Back in 1998, The Country Music Foundation teamed with Warner Bros. Records to release From Where I Stand: The Black Experience in Country Music. The 3-CD box set was divided into three thematic discs – The Stringband Era, The Soul Country Years, and Forward with Pride – which reflected on the immense contributions of African-Americans to country music in 60 songs. Today, the spotlight shines even more brightly on the black experience in the genre, in no small part due to the release earlier this year of Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter. The album…
Can’t Help Myself: Smithsonian Folkways Announces Dave Van Ronk, Lead Belly, and Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee Vinyl Reissues
Smithsonian Folkways Recordings is one of America’s iconic record labels. When Moses Asch started Folkways in 1948, his goal was to create an audio encyclopedia of the world. And 70 years and one Smithsonian Institution acquisition later, it’s safe to say they’ve stayed on track with that creed. Their repertoire now includes the 2,000+ classic Folkways titles, as well as the back catalog of other legendary labels like Cook, Paredon, Dyer-Bennett, Arhoolie, and The UNESCO Collection of Traditional Music, plus new releases by the current torchbearers of folksong. That extensive catalog boasts…
Release Round-Up: Week of February 24
Led Zeppelin, Physical Graffiti various editions (Atlantic/Swan Song) 2-CD Original Album: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. 3-CD Deluxe Edition: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. 2-LP Original Album: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. 3-LP Deluxe Edition: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. Super Deluxe Edition (3-CD/3-LP): Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. Digital Download: Amazon U.S. / Amazon U.K. Led Zeppelin’s classic album turns 40 and gets the remastered treatment with never-before-heard content available in a plethora of formats! Read the track listing and full details here. Lead Belly, The Smithsonian Folkways Collection (Folkways) (Amazon…
Midnight Special: Folkways Celebrates Lead Belly With New Box Set
Happy Birthday to Huddie Ledbetter, a.k.a. “Lead Belly,” born today in 1888! How many songwriters could say that their songs have been recorded by The Beach Boys, Frank Sinatra and Nirvana? Had he lived longer, Huddie William Ledbetter (1888-1949) could have. Ledbetter, known as Lead Belly, endured a difficult life – including various stays in jail – to introduce or adapt to the Great American Songbook tunes that are still well-known today such as “The Midnight Special,” “Goodnight, Irene,” “Black Betty” and “Cotton Fields.” On February 24, Smithsonian Folkways releases Lead Belly:…







