Praise the Lord! Gospel Music in Washington, D.C.

Smithsonian Folkways – SFW40113

Format: CD, Compilation
Country: United States
Released: 1999
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, Gospel
[Tracklist]
01 I'll Go: Firstfruit (03:52)
02 Sweet, Sweet Spirit: The Curenton Family (04:13)
03 Thank You Lord: Alvin Dockett and Blessed (03:48)
04 Welcome to This Place: Charmaine Faunteroy and Herbert Jackson (05:05)
05 Standing on the Promises: The Bible Way Temple Radio Choir (06:23)
06 The Lord Will Make a Way Somehow: The Salvation Music Ministry (03:05)
07 Great is Thy Faithfulness: Herbert Jackson (03:58)
08 This is the Day: Nannie Helen Burroughs School Chorus (02:42)
09 I Need The Every Hour / A Praying Spirit: The Curenton Family (05:07)
10 Search My Heart, Lord: The Salvation Music Ministry (04:28)
11 Take My Hand, Precious Lord: Charmaine Faunteroy (03:53)
12 We Will Work: Nannie Helen Burroughs School Chorus (01:51)
13 The Old Rugged Cross: Firstfruit (05:08)
14 My Soul is a Witness for the Lord: The Shiloh Baptist Church Choir (03:19)
15 Over My Head: Alvin Dockett and Blessed (04:19)
[Credits]
Recorde: Sheffield Audio, Liner Notes: Horace Clarence Boyer and Gail S. Lowe, Designer: Joe Paris, Photographer: Harold Dorwin, Engineer: Heidi Gerber and Charlie Pilzer
[Noted]
Praise the Lord! presents contemporary performances that draw on many traditions of African American religious music in the Washington, D.C. area. Nine groups perform a wide variety of gospel styles in solo, duet, quartet, and choir. Recorded at the Bible Way Temple in 1998 by the Anacostia Museum and Center for African American History and Culture as part of its exhibition, Speak To My Heart, Communities of Faith and Contemporary African American Life, this CD includes notes by Gail Lowe and Horace Boyer, lyrics, suggested listening, and bibliography.

Clark Kessinger, Fiddle

Live at Union Grove with Gene Meade, guitar and Dene Parker, banjo

Folkways Records - FA 2337

Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: United States
Released: 1976
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country, Old Time
[Tracklist]
A1 Trombone Rag (02:39)
A2 Dill Pickle Rag (02:26)
A3 Rose of My Heart Waltz (03:24)
A4 Round Town Gal (02:19)
A5 Whistlin' Rufus (02:12)
A6 Sally Goodin' (01:57)
A7 Durang's Hornpipe (02:07)
B1 Arkansas Traveler (02:23)
B2 Old Joe Clark (02:08)
B3 Down Yonder (02:18)
B4 Turkey in the Straw (02:17)
B5 Golden Slippers (02:04)
B6 Billy in the Lowground (02:10)
B7 Poca River Blues (02:46)
[Credits]
Clark Kessinger (fiddle) Gene Meade (guitar) Dene Parker (banjo)
Producer: Charles Faurot, Designer: Ronald Clyne, Photographer: David Gahr
[Notes]
Recorded live at the 1968 Union Grove Fiddlers' Contest, this album captures the energy and passion of dedicated, skilled musicians playing for their own enjoyment. Rather than worrying about microphone placement or winning awards, the musician is relaxed and excited about the tunes—and Kessinger's performances here embody this excited ease.

The Bahamas: Islands of Song

Smithsonian Folkways – SF CD 40405

Format: CD, Compilation
Country: Bahamas
Released: 1997
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, World
[Tracklist]
01 You ain't hurryin' me: Dicey Doh Singers (02:32)
02 Girl, if I write you: Nat Saunders (02:35)
03 Watermelon is spoilin' on the vine: Thomas Cartwright and the Boys (02:44)
04 Rain children: Sons of Andros (02:10)
05 When I get inside: Cat Island Mites and Friends (01:31)
06 I'm going home on the morning train: Israel Forbes (02:46)
07 Big belly man polka: Ed Moxey's Rake 'n Scrape (02:22)
08 All in the woods: Avis Armbrister and Almeda Campbell (03:19)
09 Let the church roll on: Dicey Doh Singers (02:08)
10 Lynn: Nat Saunders (02:46)
11 Went to the bight: Cat Island Mites (01:36)
12 Nobody's darling but mine: Thomas Cartwright and the Boys (02:37)
13 Christian automobile: Sons of Andros (02:15)
14 Let me call you sweetheart: Israel Forbes (02:25)
15 Sloop John B: Dicey Doh Singers (02:10)
16 Jimmy bend a tree while it's young: Thomas Cartwright and the Boys (02:45)
17 Round and round the bar room: Nat Saunders, Huelon Newbold, Orlando Turnquest (03:30)
18 Roll of pin: Alvis Armbrister and Almeda Campbell (04:29)
19 Dry bones: Sons of Andros (03:01)
20 Bid you goodnight: Cat Island Mites (02:59)
21 The Timestable: Ed Moxey's Rake 'n Scrape (02:14)
22 God sent Jonah: Israel Forbes (02:50)
23 Liar: Dicey Doh Singers (02:13)
[Credits]
Producer and Recorder: Pete Reiniger, Liner Notes: Gail Saunders and Kayla Olubumni Lockhart Edwards
[Notes]
This compilation of music from the Bahamas includes goombay rake-and-scrape dance bands (goombay refers to both the skin drum and the ensemble as a whole), spirituals, and fingerpicking guitar music. All the performers on this recording participated in the 1994 Festival of American Folklife, an annual event presented on the Mall in Washington, D.C., by the Smithsonian Institute’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. They were recorded in Nassau on 2 and 3 February 1995.

Caribbean Folk Music Volume One

Compiled and with Notes by Harold Courlander

Ethnic Folkways Library – FE 4533

Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP, Box Set
Country: Bahamas, British Virgin Islands, Cuba, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Martinique, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela
Released: 1960
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, World
[Tracklist]
A1 Trulla de Navidad (Christmas Rush) (02:05)
A2 Baquine (03:18)
A3 Arada Dance (02:23)
A4 Kumina Dance (02:12)
A5 Heel and Toe Polka (01:27)
A6 So Them Bad Minded (Calypso) (02:10)
B1 Stickman (Calypso) (02:15)
B2 Old Calypso (02:55)
B3 Bele Dance Song (00:56)
B4 Seven Step (03:03)
B5 Bamboula Dance (01:16)
B6 Lapli Tombe (01:22)
B7 Down into the Village Sammy Rider (02:44)
C1 One Bright Summer Morning (02:25)
C2 Song to Chango (02:42)
C3 Balile (Give Him Room) (03:54)
C4 Fignole (05:43)
C5 Nous Allons Dodo (01:34)
C6 Soir, Un (02:10)
D1 Afeduani (02:39)
D2 Serenade (03:10)
D3 Ba Anansi (Brother Anansi) (03:17)
D4 Mazurka (02:51)
D5 Vals Guadaloupienne (01:06)
D6 Aura Waltz (03:10)
D7 Corrido de Pancho Villa (03:22)
[Credits]
Producer and Liner Notes: Harold Courlander, Production Director: Moses Asch
[Notes]
Whether purely instrumental or with a chorus, each of these recordings manages to capture the spirit of the English, Spanish, and French speaking Caribbean. Many of the recordings are of dance music as music and dance are commonly linked in Caribbean cultures. Representing fifteen countries this collection speaks to the vibrant nature of the West Indies where even a song like "Nous Allons Dodo" or "We're Going to Sleep" is anything short of a lullaby.

The Elliots of Birtley / A Musical Portrait of a Durham Mining Family

Compiled and Edited from material collected by Peggy Seeger and Ewan MacColl

Folkways Records – FG 3565

Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: England
Released: 1961
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, World
[Tracklist]
A1 Nancy Grey and Betsy Grey Medley (06:18)
A2 Family History Medley (09:35)
A3 We Went Along a Bit Further Medley (06:35)
A4 Rhymes Medley (09:35)
B1 In the Bar-room - The Celebrated Working Man (10:08)
B2 Little Chance (16:08)
B3 Elliot Family Medley (03:42)
[Credits]
Producer: Peggy Seeger and Ewan MacColl, Photographer: Hayward Smead, Designer: Ronald Clyne
Eliot Family (guitar/vocals)
[Notes]
The Elliot family of England was recorded by Peggy Seeger and Evan MacColl on three separate occasions in the summer of 1961 in the kitchen of Em and Jack Elliot. Some 17 people, all of whose lives were intimately tied to the local coal mines, participated in the recording sessions. The music captures the world of the North-East music hall—a world of "pawnshops and epic street-outings, of Saturday night fist-fights, of evictions, of five-in-a-bed to keep warm, of dog fights and quayside belles... It is a world where the policeman and the pitman are always on opposite sides." Liner notes include photographs of the family and short descriptions of each member as well as notes from Seeger and MacColl on the recording sessions. Song lyrics are also included.

Tejano Roots: Orquestas Tejanas

Over 60 Minutes of Historic Tejano Music

Arhoolie Records – CD 368

Series: Tejano Roots
Format: CD, Compilation
Country: Mexico, United States
Released: 1992
Genre: Latin, World, & Country
Style: Latin, World
[Tracklist]
01 Las Delicias: Beto Villa (02:43)
02 Rosita Vals: Beto Villa (02:16)
03 Mambo #7: Beto Villa (02:31)
04 Monterrey: Beto Villa (02:28)
05 Victoria: Beto Villa (02:49)
06 Mala Cara: Isidro López (02:29)
07 Díganle: Isidro López (02:23)
08 Sufriendo Y Penando: Isidro López (02:17)
09 Emoción Pasajera: Isidro López (02:20)
10 Miénteme Mas: Isidro López (03:03)
11 La Hiedra: Isidro López (03:12)
12 Los Comentaristas: Pedro Bugarin (02:32)
13 Chivirico: Pedro Bugarin (03:02)
14 Doña Chona: Pedro Bugarin (03:10)
15 No Te Preocupes Por Mí: Balde Gonzalez (02:47)
16 Si No Te Amara Tanto: Balde Gonzalez (02:50)
17 No Esperar Mas De Mí: Balde Gonzalez (02:52)
18 Blanca Estrella: Mike Ornelas (02:54)
19 Mi Marianita: Eugenio Gutiérrez (02:22)
20 Julia! Julia!: Eugenio Gutiérrez (02:42)
21 Porque Eres Tan Mala: Chris Sandoval (02:41)
22 Azalea: Dario Pérez (02:49)
23 Mi Morena: Balde Gonzalez (02:47)
24 Nuevo Contrato: Isidro López (02:27)
[Credits]
Editor and Producer: Chris Strachwitz, Editor and Liner Notes: Manuel Peña, Cover Artwork: Jesse Almazan, Designer: Wayne Pope, Recorder: Armando Marroquin
[Notes]
Part of Arhoolie’s Tejano Roots series, Orquesta Tejanas, is a compilation of some of the important orquesta tejana performers of the 1940’s and 1950’s including Beto Villa, Isidro Lopez, Balde Gonzalez, and Chris Sandoval. Thought the style of music is similar, each artist brings their own unique flair to each song and melody. The liner notes provide a history of orquesta tejana and information about each artist included in this collection.

Clambake on Bourbon Street

Recorded at 116 Royal Street, New Orleans

Cook Records COOK11815

Series: Road Recordings
Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: United States
Released: 1958
Genre: Jazz, World, & Country
Style: Jazz, Ragtime
[Tracklist]
A1 Some of These Days (02:40)
A2 St. Louis Blues (03:56)
A3 Old Grey Bonnet (02:35)
A4 All of Me (02:38)
A5 That's a Plenty (03:59)
B1 In a Little Spanish Town (02:41)
B2 Waffle Man Blues (03:37)
B3 Indiana (02:22)
B4 Darkness on the Delta (03:00)
B5 Swanee River (02:31)
[Credits]
Recorder: Emory Cook, Cover Artwork: Don Smith
[Notes]
Polished off with a saucy French Creole chorus, Queen Mother of the Rue Royale Ms. Lizzie Miles treats you to the lustiest "All of Me" you'll ever hear. Tony Costa of the Parisian Room Band contributes a squealing clarinet that is matched only by pianist Red Camp's dazzling finger displays. And no one can touch band leader Tony Almerico's trumpeting. But one of the most special moments here is the Louis-Armstrong type grovel that Sam DeKemel spits out on "Waffle Man Blues," interspersed with his bugling blues. All together, this is stellar Dixieland jazz.

Juanita Johnson and the Gospel Tones - Climbing High Mountains

Folkways Records – FTS 31037

Format: Vinyl, LP, Stereo
Country: United States
Released: 1974
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, Gospel
[Tracklist]
A1 You Don't Know Like I Know (03:05)
A2 I Know a Man (02:59)
A3 I Feel Good (02:55)
A4 We'll Have a Good Shoutin' Time (02:46)
A5 Holy Ghost (03:12)
A6 I'm Willing To Run (03:40)
B1 How He Delivered Me (02:44)
B2 Glory, Glory Hallelujah (Battle Hymn of the Republic) (02:10)
B3 I Never Knew (03:09)
B4 Jesus, I Love You (02:37)
B5 Climbing High Mountains (04:09)
[Credits]
Producer and Liner Notes: Henry Hines, Designer: Ronald Clyne
[Notes]
In 1964, five Missippians living in Grand Rapids, Mich., started a southern gospel group called Juanita Johnson and the Gospel Tones. During the years that followed, the group gained considerable success, touring high schools and auditoriums throughout the United States and sharing stages with the Sons of Dixie and former members of the legendary Blind Boys of Alabama.

Dave Van Ronk …and the tin pan bended and story ended…

Smithsonian Folkways – SFW CD 40156

Format: CD, Album
Country: United States
Released: 2004
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk
[Tracklist]
01 Down South Blues (04:20)
02 Dave speaks (07:35)
03 You've Been a Good Old Wagon (02:04)
04 Dave speaks (02:28)
05 Don't You Leave Me Here (03:19)
06 Dave speaks (01:53)
07 Did You Hear John Hurt? (02:34)
08 Dave speaks (05:21)
09 Green, Green Rocky Road (03:42)
10 Dave speaks (00:28)
11 Jelly Jelly (02:49)
12 Nobody Know You When You're Down and Out (03:58)
13 Dave speaks (04:41)
14 One Meat Ball (01:56)
15 Buckets of Rain (04:01)
16 Dave speaks (01:31)
17 Sometime (Whatcha Gonna Do) (02:37)
18 Sportin' Life Blues (04:07)
19 Dave speaks (03:29)
20 Ace in the Hole (04:17)
21 Dave speaks (02:57)
22 St. James Infirmary (03:50)
23 Thank You (00:21)
24 Urge for Going (04:29)
[Credits]
Producer and Liner Notes: Andrea Vuocolo, Producer: Chrsitine Levin, Liner Notes: David Eisner, Tom Paxton and Elijah Wald, Designer: Sonya Cohen Cramer, Engineer: Philip Clum
[Notes]
For a performer who never dreamt of being a "folksinger," Dave Van Ronk left a deep mark on the entire folksong revival. His jazz-trained voice, masterful guitar technique, and sharp wit endeared him to audiences everywhere; his generosity of spirit earned him friendship with artists such as Phil Ochs, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Mississippi John Hurt, and Christine Lavin. This October 2001 recording of his last concert features the incomparable "Mayor of MacDougal Street" at his lively best.

Latvian Folk Ensemble of New York Vol. 2

Monitor Records – MFS 466

Format: Vinyl, LP, Stereo
Country: Latvia, United States
Released: 1991
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, World
[Tracklist]
A1 Kalabadi Galdinam (03:39)
A2 Garais Dancis (01:27)
A3 Tris Dziesmas Iz Tautas Mutes (02:18)
A4 Kade Parnaksi, Balelin? (02:51)
A5 Siena Plava (02:04)
A6 Lakstigala Kroni Pina (02:14)
A7 Es Ar Sauli Sadereju (01:39)
A8 Žiga (01:38)
A9 Likumu Deja (04:23)
B1 Gaismina Ausa (02:28)
B2 Sidrabina Lietinš Lija (01:48)
B3 Rikšu Beri Es Palaidu (02:02)
B4 Apalais Meness (02:02)
B5 Lejas Kurzemes Gavilu Balsi (03:20)
B6 Noriet Saule (02:14)
B7 Gerbies Saule Sudrabota (01:37)
B8 Es Redzeju Jurina (07:58)
[Credits]
Latvian Folk Ensemble of New York (artist)
Designer: Edward Buxbaum
[Notes]
This album, originally released by Monitor Records in the 1960s, presents a collection of Latvian folk music. The recording includes both "primitive" and "civilized" songs and features 16 dances, ballads, work songs, and choral pieces which "depict all aspects of life, in a predominantly rural setting." The singers are accompanied by Latvian folk instruments, including the kokle, a traditional zither, and a type of flute called the stabule. Liner notes contain background information on the songs and a complete Latvian text of the songs.