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Posted by: Stephanie Hall
One hundred years ago this month, February 26, 1917, what is generally acknowledged as the first recording of jazz was released. “Livery Stable Blues,” performed by the Original Dixieland Jass Band [1] was a best-selling record for Victor, but is a problematic “first” as it is a recording of a white band performing an African …
Posted in: African American History, African Americans, Blues, Folk Music, Folksong, Jazz
Posted by: Stephanie Hall
Happy Chinese New Year! The Year of the Rooster begins on Saturday, January 28th. To celebrate, here are four recordings of Chinese music recorded on Victor in 1902 and 1903. We hope that someone reading this article might be able to tell us more about these songs. The recordings are part of the collections of …
Posted in: Asian American History, Chinese Americans, Folk Music
Posted by: Stephanie Hall
As we approach the end of the centennial year of the birth of Alan Lomax, it seems appropriate to look at recordings of songs and music he collected celebrating Christmas, the new year, and Epiphany. The recordings presented here are all part of the collections of the American Folklife Center, but many have been put …
Posted in: Alan Lomax, Burl Ives, christmas, Folk Music, Folksong, Holidays, New Year's Day, Woody Guthrie
Posted by: Stephanie Hall
This week the Library of Congress historic newspaper resource, Chronicling America, will pass a milestone of making ten million digitized pages of American newspapers available free online. These papers were selected by institutions in thirty-eight states and territories, with more expected to be added. When I was working on an article, “Russian American Song,” for …
Posted in: Folk Music, Folksong, Jewish American History, Jewish Americans, russian americans
Posted by: Stephanie Hall
On September 15 and 16, 2015, AFC will be featuring a lecture and workshop with Juan Díes, and a and concert with Sones de México Ensemble, presenting the corrido, a type of narrative song native to the Texas-Mexico border region. In honor of these events, I thought I would introduce our readers to some of …
Posted in: Folk Music, Folklorists, Folksong, Hispanic American History, John Lomax, Ruby Terrill Lomax
Posted by: Stephanie Hall
War disrupts populations, and refugees fleeing the conflict may leave their country permanently to settle elsewhere. The first World War caused such disruptions throughout Europe, the Middle East, and parts of Asia. Crossing one border was no longer an escape for many of these people on the move. Refugees fled to countries distant from their …
Posted in: Folk Music, Folksong, immigration, Sidney Robertson Cowell, World War I
Posted by: Stephanie Hall
The earliest East Asian immigrants often had a difficult journey making their way to the United States. Many carried little with them but the cultural traditions they knew, such as language, stories, religious customs, foodways, music, song, and dance. Chinese Americans Chinese immigrants, mainly Cantonese speakers from Guangdong, were among the first Asians to come …
Posted in: Asian American History, Cultural Heritage, Dance, Folk Music, Folksong, Foodways, immigration, Religion
Posted by: Stephanie Hall
John James Audubon was born on April 26, 1785 in what is now Haiti. His passion for North American wild birds fostered an ongoing interest in birds and bird conservation in the United States. But, of course, interest in birds and birdsong is as old as humankind. This essay will look at some of the …
Posted in: Animals, Carita Doggett Corse, Folk Music, Folksong, Frances Densmore, Hunting, Juan B Rael, Mary Hufford, Sidney Robertson Cowell, Stetson Kennedy
Posted by: Stephanie Hall
One reason I became interested in the study of folklife was to learn through the voices of peoples who are often under-represented in history. As this is the end of February, African American History Month, and March is Women’s History Month, it seems a good time to take a look at what African American women …
Posted in: African Americans, Folk Music, Folksong, Herbert Halpert, John Henry Faulk, Oral History, Willis Laurence James, Zora Neale Hurston