Homegrown Plus: BeauSoleil Quartet!
Posted by: Stephen Winick
Concert and oral history interview with Cajun powerhouse the Beausoleil Quartet.
Posted in: AFC Events, Folk Music, French American History, Homegrown Concert Series, Homegrown Plus
Category: Folk Music
For Our 500th Post, Folklife Today Bids You Good Night (But Not Goodbye!)
Posted by: Stephen Winick
Way back when Folklife Today celebrated our 100th post, I highlighted one of Alan Lomax’s collecting triumphs, the disc numbered AFS 100. For this, our 500th post, I thought I’d do a similar story about AFS 500. This disc was also recorded by Alan Lomax, during a field trip to the Bahamas in 1935 which …
Posted in: African American History, Folk Music
From “Mule-een” to New Orleans: Just What Was Lead Belly Saying?
Posted by: Stephen Winick
Introduction The great American songster Lead Belly, first recorded by John A. and Alan Lomax for the Library of Congress in 1933, is a towering figure in global popular music. In some cases, his influence can be clouded, or hard to understand, because of his own enigmatic personality and because of the fragmentary nature of …
Posted in: AFC History, African American History, African Americans, Folk Music, Folksong
Billy Bragg, Skiffle Historian and Singer, Visits the Library July 21
Posted by: Stephen Winick
This blog post about the singer-songwriter Billy Bragg is part of a series called “Hidden Folklorists,” which examines the folklore work of surprising people, including people better known for other pursuits. Billy Bragg will be here for a book talk, July 21 at 7:00 pm in the Mumford Room of the James Madison Memorial Building. …
Posted in: AFC History, AFC Publications, African American History, African Americans, Alan Lomax, Benjamin A. Botkin, Benjamin Botkin Folklife Lecture Series, England, Folk Music, Folksong, Hidden Folklorists, Jazz, Lead Belly (Huddie Ledbetter), Popular Culture
“No One Can Ever Forget It”: Stavin’ Chain’s Performance of “Batson”
Posted by: Stephen Winick
Note: This is the second in a series of posts about the murder ballad “Batson.” This one discusses the performance recorded by John A. and Alan Lomax from a trio of musicians including Wilson Jones, a.k.a. Stavin’ Chain, in 1934. A little while back, I presented for the first time anywhere a version of the …
Posted in: AFC History, African American History, African Americans, Alan Lomax, Blues, Folk Music, Folksong, Louisiana, Photographs
“Hal An Tow”: Some Intriguing Evidence on a May Song
Posted by: Stephen Winick
[This post is part of a series of blog posts about the song “Hal An Tow.” You can find the whole series at this link.] It’s May 6, and the people of Helston, Cornwall, are celebrating Flora Day [1], a large outdoor festival featuring dancing in the streets throughout the town [2]. One of the …
Posted in: Celtic Music, Drama, Folk Music, Folksong, Hal An Tow, May Day, Uncategorized
Memories of Alan Jabbour in the Field: Visiting the Hammons Family
Posted by: Stephen Winick
This recollection is in memory of the Center’s founding director, Alan Jabbour, who died on January 13, 2017, and whose career and contributions are described in this blog post. Today’s text and photographs are by Carl Fleischhauer, a retired American Folklife Center staff member and a colleague of Alan’s for 46 years. Alan Jabbour and …
Posted in: AFC History, Alan Jabbour, Appalachia, Folk Music, Folklorists, Folksong, Legends, Oral History
Alan Jabbour 1942 – 2017
Posted by: Stephen Winick
On behalf of the American Folklife Center, I’m very sad to pass on the news of the death of our founding director, Alan Jabbour. Alan was a folklorist, fiddler, fieldworker, and friend of the highest caliber, and he will be missed at AFC and around the world. AFC’s current director, Betsy Peterson, expressed the feelings …
Posted in: AFC 40th Anniversary, AFC Events, AFC History, Alan Jabbour, Benjamin Botkin Folklife Lecture Series, Fieldwork, Folk Music, Folklorists, Obituaries
2016 Mummers Play Video
Posted by: Stephen Winick
In our last post, we presented the text and photos of our 2016 mummers play, St. George and the Arrearage Monster: A Mumming in Process. Below, see a video of the play, shot on AFC’s trusty tablet by Jonathan Gold, our audio engineer. The acoustics in the Library’s Great Hall make it rather difficult to …
Posted in: christmas, Dance, Drama, Folk Drama, Folk Music, Folklorists, Folksong, Holidays, Mumming