The Anthology of American Folk Music by Harry Smith

The Anthology of American Folk Music is a six-album compilation released in 1952 by Folkways Records, of ninety-eight American folk, blues and country music recordings that were originally issued from 1927 to 1932.

About the Anthology

The Anthology of American Folk Music is a six-album compilation released in 1952 by Folkways Records. Compiled and edited by Harry Smith from his personal collection of 78 rpm records, the anthology was a landmark in the history of American folk music. The albums were originally issued as three double-LP sets, comprising 18 records in total.

Who was Harry Smith?

Harry Everett Smith (May 29, 1923 – November 27, 1991) was an American visual artist, experimental filmmaker, record collector, bohemian and influential figure in the Old Time music revival of the 1950s and 1960s. He is best known for his 1952 anthology film very little industry standardization. This can cause some confusion when you’re buying, but in general, roasts fall into one of four color categories — light, medium, medium-dark and dark.

Many consumers assume that the strong, rich flavor of darker roasts indicates a higher level of caffeine, but the truth is that light roasts actually have a slightly higher concentration. The perfect roast is a personal choice that is sometimes influenced by national preference or geographic location. Within the four color categories, you are likely to find common roasts as listed below. It’s a good idea to ask before you buy. There can be a world of difference between roasts.

Light roasts
Light brown in color, this roast is generally preferred for milder coffee varieties. There will be no oil on the surface of these beans because they are not roasted long enough for the oils to break through to the surface.
-Light City
-Half City
-Cinnamon

Medium roasts
This roast is medium brown in color with a stronger flavor and a non-oily surface. It’s often referred to as the American roast because it is generally preferred in the United States.
-City
-American
-Breakfast

Medium dark roasts
Rich, dark color, this roast has some oil on the surface and with a slight bittersweet aftertaste.
-Full City

Dark roasts produce shiny black beans with an oily surface and a pronounced bitterness. The darker will have less acidity than coffees roasted for longer periods of time – French

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, edited by Harry Smith. The Anthology documented ninety-six songs by fifty-twoDifferent artists recorded between 1927 and 1932. Roughly 25% of the collection consists of religious and gospel songs, 25% of work and play songs, 15% of love and marriage songs, 10%of protest or topical songs, and the remaining 15% are field hollers, nursery rhymes, instrumentals, and miscellaneous tracks.

The Music

The Anthology of American Folk Music is a six-album compilation released in 1952 by Folkways Records. The anthology, generally credited to Harry Smith, was assembled from commercial 78 rpm recordings that Smith had collected over the years. The Anthology was one of the most influential releases of music in the 20th century, helping to ignite the folk revival of the 1950s and 1960s.

What kind of music is included in the Anthology?

The Anthology of American Folk Music is a six-album compilation released in 1952 by Folkways Records (catalogue FP 251, FP 502), edited by Harry Smith. It included eighty-four songs written and performed by fifty-four different artists recorded between 1927 and 1932.Drawing on commercial recordings, compiled from his personal record collection, the set documents folk music of the United States during the 1920s and early 1930s; it incorporates work, play, religious and leisure activities, ballads, songs of protest, and more.

The Anthology has been highly influential in the development of both the American folk music revival movement of the 1950s and 1960s and the counterculture musical renaissance of the late 1960s. In 1998, the U.S. Library of Congress honored The Anthology as one of that year’s selections for inclusion in the National Recording Registry.

Who are some of the artists featured in the Anthology?

The Anthology of American Folk Music is a six-album compilation release of American folk music originally issued in 1952 by Folkways Records. Anthology was compiled by Harry Smith from his personal collection of 78rpm records. The collection consists of eighty-four songs recorded between 1927 and 1932.

Some of the artists featured in the Anthology are:
-The Carter Family
-The Delmore Brothers
-Doc Watson
-Mother Maybelle Carter
-Charlie Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers

The Legacy

The Anthology of American Folk Music is a six-album compilation released in 1952 by Folkways Records, catalogue FP 251/2. Compiled and edited by Harry Smith from his personal collection of 78 rpm records, the Anthology documented the sounds of early rural United States and served as a resource for the American folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s.

How has the Anthology of American Folk Music influenced American music?

The Anthology of American Folk Music, a six-album collection of traditional folk, blues, country, and gospel songs compiled by Harry Smith and originally released in 1952 by Folkways Records, is one of the most influential releases in the history of American music. The 84 songs on the Anthology—drawn from field recordings, commercial 78-rpm discs, and home Carbon County, Utah; Washington County, Arkansas; Marion County, West Virginia; Madison County, Kentucky; and other rural communities in the United States. These recordings were not only instrumental in preserving the sounds of traditional American music, but also had a profound impact on the development of country music, rock & roll, and other genres.

TheAnthologyofAmericanFolkMusicwasfirstreleasedonLPin1952byFolkwaysRecords.ItwascompiledbyHarrySmithfromfieldrecordingsmadebetween1926and1937bymusicologistsandcollectorssuchasJohnLomaxandRobertGordon.Thesetraditionalfolk(includingblues,country,andgospel)songswererecordedinruralcommunitiesinvariouspartsoftheUnitedStates.ManyofthesongsontheAnthologyhadnotbeenavailableonrecordbeforeandthuscapturedtheattentionofmusiciansandsongwriterswhowouldgoontocreateAmericanaandothergenresbasedonthissound.

InhisbookAppalachianEnglish(1982),LanguagehistorianWilliamLabovidentifiesseveralfeaturesofspeechthathavetheirrootsintheAnthology:theuseofthenoun”one”asa third-person singular pronoun (as in “One old iont know”), the contracted forms of “don’t” and “isn’t” (as in “He don’ hang around here much”), and words and phrases such as “ain’t,” “I reckon,” “right smart,” and “plumb tuckered out.” These linguistic innovations were popularized by musicians such as Hank Williams Sr., who was exposed to the Anthology while growing up in rural Alabama. The influence of the Anthology can also be heard in the work of Bob Dylan, who has cited it as a major influence on his songwriting.

What are some of the ways the Anthology has been used?

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), edited by Harry Smith. It played a significant role in the development of the American folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s, and was named balladry’s “big bang” by Pete Seeger. The Anthology was assembled by Harry Smith from his personal collection of 78 RPM records. The collection encompasses eighty-four songs recorded between 1927 and 1932 by fifty-four different artists.

Since its release, the Anthology has been used extensively by musicians as a source of inspiration. It was inducted into the National Recording Registry in 2002, where it was recognized as “one of the most influential releases in the history of recorded sound.”In 2012, Smithsonian Folkways released a nine-CD box set edition to celebrate the sixtieth anniversary of the original publication.