Anthology of American Folk Music Vol. 1 – The Must Have Album for Folk

The Anthology of American Folk Music is a six-album compilation released in 1952 by Folkways Records (catalogue FP 251, FP 252, and FP 253), comprising eighty-four American folk, blues and country music recordings that were originally issued from 1927 to 1932.

Introduction

The Anthology of American Folk Music is a six-album compilation released in 1952 by Folkways Records, edited by Harold Courlander and Harry Smith. It is one of the most influential releases in the history of recorded music, having launched the American folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s. The Anthology was compiled by Harry Smith from his personal collection of 78 rpm records. Smith, an ectoplasmic Presence if ever there was one, spent several years in the late 1940s and early 1950s scouring used-record shops for pre-World War II commercial recordings of American traditional music. Most of these records were made by rural southern musicians playing for small audiences in their local communities—string bands, fife-and-drum groups, gospel quartets, blues singers—and were never heard outside their immediate vicinities. What these records had in common was that they all were pressed on relatively fragile 78 rpm discs and thus were more likely to be found in used-record shops than in the libraries of serious collectors.

What is the Anthology of American Folk Music?

The Anthology of American Folk Music is a six-album compilation released in 1952 by Folkways Records, consisting of eighty-four American folk, blues and country music recordings that were originally issued from 1927 to 1932. Experimental filmmaker and musicologist Harry Smith compiled the music from his personal collection of 78 rpm records. The album is famous for its role in the 1950s folk revival, and was named the fifth greatest album of all time by NME magazine in 1998.

The Anthology was assembled by Harry Smith from his personal collection of 78 rpm records. It includes songs by such artists as Blind Lemon Jefferson, Bukka White, Lead Belly, Dock Boggs, Bob Dylan’s favorite artist Woody Guthrie, Mississippi John Hurt, Uncle Dave Macon, Georgia Tom Dorsey (and Toledo Slim), The Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers, The Sonics and Charlie Patton.

Why is the Anthology of American Folk Music important?

The Anthology of American Folk Music is a six-album compilation released in 1952 by Folkways Records, edited by Harry Smith. The anthology represented a road map for the American folk music revival that occurred in the 1950s and 1960s. It educated listeners about the various musical traditions from which folk music had arisen, and it inspired many young musicians to begin exploring and performing traditional folk music. The album has been extremely influential, and it is often credited with sparking the folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s.

The Anthology of American Folk Music in the modern day

In 2002, the Anthology of American Folk Music was reissued by Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, replacing an earlier (1952) six-album release by Folkways Records. The 1952 release was itself a reissue (with some changes) of anset originally compiled and issued by Moses Asch in 1947. The Anthology album proved highly influential on the American folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s; artist who were most influenced by it included Bob Dylan, Joan Baez and Pete Seeger. The set is commonly known as Harry Smith’s Anthology, after its compiler, and sometimes as the old, weird America anthology.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the Anthology of American Folk Music is a must have album for anyone who wants to experience the true breadth and depth of American folk music. It features a wide variety of artists, from established legends to lesser known performers, all of whom contribute to the rich tapestry of our nation’s musical heritage. If you’re looking for an essential collection of American folk music, this is the album for you.