Alan Lomax is still alive, but he has had a stroke and is in a wheelchair. His mind works clearly, but his speech is halting. This is from reports from friends, as I haven't seen Alan in many years. He attended a recent program in Brooklyn, organized by Jerry Epstein, and by all reports he was completely aware of what was taking place.

I know nothing of his financial arrangements with the folk he recorded in the field, although there have been some stories bandied about. One thing is clear: there has never been any serious money in the folksong collecting game. Believe me, I've been there. Alan was always fortunate (or skillful) enough to find sponsors for his field work: the Carnegie people put up money for the Library of Congress field work he did and I was told that the BBC helped finance his field work in the UK. His reputation as this country's leading folksong collector surely helped establish his credentials among sponsoring organizations, as well it should have.

Sandy