Our featured item today is the Alan Lomax Blues Songbook. But who is Alan Lomax? Lomax was an anthropologist and preserver of folk music, whose tireless work during the 20th century ensured that folk music traditions and musicians were recorded for the benefit of historians and future generations of listeners. Lomax produced records, radio shows, and TV segments for institutions like the Library of Congress and the BBC over the course of a globe-trotting career that began when he accompanied his father, John A. Lomax, on a similar mission in the rural southern United States. It would be difficult to overstate Alan Lomax’s role in preserving folk music traditions.
This compilation—which is not on streaming platforms—focuses on Lomax’s recordings of American blues music, a field in which he not only made priceless recordings but also nigh singlehandedly launched the careers of some of the blues’ greatest stars (see, e.g., Lead Belly, Muddy Waters, and Mississippi Fred McDowell).
Alan Lomax Blues Songbook is a 2-disc release by Rounder Select in 2003. It’s an impressive 41 tracks long, with more than 2 hours of runtime and an impressive array of artists and styles. The compilation opens with a wonderful track by one of my personal favorite blues musicians, Mississippi Fred McDowell, who was first recorded by Alan Lomax. Track two moves into a delightfully barebones rendition of the blues classic “Rolled and Tumbled,” performed by Rosalie Hill.
The album features some of the biggest names in blues history, such as Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, Jelly Roll Morton, Lead Belly, and Skip James, as well as dozens of more obscure performers. Sonny Boy Williamson (I), the legendary blues harmonica player from Jackson, TN, appears on two tracks, including the disc 2 opener.
Not only does this item feature two discs of incredible recordings, it also has aesthetic packaging and liner notes that read more like a short book. Included are a preface by filmmaker Martin Scorsese, an essay on Lomax’s career by John Cowley, several black & white photos by Lomax, and song notes for every track, tag-teamed by Cowley and 2023 Blues Hall of Fame inductee David Evans. Want to learn more about the blues, and not just listen to more of the blues? The Alan Lomax Blues Songbook has you covered!
Track List
This item includes the whole spectrum of the blues, from single-guitar folk blues to full-band recordings to religious spirituals to acapella prison “field hollers.” It’s impossible to listen to this anthology and not be astounded by the amount of American folk music tradition that has been preserved due to the efforts of one man and his collaborators.
This compilation is not on digital streaming platforms, and many of the individual tracks haven’t been released elsewhere at all. Get the Alan Lomax Blues Songbook from our Media Collection!
Darius Mullin’s reviews reflect his personal opinions and not necessarily those of the library or university.
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