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Category: AFC History

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

Remembering John Cohen (1932-2019)

Posted by: John Fenn

This is a guest post by Todd Harvey, reference specialist and acquisitions coordinator at the American Folklife Center. Todd worked closely with John Cohen in recent years, and was able to conduct an oral history interview with him in 2012. The American Folklife Center sadly notes the passing of collection donor and longtime friend, John …

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

Nicholas Ray: frustrated folklorist

Posted by: John Fenn

This blog post about the filmmaker Nicholas Ray is part of a series called “Hidden Folklorists,” which examines the folklore work of surprising people, including people better known for other pursuits. Nicholas Ray (1911-1979)—iconoclastic filmmaker, writer, friend to trouble, and…folklorist? To those who know the name, Nicholas Ray is most readily recognized as the director who brought …