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Posted by: Stephanie Hall
This is one of two articles, each focusing on one ethnographic recording of an African American song of World War I. To read the article about “Trench Blues” select here. African Americans left to serve in World War I, beginning one hundred years ago in June 1917, landing in France on June 25. They had …
Posted in: African American History, African Americans, Alan Lomax, Folksong, John Lomax, World War I
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
This is the second part of a two-part article on the folklore of trains. Part one, focusing on the development of railroads in the United States and related songs and lore can be found here. Part Two: Trains and American Culture The coming of the railroads made profound changes in life and culture in the …
Posted in: African Americans, Alan Lomax, Bluegrass, Charles Lafayette Todd, Folksong, George Korson, John Lomax, Legends, Robert Sonkin, Robert Winslow Gordon, Sam Eskin, Sidney Robertson Cowell
Posted by: Stephanie Hall
Part two of this article is available at this link. Part One: The Development of the Railroads The advent of railroads in the United States is part of the country’s coming-of-age story as an industrial power during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Because of this, trains and people associated with the developing railways became …
Posted in: Alan Lomax, Austin Fife, Charles Lafayette Todd, Charles Lafayette Todd and Robert Sonkin, Cowboys, Folksong, John Lomax, Legends, Old Time Music, Robert Sonkin, Ruby Terrill Lomax, Zora Neale Hurston
Posted by: Stephanie Hall
The collections of the American Folklife Center reflect a long history of ethnographic interest in Luso-Hispanic American music and song. Much of the early collecting work focused on peoples of the regions that formerly belonged to Spain. In this post I’ll provide a quick overview of the Hispanic-American music in AFC’s online collections. Spanish Songs …
Posted in: Alan Lomax, Caribbean Americans, Easter, Folk Drama, Folk Music, Folksong, Hispanic American History, Holidays, John Lomax, Juan B Rael, Ruby Terrill Lomax, Sidney Robertson Cowell
Posted by: Stephanie Hall
The tradition of a national celebration of Mother’s Day in the United States grew out of reactions to the aftermath of the Civil War. Poet, suffragist, and author of the lyrics of “The Battle Hymn of the Republic,” Julia Ward Howe attempted to unite women in the cause of peace, beginning with her “Appeal to …
Posted in: Charles Lafayette Todd, Folksong, Holidays, John Lomax, Robert Sonkin, Ruby Terrill Lomax, Sidney Robertson Cowell
Posted by: Stephanie Hall
The first time I saw Boll Weevil, He was sitting on a cotton square. The next time I saw Boll Weevil, He had his whole family there. This song about the boll weevil is one of many popularized by Huddie “Lead Belly” Ledbetter, Woody Guthrie, and other artists. A version of this most widely known …
Posted in: Animals, Folk Music, Folksong, John Lomax, John Wesley Work III, Ruby Terrill Lomax