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Category: John Lomax

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

Reel Folk: The Making of Let’s Get the Rhythm

Posted by: Michelle Stefano

The following is a guest post by Irene Chagall, the co-producer of the film Let’s Get the Rhythm, which will be screening on September 30 as part of the AFC’s “Reel Folk: Cultural Explorations on Film” event (September 29-30) in the Library’s Pickford Theater. Co-producers Irene Chagall and Steve Zeitlin, the director of City Lore, …

“I Didn’t Done the Crime”: Stavin’ Chain’s “Batson” and the Batson Case

Posted by: Stephen Winick

Note: This is the third in a series of posts about the murder ballad “Batson.” This one discusses the version of the ballad performed by Wilson Jones, aka “Stavin’ Chain,” in light of the real-life Batson case. In previous blog posts about the murder ballad “Batson,” I looked at early versions collected by Robert Winslow …

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

“When I First Got Ready For the War,” a Song of World War I

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 …