Alan Lomax's Extensive Field Recording Collection Now Accessible Online
A significant collection of approximately 20,000 audio recordings made by folklorist Alan Lomax between the 1940s and 1990s has been digitized and made available for free public access. The Association for Cultural Equity, an organization Lomax established in the 1980s, has published the materials on its website. The archive includes music, interviews, and various takes from field recording trips across multiple regions, including the American South, the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia. Examples from the collection feature performances by artists such as Vera Hall, Big Bill Broonzy, and Bessie Jones, as well as recordings from locations like the Mississippi State Penitentiary. The initiative reflects Lomax's belief in the equal dignity of all cultural expressions.
Key facts
- Approximately 20,000 recordings by Alan Lomax are now available online for free.
- The archive spans recordings from the 1940s through the 1990s.
- The Association for Cultural Equity, founded by Lomax, digitized and published the collection.
- Materials include music, interviews, and field recordings from various global regions.
- Examples include works by Vera Hall, Big Bill Broonzy, and recordings from Parchman Farm.
Entities
Artists
- Alan Lomax
- Vera Hall
- Big Bill Broonzy
- Bessie Jones
- Woody Guthrie
- Jelly Roll Morton
- Lead Belly
- Mississippi Fred McDowell
Institutions
- Association for Cultural Equity
- NPR
Locations
- Mississippi State Penitentiary
- New York City
- Paris
- Deep South
- Caribbean
- Europe
- Asia