Recording Industry

Smithsonian Folkways is the non-profit record label of the United States. Its mission is to document and celebrate traditional culture throughout the world. It began as Folkways Records in 1948 and was founded by Moses Asch and Marian Distler. The Asch estate sold the label to the Smithsonian Institution in 1987, negotiated by Ralph Rinzler, an important documenter of Appalachian music. It was re-born again the following year as Smithsonian Folkways to carry on the Asch legacy. One of the key missions of the label continues to be to provide deep information about the artists and region in the liner notes. Smithsonian Folkways has had a long history of releasing titles of Appalachian music beginning with Hobart Smith and Texas Gladden during the Asch Records period. The label was the prime destination for folklorists looking to publish their recordings from the region. During the era of the great folk song revival musician/folklorists like Mike Seeger, John Cohen, Sandy Paton and Ralph Rinzler brought their work to the public through Folkways. They published extensive liner notes discussing the history of the songs and music. Others Asch published were Hazel and Alice and the Country Gentlemen. The music of the Appalachian Region has always been a central part of what Smithsonian Folkways does. As it moves on into time, projects by Anna and Elizabeth, Rhiannon Giddens and Dom Flemons, formerly of the Carolina Chocolate Drops will continue the legacy.

Published in 2018

Smithsonian Folkways Recordings

Bobby Patterson was born in Carroll County, Virginia, into a musical family. Bobby started playing the guitar at age 6 and attended his first live bluegrass show at the local Coleman School in 1948. In 1969 with the help of his father and Kyle Creed, he built his first recording studio on Coal Creek. In 1974 Bobby decided to start his own record label “Heritage Records” and Kyle kept the Mountain Label and produced about 8 more albums on Mountain Records until his health began to fail and he sold the Mountain Label back to Bobby. In 1976 Bobby recorded Wayne Henderson, Ray Cline and Herb Key’s first album which is considered by many to be the ultimate guitar album. Bobby has been producing recordings of the Galax Old Fiddlers’ Conventions since 1974, including the 39th annual convention. On November 2007 he received the Life-Time Achievement Award in Recognition of Outstanding Contributions Made to the Spiritual Heritage of the Blue Ridge and in July 2009 at the Richmond Virginia Folk Festival, received the Virginia Heritage Award for Preservation of Traditional Music. The Appalachian Cultural Music Association presented him with the Bluegrass Award in 2014.

Published in 2015

Bobby Patterson

Four-time Grammy Award winner David Holt is a musician, storyteller, historian, television host and entertainer, dedicated to performing and preserving traditional American music and stories. Holt plays ten acoustic instruments and has released numerous award winning recordings of traditional mountain music and southern folktales. In 2002, Doc Watson and David won two Grammy Awards for Best Traditional Folk Recording for “Legacy”, a three CD collection of songs and stories reflecting Doc Watson’s inspiring life story. In 1975, Holt founded and directed the Appalachian Music Program at Warren Wilson College in Swannanoa, North Carolina, the only program of its kind in . The songs and tales Holt has collected for the past twenty years have become a part of the permanent collection of the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. The U.S. State Department has sponsored Holt’s performances in many parts of the world as a musical ambassador, taking the sounds of American folk music to such diverse lands as Nepal, Thailand, South America and Africa.

Published in 2012

David Holt

Mike Seeger was born in New York into a well-known folk music family and grew up in Maryland. Although he was an accomplished musician who played many instruments, he was also known for his distinctive voice in old-time traditional music. A founding member of the New Lost City Ramblers, Mike considered “music a vehicle for history” as his career demonstrated. He is honored for his greatest contributions, which is his work with Folkways music recording and production industry. After the Smithsonian acquired the Folkways music library, Mike worked with Ralph Rinzler providing documentation and recreating numerous early musical recordings. Because of his effort, recording treasures from the early 20th century have been preserved. Mike Seeger passed away August 7, 2009.

Published in 2009

Mike Seeger