Alan Lomax believed that the culture of poor Americans was important and worthy of saving. So he spent decades traveling the American South and recording obscure musicians on their front porches, in churches, even in prisons. Today, he's considered an American icon, but the road to becoming a legend wasn't an easy one. Featuring Southern Historical Collection archivist Chaitra Powell), American Folklife Center curator Todd Harvey), and filmmaker Rogier Kappers).
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Archival recordings in this episode came from the Alan Lomax Collection) at the American Folklife Center), courtesy of the Association for Cultural Equity).
Check out Rogier's documentary "Lomax the Songhunter" on Amazon.)
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Episode transcript, music, and credits can be found here: https://www.20k.org/episodes/soundsworthsaving)
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