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Mississippi
The American Folklife Center was created in 1976 by the U.S. Congress through Public Law 94-201 and charged to "preserve and present American folklife." The Center incorporates the Archive
of Folk Culture, which was established at the Library of Congress in 1928, and is now one of the largest collections of ethnographic material from the United States and around the world.
Collections
The collections of the American Folklife Center contain rich and varied
materials from Mississippi that document the diversity of the state's folk
traditions. Among its unique recordings are Choctaw Indian songs and texts
from the 1930s; many hours of spirituals and blues music, including early
interviews and musical performances by McKinley Morganfield (Muddy Waters)
and Son House; music and religious services performed by inmates at the
state penitentiary in Parchman in the 1930s; and African American children's
games and songs from Brandon.
- Mississippi Folk Music and Folklore
in the Recorded Collections of the Archive of Folk Culture [full text]
American Folklife Center collections presented online through the American
Memory Project include Southern
Mosaic: The John and Ruby Lomax 1939 Southern States Recording Trip;
folksingers and folksongs documented during a three-month trip through
the Southern United States. The collection includes material from Alabama,
Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South
Carolina, Texas, and Virginia.
Mississippi participated in the Library's Bicentennial Local Legacies
project, which includes documentation of local traditions and celebrations
for the American Folklife Center's Archive of Folk Culture.
Concert Webcast
Published Recordings
- Negro Blues and Hollers 1941-42, Library of Congress AFS L59
(available on CD from Rounder Records, #1501. [audiocassette] [compact disc]
- Afro-American Folk Music from Tate and Panola Counties, Mississippi,
Library of Congress AFS L67 (available on CD from Rounder Records,
#1515. [audiocassette] [compact disc]
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