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400 Years of Folk Music

produced by Steven Smolian (Folkways Records, 1964), 30 mins

In the early 1960s, multi-instrumentalists Steve Addiss, Bill Crofut, and Tim Prentice traveled to China, Southeast Asia, and Africa as part of the State Department's Cultural Exchange Program. This recording features tunes and songs associated with their journey—some from their own repertoire, and some learned...

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Africa South of the Sahara

produced by Alan P. Merriam, 1923-1980 and Harold Courlander, 1908-1996 (Folkways Records, 1957), 1 hour 19 mins

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Afro-American Music: A Demonstration Recording

produced by Willis James (Folkways Records, 1970), 1 hour 46 mins

Willis James, former chairman of the Music Department at Spelman College, looks at how the complex musical and linguistic practices of west coast African cultures have been translated into the musical practices of African Americans. In this lecture performance, he covers spirituals, work songs, blues and jazz.

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Alan Mills and Jean Carignan: Songs, Fiddle Tunes and a Folk-Tale from Canada

(Folkways Records, 1961), 47 mins

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American Ballads

(Folkways Records, 1957), 50 mins

This collection reminds us that the ballad's purpose, first and foremost, is to tell a story. These songs narrate tales of ordinary people—hoboes and lovers and sailors—and their extraordinary deeds. From "John Henry" to "Lady Margaret," Pete Seeger's expressive style is ideally communicative.

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American Ballads And Folksongs

produced by Kenneth S. Goldstein, 1927-1995 (Folkways Records, 1958), 50 mins

Like Joan O'Bryant's previous Folkways recording, Folksongs and Ballads of Kansas, this album presents folk songs geographically close to O'Bryant's heart. Most of the ballads included here are versions from Kansas, Arkansas, and Missouri, and several were collected through the University of Arkansas Folklore R...

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