Railroad Songs & Ballads

The Archive of Folk Music in the Library of Congress has been since 1928 the chief repository in the United States for field recordings of American folk music and folklore. Though its collections are principally American, it also houses field recordings from many other areas of the world. From this extensive collection the Library for a number of years has been publishing selected documentary recordings for public purchase. These recordings focus upon the traditional music and lore of the United States -- Anglo - American, Afro - American, American Indian, and other cultural groups. Some of the recordings, however, feature collections in the Archive of Folk Song of music and lore from abroad. Pamphlets accompanying most of the Library's series of long-playing recordings supply transcriptions of the texts, historical background and stylistic analysis, and references to other publications. To the people who made these recordings and the collectors who secured and preserved them we owe a continuing debt of gratitude. Through their efforts and their generosity the Archive of Folk Song has been able to preserve and disseminate the living voices and vital arts of the people. Cover drawing is from a Farm Security Administration photograph taken by Russell Lee of a railroad gang in Lutkin, Texas in April 1939. In the Prints and Photographs Division. Library of Congress Card Number R67 - 3179rev Available from the Recorded Sound Section, Music Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540