Smithsonian Folkways Recordings is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution. The story of Smithsonian Folkways goes back over 75 years when Moses Asch and his assistant, Marian Distler, founded Folkways Records and Service Corp., an independent record label devoted to documenting the “entire world of sound.”
Beginning in 1948 Asch made it his mission to record what he called “the people’s music”. He was driven by a passion for capturing the cultural and musical diversity of the globe, believing that these recordings were vital for understanding and appreciating different cultures. For the most part, Asch eschewed the popular music of the day, instead focusing on what he considered to be the authentic music of humanity. He took a scientific approach, recording artists as they were, without studio manipulation.
Over the course of Asch’s life, Folkways released over 2,100 albums, averaging nearly one album per week for 38 years. The many varied sounds released on Folkways included traditional and contemporary folk music by artists such as The New Lost City Ramblers and Lucinda Williams. Early Jazz and Blues by James P. Johnson and Big Bill Broonzy. Spoken word and poetry by Langston Hughes and Allen Ginsberg. The sounds of the Civil Rights Movement, North American Tree Frogs and NYC subway platforms. Children’s music, computer music, instructional recordings, and field recordings from around the globe that would help to launch the new genre of World Music.
Folkways Records was extremely influential in the folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s. It was the first record company to introduce Americans to the music of folk music icons Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, and Pete Seeger. But perhaps the most influential and iconic album ever to be released by Folkways Records was Harry Smith’s “Anthology of American Folk Music”. Smith was a multifaceted Artist and Record Collector who compiled the Anthology from his extensive collection of early American recordings from the 1920’s and 1930s. The Anthology gave young musicians like Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Jerry Garcia a window into what writer Greil Marcus would later call, “The Old, Weird America.” A mysterious and sometimes surreal place, populated by artists like Blind Lemon Jefferson, The Carter Family, and The Masked Marvel.
The acquisition of Folkway records by the Smithsonian was initiated by folklorist and mandolin player Ralph Rinzler, before Asch’s death in 1986. It was completed by the Asch family on the important condition that the entire Folkways catalogue remain available to the public, in keeping with Asch’s policy of keeping the entire catalogue in print. In the years since the acquisition of Folkways, the Smithsonian Institution has gone on to acquire several other important independent record labels in an effort to preserve their rich cultural legacy. Perhaps most notable of these was the acquisition of Chris Strachwitz’s label, renowned for its dedication to promoting and preserving American roots music, Arhoolie records, in 2016.
Over the course of the upcoming academic year, we will be sharing the music and telling the stories of the people who contributed so much to the wonderful sounds and rich musical heritage of Smithsonian Folkways Records. Travel with us as we navigate this vast landscape of sound and song. Visit us at the Presser Music Library to experience our dynamic new exhibit and listen to these recordings in their original vinyl format. Explore the virtual exhibit at our website, library.wcupa.edu/music, where you can take a deep dive into the entire catalogue of Smithsonian Folkways via our online database Smithsonian Global Sound for Libraries. Finally, follow us on social media to stay up to date on new playlists, blogposts, and album reviews from the staff at the Presser Music Library.
