Estudiantina Invencibal: El Fiel Enamorado (The Faithful Lover) – 1929 It is often wrongly assumed that estudian-inos were “student” bands when really they were just another expression of the same Cuban music tradition as the Sextetos and Septetos. The main differences were that the number of musicians in estudiantinas was not fixed at 6 or […]
MORE ...A field recording from an unknown band recorded singing “Mary Don’t You Weep” shot in the 1920’s. Oh, Mary, don’t you weep, don’t you mourn Oh, Mary, don’t you weep, don’t you mourn Pharaoh’s army got drowned-ed. Oh, Mary, don’t weep Oh, Mary, don’t you weep, don’t you mourn. Oh, Mary, don’t you weep, don’t […]
MORE ...Virginia native Zanddervon Beliah Lamb, renamed Bela Lam by Okeh Records, performs the song Poor Little Benny with wife Rose Meadows. With Bela’s brother-in-law Paul and son Alva, they became local favorites near the Blue Ridge Mountain region in the 1920’s, eventually being called to New York City to record six songs. Influenced by the […]
MORE ...During the 1920’s, lack of money and technology did not stop folks from making great music. Take this duo who put on a porch concert with a ukulele, washboard & kazoo. A teapot becomes a horn, a wooden tube creates an added acoustic element, while the infectious rhythm keeps it swingy.
MORE ...Folk master Pete Seeger narrates Alan Lomax’s documentary on the evolution and appreciation of American folk music. Special cameo performances include Woody Guthrie and Brownie McGhee, amongst many others.
MORE ...In this clip form the 1930s, the Cumberland Ridge Runners perform “Goofus,” a request from a member of the audience of children from a hospital ward that sit beside them. The Cumberland Ridge Runners were a popular radio act in the 1930s, known for their musical virtuosity as much as their on stage antics, as seen here […]
MORE ...With America’s infrastructure crumbling, it’s time we took a look back at our past achievements, their purpose, and why we need to rebuild and maintain them. The Grand Coulee Dam was built upon the Columbia River during the Roosevelt Administration between 1933 and 1942. To this day, The Grand Coulee is the largest electric power […]
MORE ...In this rare clip from the late 1920’s, an unknown group of musicians perform the American classic “Turkey in the Straw,” which dates back to the 19th century. A mesh of Irish and other folk melodies, “Turkey in the Straw” was popularized in early musical minstrel shows in the 1920’s. As its recognition grew, it […]
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