 15565. CD.
Two-CD set contains all thirty-six sides recorded for Columbia between
1946 and 1951 by Kentucky singer/guitarist/banjoist Molly O'Day (aka Laverne
Williamson), an important transitional link between old-time and contemporary
country music. Includes early Hank Williams songs, as well as Jimmie Rodgers
and Carter Family songs and two sacred originals, "Coming Down from God" and "When
My Time Comes to Go." Vocals are a mixture of solos by Molly and duets
with husband Lynn Davis. Members of the Cumberland Mountain Folks accompany
on bass, fiddle, steel guitar, and dobro. Forty- four-page booklet has
notes by Ivan Tribe, Davis's reminiscences about the songs, photos, and
a discography of O'Day's Columbia recordings by Ivan Tribe and Richard
Weize. LCCN 93-717275. Historical / Country
On One Accord: Singing and Praying Bands of Tidewater Maryland and Delaware.
Global Village C/CD 225. Cassette/CD.
First commercially available recording that documents the Singing and
Praying Band service, a religious song-service tradition that has thrived
in the mid-Atlantic states since the 1850s, with its roots in older African
shout traditions. Recording is a composite of a complete service, recorded
live at five African-American Methodist churches in Maryland and Delaware.
Extensive notes by Jonathan David include transcriptions of words for hymns
and prayers and musical transcriptions that show melody and placement of
handclaps in various sections of the opening hymn. LCCN 93- 717974. Contemporary
/ African-American / Sacred
Washington Phillips: I Am Born to Preach the Gospel. Yazoo 2003. Cassette/CD.
The complete recorded works of intinerant Texas preacher Washington Phillips,
made in Dallas in the late 1920s. Phillips accompanies his mix of original
songs, hymns, "holy blues," and turn-of-the-century compositions on a zither-like
instrument. Includes two previously unissued selections. Notes by Pat Conte.
LCCN 93-707961. Historical / African-American / Sacred Song
Sampson Pittman: The Devil Is Busy. Laurie Records LCD 7002. CD.
Bluesman Sampson Pittman was born and raised in the Arkansas Delta, leaving
the levee camps for Detroit in the 1930s. These thirteen selections, including
songs and interviews, were selected from field recordings made in Detroit
by Alan Lomax for the Library of Congress in 1938. Especially notable is
the candid social criticism of "Levee Camp Story" and "Welfare Blues," as
well as the satire of "Brother Low-Down and Sister Do-Dad," a parody of
a Black Holiness Church service. Calvin Frazier and other guitarists accompany
him on some selections. Thirty-six- page booklet by Julie Anne Schwartz
includes transcriptions of lyrics and interviews. LCCN 93-717970. Historical
/ African- American / Blues: Delta
Jimmie Rodgers: The Singing Brakeman. Bear Family BCD 15540. CD.
This six-CD box set is a virtually complete set of the recorded works
of ex-railroad brakeman Jimmie Rodgers, called the "Father of Country Music." Contains
recordings made for RCA Victor between 1927 and 1933 (including two 1955
sessions with overdubs by Chet Atkins and others), including the soundtrack
to the twelve-minute film "The Singing Brakeman" and some previously unissued
takes. Famous for his trademark yodel, Rodgers blended elements of African-American
blues, early Tin Pan Alley, and Anglo-American ballads into a unique style
that became the basis for today's country music. Sixty-page booklet by
Nolan Porterfield contains updated biography and discography, previously
unpublished photographs, original recording logs, and other valuable illustrations.
LCCN 93-717298. Historical / Country
Simon Shaheen: Turath (Heritage). CMP Records CD 3006. CD.
Born in a village in northern Galilee and now a resident of New York City,
Shaheen is both a performer on the `ud (short-necked lute) and violin,
and a composer of Arab traditional music. This recording features both
solo improvisations and ensemble works in the classical tradition by nineteenth-
and twentieth-century composers from Turkey and the Arab world. Shaheen
is accompanied by Hassan Ishkut on the qanun (plucked zither); Samir Khalil
on the riqq (small tambourine) and tar (large frame drum); and Faruk Tekbilek
on the nay (reed flute). LCCN 93-717913. Contemporary / Arab-American
Big Bad Smitty: Mean Disposition. Adelphi/Genes GCD 4128. CD.
Big Bad Smitty (aka John Smith) grew up in Vicksburg, Mississippi, moving
in his thirties to St. Louis, where his Delta guitar and vocals were influenced
by St. Louis bluesmen such as Albert King and Little Milton. His spare,
syncopated electric guitar style is identifiable by a slight, intentional
flatting of the "G" string. The recording features three original songs,
others are new versions of songs by Howlin' Wolf, Muddy Waters, Albert
King, and Little Milton. Band members include second guitarist Bennie Smith,
harmonica player Arthur Williams, bassist Durious Montgomery, and drummer
Rayburn Hayes, Sr. LCCN 93- 717222. Contemporary / African-American / Blues
Stomp Dance, Volumes 3 and 4. Indian House IH 3005/3006. Cassette.
Two volumes of Stomp Dances recorded in Bristow, Oklahoma, in March of
1991 with a group of Muskogee, Seminole, and Yuchi singers and shell shakers
from eastern Oklahoma. The Stomp Dance is part of a social ceremony that
takes place primarily in the summer months from May until October. Volume
3 begins with a traditional opening statement in the Muskogee language
by Speaker Spencer A. Frank and has three stomp dances on each side; volume
4 contains four stomp dances, along with the Double Header Dance and the
notable Garfish Dance. Notes by Joe Sulphur. LCCN 93- 718011. Contemporary
/ Native American: Muskogee, Seminole, and Yuchi
Talking Spirits: Native American Music from the Hopi, Zuni, and San Juan
Pueblos. Music of the World CDT 126. Cassette/CD.
Social dance music from four Pueblo villages in New Mexico and Arizona,
recorded live on location. Among the selections are one of the best known
Native American songs, the Zuni Sunrise Song, as well as songs of blessing,
thanks, healing, and songs for various ceremonies. Groups featured are
the García Brothers (San Juan), Chester Mahooty and the Olla Maidens (Zuni),
The Laguna Singers & Dancers (Laguna), and Roger Mase and the Singers from
Second Mesa (Hopi). Notes by David P. McAllester. LCCN 93-718009. Contemporary
/ Native American: Pueblo
Dave Tarras: Yiddish-American Klezmer Music 1925-1956. Yazoo 7001, in
cooperation with the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research. Cassette/CD.
Composer, clarinetist, teacher, and orchestra leader Dave Tarras, born
in the Ukrainian village of Ternovka, pioneered in the United States the
contemporary style of Eastern European Jewish dance music now known as
klezmer. These recordings were made for commercial record labels and radio
stations from the beginning of Tarras's recording career through the post-war
decline in interest in klezmer. Thirty-five-page booklet by Henry Sapoznik
includes photos and other illustrations. LCCN 93-717740. Historical / Yiddish-American
/ Klezmer
Sonny Boy Williamson: Goin' in Your Direction. Acoustic Archives/Trumpet
AA 801, in cooperation with the Center for the Study of Southern Culture,
University of Mississippi. CD/LP.
Early recordings of influential Delta blues harmonica player and singer
Sonny Boy Williamson [AKA Willie "Rice" Miller], spanning four years of
his recordings for the Jackson, Mississippi-based Trumpet label from 1951
to 1954. The seven sessions that make up this collection show Williamson
as both leader and accompanist, playing with a variety of bands that included
bluesmen such as B.B. King, Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup, and Willie Love. Includes
two previously unissued takes. Notes by Marc Ryan. LCCN 93-717506. Historical
/ African-American / Blues: Delta
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The following recordings were considered by the panel to be important
reissues or new compilations of reissued material, much of which has been
out of print for some time. Some feature a few previously unreleased selections.
Most of them feature new liner notes, and most are available in compact
disc format for the first time. Genre designations are indicated in bold
print where not evident from the recording's title.
Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup: That's All Right Mama. RCA Heritage Series/Bluebird
07863 61043-2. Blues
Bessie Smith: The Complete Recordings, Volume 3. Columbia/Legacy C2K 47474.
Blues
Canray Fontenot: Louisiana Hot Sauce, Creole Style. Arhoolie CD 381. African-American
Creole / Cajun
Conjunto Bernal: Mi Unico Camino (My Only Path). Arhoolie CD 344.
Blues Masters, Volume 1: Urban Blues. Rhino R2 71121.
Blues Masters, Volume 2: Postwar Chicago Blues. Rhino R2 71122.
Blues Masters, Volume 3: Texas Blues. Rhino R2 71123.
Blues Masters, Volume 4: Harmonica Classics. Rhino R2 71124.
Blues Masters, Volume 5: Jump Blues Classics. Rhino R2 71125.
Dr. Ross: Boogie Disease. Arhoolie CD 371. Blues
Furry Lewis: Fourth & Beale. Rounder/Lucky Seven CD 9202. Blues
The Golden Gate Quartet: Travelin' Shoes. RCA Heritage Series/Bluebird
07863 66063-2. African-American Gospel
John Jackson: Don't Let Your Deal Go Down. Arhoolie CD 378. Blues
Lydia Mendoza: "Mal Hombre" and Other Original Hits from the 1930's. Arhoolie/Folklyric
CD 7002. Mexican-American / Tejano
Mississippi Sheiks: Stop and Listen. Yazoo 2006. Blues
Oku Shareh: Turtle Dance Songs of San Juan Pueblo. New World 80301-2.
Native American
Robert Shaw: The Ma Grinder. Arhoolie CD 377. BluesSleepy John Estes:
I Ain't Gonna Be Worried No More: 1929-1941. Yazoo 2004. Blues
Songs of Love, Luck, Animals & Magic: Music of the Yurok and Tolowa Indians.
New World 80297-2.
Tejano Roots / Raices Tejanas: The Roots of Tejano and Conjunto Music.
Arhoolie CD 341.
Tejano Roots: The Women (1946-1970). Arhoolie CD 343.
Texas Blues: Bill Quinn's Gold Star Recordings. Arhoolie CD 352.
Tommy & Fred: Best Fiddle-Banjo Duets played by Tommy Jarrell & Fred Cockerham.
County CD 2702. Appalachian / Old-time Stringband
Virginia Traditions: Native Virginia Ballads and Songs. Global Village/Blue
Ridge Institute Series C 1004.
Virginia Traditions: Western Piedmont Blues. Global Village/Blue Ridge
Institute Series C 1003.
Zydeco Champs: Fifty Years of Louisiana's Black French-Creole Dance Music.
Arhoolie CD 328.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Publishers of Recordings Listed in this Booklet
Ace Records Ltd. 46-50 Steele Road London NW10 7AS UNITED KINGDOM TEL:
011-44-081-453-1311 FAX: 011-44-081-961-8725
Acoustic Archives/Trumpet P.O. Box 864 North San Juan, CA 95960 TEL: (916)
292-3171
Adelphi/Genes Records, Inc. P.O. Box 7688 Silver Spring, MD 20907 TEL:
(301) 434-6958 FAX: (301) 434-3056
Appalachian Center College Box 2336 Berea College Berea, KY 40404 TEL:
(606) 986-9341 XT 5103
Arhoolie Productions, Inc. 10341 San Pablo Avenue El Cerrito, CA 94530
TEL: (510) 525-7471 FAX: (510) 525-1204
Augusta Heritage Recordings Davis & Elkins College Elkins, WV 26241 TEL:
(304) 636-1903 FAX: (304) 636-8624
Bear Family Records P.O. Box 1154 2864 Vollersode GERMANY TEL: 011-49-04794-1399
FAX: 011-49-04794-1574
Bel-Aire Records 7208 South Harlem Avenue Bridgeview, IL 60455 TEL: (708)
594-5182 FAX: (708) 448-5494
CMP Records 140 W. 22nd Street #7B New York, NY 10011 TEL: (212) 229-0555
FAX: (212) 229-0682
Columbia Records c/o Legacy Recordings P.O. Box 1526 Radio City Station
New York, NY 10101-1526 TEL: (212) 833-7310
Flying Fish Records, Inc. 1304 W. Schubert Chicago, IL 60614 TEL: (800)
394-3474 FAX: (312) 528-8262
Global Village Music 245 West 29th Street New York, NY 10001 TEL: (212)
695-6024 FAX: (212) 695-6025
Heritage Records Route 3, Box 290 Galax, VA 24333 TEL/FAX: (703) 236-9249
Indian House Post Office Box 472 Taos, NM 87571 TEL: (505) 776-2953
June Appal Records c/o Appalshop 306 Madison Street Whitesburg, KY 41858
TEL: (606) 633-0108 FAX: (606) 633-1009
Laurie Records 523 Route #303 Orangeburg, NY 10962 TEL: (800) 421-1410
FAX: (914) 365-9098
Music of the World P.O. Box 3620 Chapel Hill, NC 27515-3620 TEL: (919)
932-9600 FAX: (919) 932-9700
New World Records 701 Seventh Avenue New York, NY 10036 TEL: (212) 302-0460
FAX: (212) 944-1922
Nimbus Records, Inc. P.O. Box 7746 Charlottesville, VA 22906-7746 TEL:
(804) 985-8555 FAX: (804) 985-3953
RCA Records/BMG Music Distribution Department 1540 Broadway, 33rd Floor
New York, NY 10036 TEL: (212) 930-4933 FAX: (212) 930-4538
Rebel Records, distributed by County Sales P.O. Box 191 Floyd, VA 24091
TEL: (703) 745-2001 FAX: (703) 745-2008
Rhino Records 10635 Santa Monica Boulevard Los Angeles, CA 90025-4900
TEL: (310) 474-4778 FAX: (310) 441-6575
Rounder Records One Camp Street Cambridge, MA 02140 TEL: (617) 354-0700
FAX: (617) 491-1970
Sampler Records Ltd. P.O. Box 19270 Rochester, NY 14619-0270 TEL: (800)
537-2755 FAX: (716) 328-2010
Smithsonian/Folkways Recordings 414 Hungerford Drive Suite 444 Rockville,
MD 20850 TEL: (301) 443-2314
Viva Voce distributed by Irish Books 580 Broadway, Room 1103 New York,
NY 10012 TEL: (212) 274-1923
Yazoo Records distributed by Shanachie Entertainment Corp. 37 East Clinton
Street Newton, NJ 07860 TEL: (201) 579-7763 FAX: (201) 579-7083
Warner Brothers Records - E.G. P.O. Box 6868 Burbank, CA 91510 TEL: (818)
953-3269
For further listings and reviews of folk recordings, consult publications
such as American Music, Bluegrass Unlimited, Blues & Rhythm: The Gospel
Truth, Blues Revue Quarterly, Cadence, County Sales Newsletter, Devil's
Box, Dirty Linen, Disc Collector, Ethnomusicology, Folk Roots, Journal
of American Folklore, Juke Blues, Living Blues, Musical Traditions, Old-Time
Herald, Old Time Country, Old Time Music, Record Roundup, Rejoice: The
Gospel Music Magazine, Roots & Rhythm Newsletter, Sing Out!, Tale Trader,
Western Folklore, The World of Music, and Yarnspinner. Ethnomusicology,
the journal of the Society for Ethnomusicology, publishes a "Current Discography" feature
in each issue.
The American Folklife Center offers the free guide Folklife and Ethnomusicology
Serial Publications in North America, as well as a more complete guide
to folk record labels and direct mail- order sources Recording Companies
in North America Specializing in Folk Music, Folklore and Ethnomusicology
(LCFARA 3). Both are available from the American Folklife Center, Library
of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540-8100.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mail-Order Dealers of Folk Recordings
Alcazar Records P.O. Box 429 Waterbury, VT 05676 (802) 244-8657
Andy's Front Hall Wormer Road Post Office Box 307 Voorheesville, NY 12186
(518) 765-4193
Appalshop Marketing and Sales 306 Madison Street Whitesburg, KY 41858
(606) 633-0108
The Celtic Trader P.O. Box 35495 Charlotte, NC 28235 (800) 822-2420
Country Dance and Song Society of America 17 New South Street Northampton,
MA 01060 (413) 584-9913
County Sales P.O. Box 191 Floyd, VA 24091 (703) 745-2001
Elderly Records 1100 North Washington P.O. Box 14210 Lansing, MI 48901
(517) 372-7890; 372-4161
Flying Fish Records 1304 West Schubert Chicago, IL 60614 (800) 394-3474
House of Musical Traditions 7040 Carroll Avenue Takoma Park, MD 20912
(301) 270-9090
Music of the North American Indian Canyon Records and Indian Arts 4143
North Sixteenth Street Phoenix, AZ 85016 (602) 266-4823
National Catalog of Storytelling National Storytelling Resource Center
P.O. Box 309 Jonesborough, TN 37659 (615) 753-2171
Note-Ably Yours 6865 Scarff Road New Carlisle, OH 45344 (800) 828-0115
Original Music R.D. 1, Box 190 Lasher Road Tivoli, N.Y. 12583 (914) 756-2767
Rooster Blues 232 Sunflower Avenue Clarksdale, MS 38614 (601) 627-2209
Roots & Rhythm Mail Order (formerly Down Home Music) 6921 Stockton Avenue
El Cerrito, CA 94530 (510) 525-1494
Roundup Records P.O. Box 154 North Cambridge, MA 02140 (617) 661-6064
Uncle Jim's Country Music Catalog P.O. Box A Arcadia, CA 91066 (800) 776-8742
World Music Institute 49 West 27th Street, no. 810 New York, NY 10001
(212) 545-7536
World Music Press P.O. Box 2565 Danbury, CT 06813 (203) 748-1131
Previous editions of American Folk Music and Folklore Recordings: A Selected
List are available from the American Folklife Center and at facilities
across the United States through the Educational Resources Information
Center (ERIC) of the U.S. Department of Education. Consult your librarian
or online service vendor (such as BRS or DIALOG), or contact:
ERIC Document Reproduction Service CBIS Federal 7420 Fullerton Road Suite
110 Springfield, VA 22153-2852 (703) 440-1400 (800) 443-3742
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