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Category: Alan Lomax

A group of people including Rosanne Cash look at a disc sleeve

Arthur McBride, Carrie Grover, Paul Brady, and Rosanne Cash: More About a Classic Song

Posted by: Stephen Winick

In a previous post, I discussed one of AFC’s most influential field recordings, Carrie Grover’s “Arthur McBride,” and the popular tracks it inspired: versions by Paul Brady and by Bob Dylan. I was inspired to write about the song again by Rosanne Cash, a fan of both Dylan and Brady, who enthused about “Arthur McBride” …

A woman plays a fiddle sitting on porch steps.

Paul Brady, Carrie Grover, Bob Dylan, and “Arthur McBride”

Posted by: Stephen Winick

A few years ago, I wrote an article in Folklife Center News about popular recordings inspired by AFC collection items. One of the ones I chose was Paul Brady’s version of an Irish ballad he called “Arthur McBride and the Sergeant” (see the lyrics at this link). In the article I revealed that Brady had …

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

Rhetoric and the Lomax Archive

Posted by: Stephen Winick

The following post was written by Jonathan Stone, Assistant Professor of Writing and Rhetoric at the University of Utah. I write on occasion of a recent publication that may be of interest to readers of Folklife Today. We are still in the middle of the Lomax Centennial year and the article “Listening to the Sonic …

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

Treasures of the AFC Archive Banner #4

Posted by: Stephen Winick

This is the fourth in a series of six posts presenting AFC’s new traveling exhibit Treasures of the American Folklife Center Archive. The exhibit takes the form of lightweight, colorful vinyl banners containing information about AFC, the Library of Congress, and (as the title suggests) some of the treasures found in our archive. Originally conceived …

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

Treasures of the AFC Archive Banner #3

Posted by: Stephen Winick

This is the third in a series of six posts presenting AFC’s new traveling exhibit Treasures of the American Folklife Center Archive. The exhibit takes the form of lightweight, colorful vinyl banners containing information about AFC, the Library of Congress, and (as the title suggests) some of the treasures found in our archive.  Originally conceived …

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

Lomax Kentucky Recordings Go Online

Posted by: Stephen Winick

Note: this blog post makes liberal use of a press release devised jointly by the organizations involved in this project, and especially of the announcement made by Berea College. As part of AFC’s year-long celebration of Alan Lomax (1915-2002) during his centennial year, the American Folklife Center is thrilled to announce that The Lomax Kentucky …

Rosanne Cash. Photo by Clay Patrick McBride.

Rosanne Cash Curates a Carnegie Hall Exhibit with AFC

Posted by: Stephen Winick

When Rosanne Cash, recognized by the Library as one of the most compelling figures in popular music, was asked to curate a series of concerts at Carnegie Hall in New York, she graciously brought the American Folklife Center along for the ride. Cash asked AFC to help her curate a photo exhibit, which is being …

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

Lomax Family Manuscripts Go Online

Posted by: Stephen Winick

The following is a guest post from Todd Harvey, the curator of the Alan Lomax Collection at the American Folklife Center archive, Library of Congress. The American Folklife Center today announces the online publication of the Lomax Family manuscripts. This phased project begins today, with access to 25,000 pages created primarily by Alan Lomax during …

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

Rediscovering Lomax: Joshua Clegg Caffery and “I Wanna Sing Right”

Posted by: Stephen Winick

During the centennial year of the great folklorist Alan Lomax (1915-2002), we at AFC have been celebrating his legacy in all kinds of ways: digitizing collections, sponsoring performances, encouraging publications, creating web content, designing exhibits…even writing blog posts! One of the things we most loved about Alan was his concern that the field recordings he …