FOLK MUSIC OF THE UNITED STATES LIBRARY OF CONGRESS Recording Laboralory AFS L1 WASIIINGTON ANGLO-AMERICAN BALLADS From Ih., Archive of Folk Sonl.: Edited by AI.n Lomu rJ . 1 1,~ ~;.,I'- ,­ ,-.".:, ',', ~ -., ... ,0'­ ~ . INTRODUCTION by Wayne D. Shirley Reference Librarian, Music Division In 1942 the Arehive of Folk Song in tbe scriptions of the texts sung on the reeords and Library of Congress issued its first albums of notes on the music and performers. reeorded folk musie, thereby maki,'g some of its Attempts to devise some method for dis­ rieh collection of field recordings available to tributing the Archive's recorded treasures had the public. The recordings were issued under begun in 1941 with the establishment of the the editorship of Alan Lomax, then head of the Recording Laboratory in the Library of Con­ Archive. (The editing of the sixth album was gress. The press release announcing the estab­ entrusted to William N. Fenton.) Each album-­ lishment of the Recording Laboratory claimed they really were "albums" in those days--con­ that sisted of five 78-rpm records pressed in black when the installation is completed the Music Division shellac (the famous clear red vinyl was to come of the Library will be able to provide for schools, libraries, and individuals, recordings of American folk later). The albums patriotically mixed ten-inch music, American poetry read and interpreted by its and twelve-inch records-shellac was being ra­ makers, unpublished string quartets, new American tioned in 1942. musIc and other similar matenals. Much of this ma­ The six albums in the series were planned to terial stands ready for use on the shelves of the Library now-records of American folk music from exhibit the main varieties of American folk many parts of the country, documents basic to the music: history and culture of America and of the world I. Anglo-American Ballads musical manuscripts of composers, ancient and mod~ II. Anglo-Ameriean Shanties, Lyric Songs, ern. Only students who are free to come to the Library Dance Tunes and Spirituals or people who can afford to have expensive copies made, now use the Library's vast collection. To the III. Afro-American Spirituals, Work Songs, great majority of citizens this material is accessible and Ballads only through the books of research students and occa­ IV. Afro-American Blues and Game Songs sional radio broadcasts. The new sound service in the V. Bahaman Songs, French Ballads and Library can make a great part of it available on phonograph records to the general public. Dance Tunes, Spanish Religious Songs and Game Songs VI. Songs from tbe Iroquois Longhouse. Librarian of Congress Archibald MaeLeish was Each album included a brochure with tran­ more eloquent in his proposal to the Carnegie Corp~ration, whose grant made possible the establIshment of the Recording Laboratory: I cannot 100 stro'ngly express to you my own convic­ tion that such a program would be a most important During the years 1964 to 1966 the six LPs force in the life of this country at this moment. It were remastered from the original field record­ seems to me that we can either educate the American ings; these remastered discs occasionally in­ people as to the value of their cultural heritage and cluded alternate "takes" from those used on the their national civilization, or sit back and walch the destruction and disintegration of that culture and that original 78s. The remastering project also al­ civilization by forces now so ruinously active in this lowed the engineers to present complete versions world. of several cuts which had before appeared only The establishment of the Recording Labora­ as excerpts. Consequently the transcriptions of tory made it possible for people to request the these songs in the brochures no longer accur­ duplication of specific sound recordings. In addi­ ately reflected the words on the records. This tion, the Library published recordinjls in an at­ was one of the several considerations which led tempt to get some of the Archive's material to to the present revision of the textual material the person who was interested in sampling its accompanying the recordings. The recordings holdIngs without having a specific item in mind themselves, though now numbered AFS I -the auditory equivalent of the library patron through 6 rather than AAFS 1 through 6 (re­ who just "wants a good book." As a trial balloon flecting the change of name of the issuing body for the project in 1941 the Friends of Music in from Archive of American Folk Song to Archive the Library of Congress issued an album of of Folk Song), have not been changed since two ten-inch records consisting of "Lady of Car­ the 1960s remastering. lisle" sung by Basil May, "Pretty Polly" sung The current republication furnishes all six by Pete Steele, "It Makes a Long Time Man Feel records with new covers and a new sleeve note, Bad"-the archetypal Library of Congress folk­ supplies the present historical introduction, re­ song title-sung by "a group of Negro convicts," numbers the notes on the selections to corre­ and "0 Lord, Don' 'low Me to Beat 'em," sung, spond to the numbering on the LP labels, and spoken, and cursed by Willie Williams. The revises the transcriptions to include all the text next year the Archive of Folk Song albums contained on the LP. Otherwise the brochures which are the subject of this essay appeared. read as they did when they first appeared in In 1956, at the time of their first issue, the 1942. We have even hesitated to change tran­ LPs were direct transfers from the 78s as issued scriptions when our ears hear something dir..: Friends of Music album was combined with that ferent than did those of the original transcriber. on the first of the Archive of Folk Song albums This is partly attributable to cowardice. Revising to make the record now known as AFS 1.1. such transcripts as those of Mrs. Ball's nonsense This allowed those who wanted to buy a long­ syllables on AFS 1.2, A7 ("Jennie Jenkins") or playing version of the Friends of Music album the ring-shout of AFS 1.3, A7 ("Run, Old Jere­ to purchase a single record, but did creatc a miah") is not a task one views with enthusiasm. few anomalies: as it is now constituted Ll con­ But our decision was based partly on common tains two versions of "Pretty Polly" and presents sense. After all, Alan Lomax heard most of Willie Williams and "group of convicts" under these people in person and singing many songs, the banner of "Anglo-American Ballads." while we only hear them for a single song and In 1956, at the time of their first issue, the on a record. LPs were direct transfers from the 78s as issued Three decades later it is useful to look at in 1942. At this time the records were renum­ these pioneering issues of recorded folk music bered: six albums numbered from I to VI con­ and consider the assumptions-conscious and taining records numbered from 1 to 30 became unconscious-that went into their production. AFS Ll through 1.6. The brochures which had Some of these assumptions have colored subse­ been prepared for the 78-rpm albums continued quent Library record issues up to the present to be used with the LPs. This caused some con­ day; others were not meant to apply to any fusion as the record number in the brochure but the first issues. Still, all of them played a no longer corresponded to the actual number of part in the creation of the image of the Library .the item on the record. 2 of Congress folk music record, and some­ Not all of the performances are by otherwise notably numbcr 3 below-played an important unknown singers and instrumentalists caught for part in its development. H~re arc some of these a brief moment by the microphone of the Li­ assumptions, more or less in descending order of brary of Congress. Many arc by people who cven importance: then were fairly well-known folk performers: 1. The Library of Congress recordings were Mrs. Texas Gladden, thc sally radical Aunt designed as a method of making the wealth of Molly Jackson, honey-voiced Vera Hall, har­ field recordings housed in the Archive of Ameri­ monica man Sonny Tcrry, and even Woody can Folk Song available to the public. They Guthrie. There are also less widcly known musi­ were-and have remained-rccordines of ma­ cians, from the anonymous little girls of "Ain't terial from field recordings ill the Archive. (In Gonna Ring [Rain?] No More" and the pseu­ 1976 the Library of Congress began a comple­ donymous "Lightning"-who would not give mentary series of recordings, Folk Music in John A. Lomax his real name-to such people America. editcd by Richard K. Spollswood, which as Jimmie Strothers, the gentle axe murderer drew on commcrcial recordings and field collec­ who is known only through his Folk Archive tions other than those in the Archive, as well as recordings. But it cannot be claimed that every an occasional irresistible Archivc field recording.) cut of L1 through LS makes articulate a voice This explains many of the questions asked about that would otherwise have remained unheard the Archive's series of folk music recordings, in­ save by those living within a few miles of the cluding the perennial "Why doesn't the Library singer. This is not to suggest that the carly of Cor.gress issue a jazz series as well as a Library of Congress records sacrificed authentic­ folk music series?" The answer: the field re­ ity for easy listening.