Discography
(For discs and videos, ask your library if they have them, and why not.)
This very short list was selected to help open the ears, to hear old music in a new way.
Milton Brown and his Musical Brownies, 5-CD set
The Cats and the Fiddle: I Miss You So; Bluebird/RCA, 1939-41 (black string band)
Gospel Hummingbirds, Steppin Out, Blind Pig, 1991
Wynonie Harris, Wynonie “Mr. Blues” Harris, Charly CD 244.
Emmett Miller: The Minstrel Man From Georgia; Sony Legacy Roots & Blues Series, 1996.
Dom Flemons, Dom Flemons Presents Black Cowboys, Smithsonian Folkways/African American Legacy Recordings/National Museum of African American Culture. SFW CD 40224, 2018.
Dom Pedro, Tango Negro: The African Roots of Tango. AMA Productions, 2013
Lesley Riddle, Step By Step—Lesley Riddle Meets the Carter Family: Blues, Country, and Sacred Songs, Rounder CD 0299.
Big Joe Turner, Shake, Rattle, & Roll, Tomato R2 71666, 1994.
Compilations:
The Alabama Sacred Harp Convention: White Spirituals from the
Sacred Harp; recorded by Alan Lomax, New World Records, 1977
Altamont: Black string band music from the Library of Congress; Rounder (recorded 1942-46)
Before the Blues, Vol. 1-3, Yazoo, 1996.
Black Banjo Songsters of North Carolina and Virginia, Smithsonian Folkways, 1998.
Blues Originals, Vol. 6, Rhino Records
Blues Masters, Vol. 14, Rhino Records, 1993.
Deep River of Song: Black Texicans – Balladeers and Songsters of the Texas Frontier. Alan Lomax Collection, Rounder, 1999.
Louisiana Piano Rhythms, Rhino R2 71568, 1993
Negro Church Music, Atlantic Records Southern Folk Heritage Series 1351, edited by Alan Lomax
New Orleans Originals
Rhythm, Country & Blues; MC Records, 1994 (Blues and Country superstars paired up)
Roots of the Blues; New World Records, 1977
Roots of Rock; Yazoo Records
Singing Preachers and Their Congregations
The Southern Journey; CD, Prestige recorded by John and Alan Lomax, 1959 (black religious, Appalachian, etc.)
Square Dance With Soul, Frederick Douglass Kirkpatrick, Folkways, 1969.
Wade in the Water; Smithsonian, audio series on gospel narrated by Bernice Johnson Reagon, 1993
Eddie Cantor, Bert Williams, others; Ziegfeld Follies of 1919; music by Irving Berlin and others; Smithsonian.
Videography
Birth of the Blues, Bing Crosby, 1941.
Bluesland: A Portrait in American Music, “Masters of American Music” series, BMG Video, 1993
Dancing, Part 5: New World, New Forms; PBS/WNET, 1993.
Deep Blues, dir. Robert Mugge, writer/narrator Robert Palmer, 1991.
Duke Ellington: Reminiscing in Tempo, PBS
Gurumbe: Afro-Andalousian Memories, dir. M. Angel Rosale. Intermedia Productions, 2016.
History of Rock and Roll, PBS
International Sweethearts of Rhythm: America’s Hottest All-Girl Band, 1986.
Jazz Classics (series)
John Hammond, From Bessie Smith to Bruce Springsteen, WNET/CBS
Louie Bluie, black string band
A Patchwork Quilt (series): Appalachian Journey, Jazz Parades, Cajun Country, and The Land Where the Blues Began,produced by Alan Lomax, 1990.
Routes of Rhythm, series narrated by Harry Belafonte; PBS, 1991.
Tango Negro: The African Roots of Tango. By Dom Pedro. Distributed by ArtMattan Productions. www.AfricanDiasporaDVD.com. 2013.
Times Ain’t Like They Used To Be: Early Rural & Popular American Music, Shanachie, 1992.
Podcastography
Rhiannon Giddens Black Roots podcast
The Record Spinner Podcast
Blue Lineage – Black American Music Timeline
Black Music Matters
For the Culture: The History of Black Music podcast
Videos embedded in this book
Ch 1 In the Beginning…
New Orleans and African Parades
Ch 2 Early Fusion Music
The African American roots of the Charleston
Old African Polyrhythms
Ch 3 The Plantation
Ring shout re-enactment by Geechee/Gullah women
Spiritual Roots of Blues
African Parade 1
African American girl games
Cakewalk
Hokey Pokey western
Hokey Pokey Jamaica
Hokey Pokey hip-hop
Lindy Hop – the Breakout
Ray Charles – C&R
Ch 4 Minstrelsy: Whites Acting Black?
Minstrel Show 1913
Minstrel Show from Harmony Lane, 1935
Mammy, Al Jolson
Ch 5 Sleepy Time Down South
Carolina Cocolate Drops: Snowden’s Jig
The Earl White Stringband plays “Hickory” on The Floyd Radio Show
Dom Flemons: Can You Blame The Colored Man?
Banjo, children dancing
Banjo and singers, 30s
Fiddlers w/ FDR—Soldier’s Joy
String band early 30s
Fiddles and Clogging
Irish step dancers
Square dance caller
Work songs, African and African American
Ch 6 Cowboys: The West Was White?
Home on the Range 30s
2 audio clips:
“The Old Chisholm Train,” sung by Moses “Clear Rock” Platt, 1933
“Western Cowboy,” sung by Leadbelly, 1934.
Ch 7 Sea Chanties
Neely on chanties
Audio:
Adieu, Fare-You-Well sung by Women’s League, Anguilla.
Recorded by Alan Lomax, 1962.
Goodbye, Fare You Well, sung by Leighton Robinson & friends
Georgia Sea Island Singers, “Pay Me My Money Down”
Singers from Anguilla, Caribbean, recorded by Alan Lomax, 1962
A Long Time Ago—Harding Barbadian melody version
Ch 8 Old Time Religion
Ralph Stanley—Gloryland
Rockin’ spiritual
Gospel 1930s
Sacred Harp W2
Shape Note, AA1
Ralph Stanley—Old Village Churchyard
Amazing Grace—Allstars
Ch 9 Time For Rags
Over The Rainbow (in ragtime)
Cartier Williams (tap)
Ch 10 Hollers, Looks, and Levees: The Blues
Memphis Minnie – Me And My Chauffeur Blues
Work songs, Mississippi
William Hart
Sam Chatmon
Bessie Smith
Sugar Chile Robinson
AA jug band 30s
Ch 11 Black Barbershops
Fairfield Four – Roll Jordan Roll (feat. Crossroads)
My Evaline – Barbershop Quartet (Close Enough)
Signature – Somebody to Love (Queen cover)
Never gonna give you up but it’s a barbershop quartet
Ch 12 Jazz Marches In
Ford Dabney’s Syncopated Orchestra – Doo Dah Blues – 1922
Congo Square
Mardi Gras Indians—short
Henry Red Allen + Jelly Roll Morton 1940 – Panama to Rug Cutters Holiday – Freddie & Flo
Soundtrack: The Four Blackbirds – Swing For Sale
Palesteena – Original Dixieland Jazz-Band , 1920
Henry Ford’s Antisemitic Assault on Jazz |
The Breakdown with Dara Starr Tucker
Ch 13 Jazz: What Is It?
Syncopation
Spanish tinge
Blue note
Call and response
Ch 14 Latin America: US
How to play Rumba Clave & Son Clave
Habanera
Mariano Neris & Bella Malekian—Rumba Cubana
Cuban Music 1
Tango roots
Dizzy on Chano
Habanera interlude
Jambalaya
Gene Autry (Blueberry Hill) 1941
Fats Domino “Blueberry Hill” on The Ed Sullivan Show
Mambo
Ch 15 Up River: The Bleached Chorus
Castles
James Reese Europe in Europe
Cab Calloway
Ethel Waters 1951
Goldkette Orchestra
Paul Whiteman Orchestra—At Sundown
The Boswell Sisters—Crazy People 1932
Ch 16 Broadway: Operetta Meets Jazz
Ruth Etting—Shaking The Blues Away 1927—Irving Berlin Songs
Bing Crosby blackface
Gershwin plays I Got Rhythm (1931)
Al Jolson–Swanee
Jimmy Slyde
Ch 17 Swing And Its Kings
African American dancers and band
Duke Ellington, “Take the A Train”
Lionel Hampton and Benny Goodman—Stealing Apples
Benny Goodman Orchestra, “Blue Skies” with Fletcher Henderson
Glenn Miller—In The Mood
Boo Hoo—Guy Lombardo and His Royal Canadians
Dizzy Gillespie—Bebop
The International Sweethearts Of Rhythm— “Jump Children”
Ch 18 Broadway, Part Two: The Great White Way
Oklahoma! Title Song (Hugh Jackman)
Robert Goulet “If Ever I Would Leave You” as Sir Lancelot
My Fair Lady—Wouldn’t it be Loverly
Ch 19 Crooners And Their Sweet Inspirations
Hubba Hubba Hubba
Billie Holiday—Don’t Explain (Live, 1958)
Frank Sinatra (Live)—I`ve Got You Under My Skin
Dinah Shore & Ella Fitzgerald
Andrews Sisters—Gimme Some Skin, My Friend
Try a little tenderness—Bing Crosby with Orchestra. 78rpm, 1933
Otis Redding 1967—Try a little tenderness
Doris Day—Que Sera Sera
Ch 20 New South, New Country
Clarence Ashley
Ed Young and Hobart Smith
Murphy Gribble, John Lusk and Albert York play Pateroller’ll Catch You
Jimmie Rodgers, 1930
Emmett Miller—Take Your Tomorrow
Allen Brothers, Chattanooga Blues
Uncle Dave Macon—”Take Me Back To My Old Carolina Home”
Frank Hutchison – Cannonball Blues
Audio: Tom Darby and Jimmy Tarleton, “Little Ola,”
their take on Aloha Oe. ~1930
Roscoe Holcomb, Pretty Polly
Dock Boggs: Country Blues, 1966
Frailing
Clayton McMichen & the Georgia Wildcats—Wild Cat Rag
The Carter Family—Wildwood Flower
Hank Williams – Hey Good Lookin’
Cool Drink Of Water by Mr. John Dudley
Rare 1943 Sol Hoopii Video—Part 1
Merle Travis – Midnight Special (solo guitar, 1968)
Doc Watson-Deep River Blues
Willie Jones – American Dream
Ch 21 Western Swingers
Bob Wills
Bob Wills—breakdown
bluesy fiddle
Shuffle
Joe Venuti & Eddie Lang – Wild Cat (1930) “King Of Jazz”
Wendy Holcomb – Steel Guitar Rag
Ch 22 Bluegrazz
Earl Scruggs
Bill Monroe on Arnold Shultz
Alison Krauss
Ch 23 Rhythm And…Rock
Louis Jordan – Caldonia (1946)
Ike Turner – Rocket 88
Bill Haley – Rocket 88 (1951)
Little Richard – “Long Tall Sally” – from “Don’t Knock The Rock” 1956
Muddy Waters – Got My Mojo Workin’
Roy Buchanan
Elvis and quartet – gospel
Elvis, Baby I Don’t Care
Elvis—Got a Woman
Elvis on Ed Sullivan
R&B covers
Righteous Brothers
Rolling Stones—Satisfaction
Michael Bolton, Georgia
Phil Driscoll
James Brown
Respect – Aretha Franklin
Stevie Wonder
Supremes
Animals—Rising Sun
Purple Haze (Live at the Atlanta Pop Festival)
Kool & The Gang – Get Down On It
Ch 24 Rapping Up
Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five – The Message
Queen Latifah – Ladies First (feat. Monie Love)
RUN DMC – Walk This Way (Official HD Video) ft. Aerosmith
Beastie Boys – Sure Shot
Jawga Boyz – Chillin In The Backwoods