Fans of American folk are advised to get clicking in the direction of the fabulous “Folk Music in America” collection, a series of 15 LP records published by the Library of Congress between 1976 and 1978.
Released to celebrate the bicentennial of the American Revolution, the collection boasts 252 songs (12 hours of music) and was compiled by librarian/collector Richard K. Spottswood.
Funded by a grant by the National Endowment for the Arts, the music mainly comes from the Library of Congress Archive of Folk Song (now Archive of Folk Culture), and covers the period from 1890-1976).
Included in this fascinating selection are native American songs and instrumental music, blues, jazz and country music and songs brought into the States by immigrants from all over the world.
The collection has been posted up by the Dinosaur Discs blog, and can either be downloaded in one big 1.1GB lump here – Folk Music in America, complete download – or be downloaded in themed smaller chunks below:
- Religious Music – Congregational and Ceremonial
- Songs of Love, Courtship, and Marriage
- Dance Music – Breakdowns and Waltzes
- Dance Music – Reels, Polkas, Etc.
- Dance Music – Ragtime, Jazz, Etc.
- Songs of Migration and Immigration
- Songs of Complaint and Protest
- Songs of Labor and Livelihood
- Songs of Death and Tragedy
- Songs of War and History
- Songs of Humor and Hilarity
- Songs of Local History and Events
- Songs of Childhood
- Solo and Display Music
- Religious Music – Solo and Performance
Note that all tracks are in mono, Read more about the collection on the Dinosaur Discs blog.
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