Paul Robeson – On My Journey: Paul Robeson's Independent Recordings

Smithsonian Folkways Recordings – SFW CD 40178

Series: African American Legacy Recordings
Format: CD, Compilation
Country: United States
Released: 2007
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, & Struggle
[Tracklist]
01 On My Journey: Mount Zion (2:26)
02 Scandalize My Name (2:04)
03 Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel? (1:25)
04 Hassidic Chant: Kaddish (2:42)
05 We Are Climbing Jacob's Ladder (3:02)
06 Songs My Mother Taught Me (2:09)
07 The Minstrel Boy (2:03)
08 The Orphan (1:40)
09 Swing Low, Sweet Chariot (2:13)
10 Vi Azoi Lebt Der Keyser (3:17)
11 Witness (2:15)
12 Hammer Song (2:09)
13 Water Me From The Lime Rock (1:41)
14 Let Us Break Bread Together On Our Knees (2:03)
15 Amazing Grace (3:37)
16 Shlol, Mein Kind (3:08)
17 Skye Boat Song (2:16)
18 Wanderer (2:27)
19 I'm Gonna Let It Shine (2:34)
20 Stand Still Jordan (3:22)
21 Takin' Names (2:34)
22 Dans Le Printemps De Mes Annees (1:35)
23 Passing By (1:55)
24 Mistress Mine (1:45)
25 Now Sleeps The Crimson Petal (2:08)
26 Li'l Gal (2:50)
27 Kevin Barry (2:16 28 Zot Nit Keynmol (Song Of The Warsaw Ghetto) (2:07)
29 Joe Hill (3:05)
30 Zvornost (2:16)
31 Bear The Burden In The Heat Of The Day (3:21)
32 No More Auction Block For Me (2:11)
[Credits]
Producer and Liner Notes: Robert H. Cataliotti, Recorder and Photographer: Paul Robeson, Designer: Sonya Cohen Cramer
[Notes]
An American giant of 20th-century music, Paul Robeson stood tall against racism, McCarthyism, and blacklisting to proclaim the majesty of African-American culture. Recorded on his own Othello label in the 1950s, Robeson’s voice rings out with traditional spirituals and folk melodies from around the globe inspiring international audiences to embrace him as the people’s bard of faith, hope, and freedom. 34-page booklet, historic photos, 74 minutes. This recording is part of the Smithsonian Folkways African American Legacy series, co-presented with the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Easy Rider: Leadbelly Legacy Volume Four

Folkways Records – FA 2034

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Reissue
Country: United States
Released: 1953, 2019
Genre: Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, & Blues
[Tracklist]
A1 There's a Man Going Round Taking Names (01:44)
A2 Easy Rider (02:50)
A3 Red Bird (02:54)
A4 Line 'Em (01:14)
A5 T.B. Blues (03:42)
B1 Jim Crow (02:23)
B2 Bourgeois Blues (02:17)
B3 Army Life (01:45)
B4 Hitler Song (03:02)
[Credits]
Lead Belly (guitar/vocals)
Recorder: Moses Asch, Liner Notes: Frederic Ramsey, Jr., Cover Artwork: Don Sibley
[Notes]
This collection of songs by Lead Belly was assembled by Folkways founder Moses Asch from recordings made in the early to mid-1940s, and it focuses primarily on Lead Belly’s observations on the hate and racism that permeated America and the world during this turbulent period of history. Songs like "Jim Crow" and “Bourgeois Blues” reflect his anger at the discrimination he and others experienced as African Americans, while "Hitler" was his condemnation of Hitler and anti-Semitism. The vinyl reissue of Easy Rider includes the original liner notes and is part of Folkways Records' Vinyl Reissue Series, revisiting some of the most iconic and influential albums released on the record label. We are offering Easy Rider along with the vinyl reissues of Dave Van Ronk's Ballads, Blues, and a Spiritual, and Brownie McGhee and Sonny Terry Sing as a Vinyl Bundle with Bonus Folkways Slipmat.

Michael Cohen: Some of Us Had to Live

Folkways Records – FS 8583

Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo
Country: United States
Released: 1976
Genre: Rock, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, Struggle, & Protest
[Tracklist]
A1 Soren (02:29)
A2 Poison Darts (03:31)
A3 Oracle (On Main Street) (03:02)
A4 The Riddled Song (02:00)
A5 Millstone (02:17)
A6 Dyin' Day (05:01)
B1 Spend Your Love with Me (02:33)
B2 Ward Six Revisited (03:00)
B3 Don (03:24)
B4 Sole Inheritor (05:07)
B5 In a Dream, Again (04:11)
[Credits]
Michael Cohen (guitar/piano/synthesizer/vocals)
Cover Artwork: Sue Apte, Photographer: Vivien Rabin, Designer: Ronald Clyne
[Notes]
New York City-based singer-songwriter (and cab driver) Michael Cohen (1951-1997) released only three recordings during his life, including two for Folkways Records: What Did You Expect in 1973 and Some of Us Had to Live in 1976. Cohen was an early performer of songs dealing with gay themes. For example, in "Poison Darts" the song's narrator tells of his partner's struggle over his sexual orientation.