For me, the "must haves" aren't the actual recordings, but the printed word. Sandburg. Doerflinger. Hugill. Etc. Recordings are good - they provide a reference to someone's interpreting of the tradition. So is sheet music, I guess - but for me, it bears less of the stylistic interpreting and more of the "this is what I've heard" in many cases. Personal preference, I guess. But as to recordings - any of the Lomax collection is good for American. I'd add the "O Brother, Where Art Thou" soundtrack for a must have of that particular slice of American folk... Too many to really list coherently, actually. M
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