Lomax Project

Alan Lomax was an American enthnomusicologist who was responsible for recording folk music, and spoken word records in the early 20th century. His work began in Haiti making recordings of the music there with his father, and then in 1937 he was made Assistant in Charge of the Archive of American Folk Song. He interviewed and recorded some of the times most seminal musicians such as Woody Guthrie and The Golden Gate Quartet. He was also famous for interviewing Lead Belly and Jelly Roll Morton. The website serves as a wholistic collection of the over 17000 recording he made over his career.

Memphis Slim – Good News Boogie

Good News Boogie was recorded in Manhattan, New York on March 2nd, 1947 at Decca Studios. This was a part of a series of recording and interviews that Lomax did on the Mississippi Delta Blues which included interviews from the likes on Memphis Slim and Big Bill Broonzy. The song has a 12 bar blues format and hesmprovising some blues melodies over the standard blues progression. This tune sounds like the sound and mood of a Robert Johnson mixed with the sensibilities of Boogie Woogie piano playing.

The Road is Rocky (Rocky Road Blues)

This recording was taken in Greenwich Village New York City on May 23, 1948. This is from a collection of recording taken at a celebration Contemporary music at Columbia University in 1948. Its a bluegrass tune with an instrumentation made up of guitar, fiddle and vocals. It seems to follow a blues format, trading verses with the vocals and fiddles calling and responding to each other. The vocals range is narrow but nicely harmonized, and juxtaposes well with the fiddle.