Bascom Lamar Lunsford's recordings -youtube link

Subject: Bascom Lamar Lunsford's recordings
From: Goose Gander
Date: 18 Feb 08 - 01:13 AM

I understand that Bascom Lamar Lunsford recorded 350 or so songs for the Library of Congress. My question: why are so few available? It seems like someone should have released this material, but I can only find a few CDs. Are there copyright issues?

Subject: RE: Bascom Lamar Lunsford's recordings
From: 12-stringer
Date: 18 Feb 08 - 05:38 AM

Probably not a copyright issue, as most of the material is securely PD. My own perception is that there just isn't much commercial interest in Lunsford, though he is starting to draw more attention, if postings on banjo boards are any indication.

Whether the "350" total means different songs or includes different takes of the same songs I don't know, though I suspect it is the latter. There's considerable duplication among the list of his recordings in the archive, which were made over a span of close to 30 years. I don't have the address at my fingertips, but a google search for "banjo recordings" "archive of American folk music" should lead you to the on-line edition of the checklist of banjo music in the archive -- it prints out at about 100 pp (I think I have the page itself, as an html, on my computer if ya can't find it). This has pages of Lunsford entries, though I don't think it includes any of the a capella music he recorded, nor at least one fiddle tune. Still, it probably includes the bulk of what he cut for them.

The LOC will dub, but the prices for doing it are pretty high -- over $100/hr. Terms and rates are on their website.

Some of the later Lunsford recordings were made by Kenneth Goldstein, and it's likely these are the same ones that he used on the old Riverside LP of Lunsford, from the 50s, and on the early 70s Rounder vinyl "Music from South Turkey Creek." The Riverside was o/p before my interest in the subject developed, but I always intended to buy the Rounder (which also included a side of Pegram and Parham) and never got around to doing it.

Subject: RE: Bascom Lamar Lunsford's recordings
From: GUEST,Hootenanny
Date: 18 Feb 08 - 06:19 AM

Subject: RE: Bascom Lamar Lunsford's recordings
From: Fred McCormick
Date: 18 Feb 08 - 06:20 AM

I suspect that sound quality may also be an issue. The quality of many of the pre-war L of C blues recordings was appalling, but there's enough interest in blues to guarantee minority specialist interest sales for even the most poorly recorded material. The same cannot be said for mountainy singers like old Bascom unfortunately.

Don't forget of course, there's the Smithsonian Folkways CD, Ballads, Banjo Tunes and Sacred Songs. SF CD 40082
Also, that fabulous ten incher, Smoky Mountain Ballads. Folkways FA 2040. Long since deleted, but downloadable from the Global Smithsonian site.

Subject: RE: Bascom Lamar Lunsford's recordings
From: GUEST,Hootenanny
Date: 18 Feb 08 - 06:24 AM

Sorry, not awake yet.

The Rounder does not use the same material as the Riverside or that used on the 10 inch Folkways album and I am pretty sure that none of it is duplicated on the Smithsonian Folkways CD.
There are of course two DVD's available about Lunsford which show a little of his playing on fiddle. More interesting are the other musicians eg; Lost John Ray and his accompanist.

Hoot

Subject: RE: Bascom Lamar Lunsford's recordings
From: Fred McCormick
Date: 18 Feb 08 - 06:26 AM

Correct. there's no duplications between any of these. which is mighty fortunate.

Subject: RE: Bascom Lamar Lunsford's recordings
From: Goose Gander
Date: 18 Feb 08 - 11:09 AM

Thanks, everyone. If there's no commercial interest (which I doubt, but 'if') then at least some of this material should make to the American Memory site (I would hope).

Subject: RE: Bascom Lamar Lunsford's recordings
From: Fortunato
Date: 18 Feb 08 - 11:29 AM

Michael,
    I don't know where you are, but one can go to the Library of Congress and listen to those recordings, but not, of course copy them. One of my plans is to spend some days there when I can.
    My impression is that there is a human resouce problem. I recently ordered a CD of Bascom's recordings for my neighbor and a neighbor of his when she was a child who wasn't aware of the recording. Susette and I have a house on the other side of Hanlon Mt. from Bascom's homeplace in Leicester. They screwed up the order, failed to ship and failed to notify me. When I called a student intern or volunteer was handling the ordering. I got it, but it took 3 months.

Like you I suspect there are some diamonds in the rough in those recordings, and those that are released are already well known. As said above the audience for these is small. Here is a link, good hunting.
chance Shiver

http://www.loc.gov/folklife/

Subject: RE: Bascom Lamar Lunsford's recordings
From: Goose Gander
Date: 18 Feb 08 - 11:31 AM

Here's a little bit about Lunsford's Library of Congress recordings from dirtylinen.com

And here's a little more from someone who actually got to listen to some of the archival recordings. Source: hoobellatoo.org

Subject: RE: Bascom Lamar Lunsford's recordings
From: Goose Gander
Date: 21 Feb 08 - 12:54 PM

Here's three unaccompanied songs by Lunsford collected by Robert Gordon in 1925. Sound quality is a bit rough, indeed, but no worse than a lot of other Library of Congress recordings. But I'd really like to hear more of the 1949 recordings of his "memory collection" plus the 1935 Columbia University Library stuff.

Subject: RE: Bascom Lamar Lunsford's recordings
From: open mike
Date: 21 Feb 08 - 02:47 PM

John McCutcheon tells a funny story about a time he was asked to play at
a B.L. Lunsford festival and in his intro he assumed it was a memorial
festival (posthumaous) but Bascom was sitting right there..he had not
met him and did not know !
probably this festival..
http://www.mhc.edu/regional/lunsford_festival.asp
Known as the "minstrel of the Appalachians" Lunsford
was an Asheville, North Carolina Song collector...

Subject: RE: Bascom Lamar Lunsford's recordings
From: katlaughing
Date: 23 Dec 08 - 02:14 PM

There's a beautiful slide show with photographs of Lunsford and others as well as scenery on youtube, now: click here. Here's the blurb about it:

I made this video for the intermission at the Lunsford Festival two years ago. It features images from the Lunsford Scrapbook and audio of Bascom singing for his Memory Collection.

Throughout its 40 years, the Bascom Lamar Lunsford Festival at Mars Hill College has celebrated a particular style of life, shaped by both the beauty and the harshness of the land.

Lunsford was like a midwife for the rebirth of mountain culture. His legacy is the clear mandate of preserving the pride of the region through its people.

See www.lunsfordfestival.com for information about the next festival.

Really neat pix and music!

Subject: RE: Bascom Lamar Lunsford's recordings -youtube link
From: Goose Gander
Date: 23 Dec 08 - 02:28 PM

Thanks, Kat.