Classic Folk Music from Smithsonian Folkways

by CLASSIC FOLK FROM SMITHSONIAN F

Overview

Moses Asch founded Folkways Records in 1948 with the express purpose of recording music on the margins of the music industry, where the freedom was greater and the risks were considerably less. Folkways became a sterling example of how to run an independent label, and everything Asch recorded continues to be available, thanks to the Smithsonian Institution music arm, which now handles the catalog along with the backlist of several other small labels (Monitor, Paredon, Cook, Dyer-Bennet, Fast Folk, Collector). This brings the Smithsonian album total to well over 3,000 titles, all of which are maintained in print, a truly amazing achievement. This sampler of that vast collection concentrates on the urban-based folksingers of the so-called folk revival, and as such, works as a companion volume to the more rural-centered compilation called Classic Mountain Songs from Smithsonian Folkways. There are easily a dozen gems here, including Woody Guthrie's "Pastures of Plenty" (a song about migrant workers set to the tune of "Pretty Polly"), Doc Watson's beautifully archaic version of "John Henry" (with his brother Arnold Watson on banjo and father-in-law Gaither Carlton on fiddle), Jean Ritchie's airy dulcimer work on "Most Fair Beauty Bright," Elizabeth "Libba" Cotten's childhood composition "Freight Train," and a tender and innocent-sounding version of "Changes" by Phil Ochs. Obviously this is but the barest tip of the Smithsonian Folkways iceberg, but as a sampler, it features a diverse array of interpretations and approaches to American vernacular music. ~ Steve Leggett

Product Details

Release Date:	07/27/2004
Label:	Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
UPC:	0093074011027
Rank:	40455

Tracks

1. Pastures of Plenty  - Woody Guthrie
2. We Shall Overcome  - Guy Carawan  - Frank Hamilton  - Zilphia Horton  - Pete Seeger
3. Rock Island Line  -  Lead Belly
4. No More Auction Block  - Paul Robeson  -  Traditional
5. Deportees (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos)  - Barbara Dane  - Woody Guthrie  - Martin Hoffman
6. John Henry  -  Traditional  - Doc Watson
7. John Hardy  -  Lead Belly  - Mike Seeger
8. Betty and Dupree  - Brownie McGhee
9. Gallis Pole  - Fred Gerlach
10. Polly Von  - Paul Clayton
11. Butcher Boy  - Peggy Seeger
12. Duncan and Brady  - Dave Van Ronk
13. Railroad Bill  - Hobart Smith
14. Wayfaring Stranger  - Burl Ives  -  Traditional
15. Big Rock Candy Mountain  -  Haywire Mac  - Harry McClintock
16. Born 100,000 Years Ago  - Cisco Houston
17. Sugar Babe, It's All Over Now  - Mark Spoelstra
18. Changes  - Phil Ochs
19. Black and White  - David Arkin  - Earl Robinson
20. Most Fair Beauty Bright  - Jean Ritchie
21. Cielito Lindo  - Fernandez Cortez  - Quirino Mendoza  - Pete Seeger
22. Tom Dooley  -  New Lost City Ramblers
23. Freight Train  - Elizabeth Cotten
24. Down on Me  -  Hunter  - Mary Pickney
25. This Train (Bound for Glory)  - Big Bill Broonzy  -  Traditional

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Lead Belly   Primary Artist,Vocals,Guitar
Haywire Mac   Primary Artist
Earl Robinson   Primary Artist,Piano,Vocals
Doc Watson   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Fred Gerlach   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Janie Hunter   Primary Artist
Jean Ritchie   Primary Artist,Vocals,Appalachian Dulcimer
Dave Van Ronk   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Burl Ives   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Woody Guthrie   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Brownie McGhee   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Hobart Smith   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Big Bill Broonzy   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Elizabeth Cotten   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Barbara Dane   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Mike Seeger   Primary Artist,Banjo,Fiddle,Vocals
Peggy Seeger   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Mark Spoelstra   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Mary Pickney   Primary Artist,Vocals
Paul Clayton   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Paul Robeson   Primary Artist,Vocals
Cisco Houston   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Pete Seeger   Primary Artist,Banjo,Vocals,Guitar (12 String)
The New Lost City Ramblers   Primary Artist
Phil Ochs   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Gaither Carlton   Fiddle
John Cohen   Guitar,Vocals
Arnold Watson   Banjo
Harry McClintock   Guitar,Vocals
Jan Hunter   Vocals

Technical Credits

Jeff Place   Compilation Producer,Liner Notes,Annotation
Lead Belly   Composer
Earl Robinson   Composer
Pete Seeger   Composer
Woody Guthrie   Composer
Alan Lomax   Arranger
Brownie McGhee   Composer
Dan Sheehy   Production Supervisor
Zilphia Horton   Composer
Big Bill Broonzy   Composer
D.A. Sonneborn   Production Supervisor
Frank Hamilton   Composer
Elizabeth Cotten   Composer
Quirino Mendoza   Composer
Guy Carawan   Composer
Harry McClintock   Composer
Galen Lawson   Photography
David Arkin   Composer
Jamie Freedman   Production Assistant
Traditional   Composer
Pete Reiniger   Mastering
Huddie Ledbetter   Arranger
Phil Ochs   Composer
Martin Hoffman   Composer
Diana Davies   Photography
Jacob Love   Editing
Mary Monseur   Production Coordination
David Gahr   Cover Photo
Fernandez Cortez   Composer