Folk art in Oklahoma : an exhibition presented by the Oklahoma Museums Association : the Oklahoma Art Center's Arts Annex, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, May 3-June 19, 1981
163 reel to reel tapes,136 VHS tapes, 188 cassette tapes, 100 DAT tapes, 20 467 tapes, 6 compact discs, 16 miscellaneous audio materials, all are mostly recordings of Fast Folk events or Fast Folk recording artists; 604 folders containing information and materials relating to magazines, recordings, events and business; objects related to the Fast Folk Musical Magazine
The Fast Folk Musical Magazine records, which date from 1982-2002, document the activities of Fast Folk Musical Magazine. The collection is comprised chiefly of audio/video materials and the paper business records of the company. Audio and video materials include phonograph records, reel-to-reel tapes, VHS videotapes, audiocassettes, digital audiotapes, compact discs and miscellaneous audio material. The paper records include press materials related to Fast Folk and Fast Folk recording artists, magazine source materials, recording agreements, lyrics, artist biographies, photographs, financial documents, correspondence, planning for events and other miscellany. Additionally, there is a Fast Folk t-shirt and a bag of Fast Folk pencils, pens and erasers.
Scope and Contents:
There are two main components of the Fast Folk Musical Magazine Collection: the audio and video materials and the paper records of the company. This finding aid is a guide to the paper records and related materials.
Biographical / Historical:
The Fast Folk Musical Magazine, previously known as The CooP, was a non-profit organization that published recordings with an accompanying magazine from 1982-1996. Fast Folk began as an outlet through which singer-songwriters could perform, as there were few venues that booked folk singers in New York City during that time period. Jack Hardy (1948-2011) headed this endeavor in the Speakeasy club, sharing space with a belly dance club and a falafel restaurant. A musician's co-op was created at the Speakeasy, meaning that everything in the club was to be done by the musicians, from booking to cleaning. The first show by the musicians' co-op at the Speakeasy was in September of 1982. It was considered the best place for a musician to get a gig if he or she did not already have a record deal.
Richard Meyer (1952-2012), who eventually became editor of Fast Folk in 1985, joined the project a couple months after its inception as a performer, writer and graphic designer for the magazine. Jack Hardy introduced himself to Meyer at a concert and invited him to sign up for the Songwriter's Exchange; another project organized by Hardy in which musicians performed songs for each other that they had recently written. Slowly, the number of people working on Fast Folk grew and Meyer trained others to do what he did. An important part of the organization was its community-oriented system; it was almost entirely run by an ever-changing group of volunteers. As the staff at Fast Folk increased, it became continuously involved in shows such as the Greenwich Village Folk Festivals which were used as fundraisers.
Fast Folk provided a good way for musicians to be able to make their own record or to be part of a record, since making a record on one's own was more difficult in that era. Many commercial recording artists such as Lyle Lovett, Tracy Chapman, Michelle Shocked, Christine Lavin, Suzanne Vega and Shawn Colvin recorded some of their first songs with Fast Folk. While some musicians eventually became commercially successful, Fast Folk consistently stressed that this was not their organization's objective. By releasing many different artists' work on each recording, Fast Folk strove to expand the collective horizons of their audience and spread the power of individual songs as opposed to individual artists. Songwriters were incorporated into an issue of Fast Folk by sending in demo tapes or by being heard by Hardy and Meyer at a Songwriters' Exchange or other performance. The Fast Folk committee also had a significant input as to who was on each album. The magazine was used as an outlet for discussing current issues of songs and songwriting across the country, as well as reviewing albums and interviewing artists. Many issues were devoted to the music of different sections of the United States such as Boston, Los Angeles and the Pioneer Valley in Massachusetts. The issues of Fast Folk were sold mostly through subscription, but also at the Speakeasy club. Around the time Richard Meyer contacted the Smithsonian, Fast Folk stopped producing records and magazines, mostly due to a lack of volunteers with enough time to devote to a business of Fast Folk's size.
Shared Stewardship of Collections:
The Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage acknowledges and respects the right of artists, performers, Folklife Festival participants, community-based scholars, and knowledge-keepers to collaboratively steward representations of themselves and their intangible cultural heritage in media produced, curated, and distributed by the Center. Making this collection accessible to the public is an ongoing process grounded in the Center's commitment to connecting living people and cultures to the materials this collection represents. To view the Center's full shared stewardship policy, which defines our protocols for addressing collections-related inquiries and concerns, please visit https://doi.org/10.25573/data.21771155.
Provenance:
The Smithsonian Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections acquired these materials in 1999, when Fast Folk Musical Magazine donated its records to the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. In 1996, Richard Meyer, on behalf of Fast Folk Musical Magazine, contacted Anthony Seeger, then Director of Smithsonian Folkways Records, offering the Fast Folk materials to the Smithsonian. After several years of correspondence, the Smithsonian received the collection. The Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage agreed to keep the recordings available commercially and to retain the records in the archive, as well as to leave Fast Folk with the option to restart publication of the magazine.
Restrictions:
Access to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections is by appointment only. Visit our website for more information on scheduling a visit or making a digitization request. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies.
Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
Topic:
Popular music -- Writing and publishing Search this
Popular music -- 20th century -- United States Search this
Original song text, music, drawings, correspondence, and other writings by Woody Guthrie; news clippings, articles, correspondence, and business records related to Woody Guthrie. Date span: 1927-1985. Bulk dates: Guthrie song text, writings, and drawings, 1940-1948; correspondence by and to Woody Guthrie, 1944-1951; correspondence regarding Woody Guthrie, 1956-1977.
Arrangement note:
Arranged in boxes and map files by type of material. The major groupings are song texts, drawings, correspondence, and clippings.
Biographical/Historical note:
Woodrow (Woody) Wilson Guthrie (1912-1967) was one of the most important folk composers in American history. Born in Okemah, Oklahoma, Guthrie's name is associated with the common people and those displaced by the Great Dust Storms of the 1930's. He was a prolific songwriter, and his song "This Land is Your Land" is considered by many to be his best known. During the height of his short recording career Guthrie recorded with many of the best-known folk singers and players in the New York area. A one time member of the Almanac Singers with Pete Seeger, Lee Hays, Bess Hawes and others, Woody also frequently performed with Lead Belly, Burl Ives, Cisco Houston and Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee. Guthrie's earliest recordings were done for RCA and came out as a set entitled Dust Bowl Ballads, later reissued by Folkways.
It was Guthrie's association with Moses Asch of Folkways Records which yielded the bulk of Guthrie's recorded legacy. Guthrie was given a stipend by Asch to come by the studio when he felt like recording. A one day session in March 1944, yielded 75 recorded songs alone. His songs were recorded on glass discs which now reside in the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Much of this material was released by Asch on various Asch, Disc and Folkways recordings, including his classic children's material.
Although known for his music, Guthrie was also an artist. Among the materials that came with the Folkways Records Collection are watercolors and pen and ink drawings. He also was a writer of note, his most famous work being the novel "Bound for Glory". Historians have begun to consider Guthrie an important literary figure of the 20th century. The Woody Guthrie Papers, including typed song lyrics, correspondence, drawings, newspaper clippings, and miscellaneous items, were left with Moses Asch, and came to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections as part of the Moses and Frances Asch Collection. Guthrie died of Huntington's Chorea in 1967 after a long hospitalization.
Shared Stewardship of Collections:
The Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage acknowledges and respects the right of artists, performers, Folklife Festival participants, community-based scholars, and knowledge-keepers to collaboratively steward representations of themselves and their intangible cultural heritage in media produced, curated, and distributed by the Center. Making this collection accessible to the public is an ongoing process grounded in the Center's commitment to connecting living people and cultures to the materials this collection represents. To view the Center's full shared stewardship policy, which defines our protocols for addressing collections-related inquiries and concerns, please visit https://doi.org/10.25573/data.21771155.
This collection is part of the Moses and Frances Asch Collection.
Restrictions:
Access to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections is by appointment only. Visit our website for more information on scheduling a visit or making a digitization request. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies.
Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
1 Binder (contact sheets and prints, black and white)
1 Boxe (35 mm negatives, black and white, 8.5"x10.75"x2.5")
0.44 Cubic feet (2 boxes contain the extent details for this collection, Box 1 is 0.24 cubic feet and Box 2 is 0.2 cubic feet)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Binders
Photographic prints
Correspondence
Contact sheets
Black-and-white negatives
Place:
Chicago (Ill.)
New York (N.Y.)
Date:
1957 - 1961
Summary:
Original photographs and negatives taken by Robert C. Malone.
Scope and Contents:
The Robert C. Malone photographs document the performances of folk singers. The collection dates from 1957 to circa 1961. Photographic materials include 16 rolls of negatives, contact sheets made from the negatives, and 14 prints. The collection features photographs of the Weavers and Cisco Houston. The collection also includes a small amount of correspondence, including two letters from Robert C. Malone to the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage concerning the donation of the collection, and two letters from Lee Hays to Robert C. Malone. A handful of Malone's prints are housed with the Lee Hays papers in the Rinzler Archives and are not included in the finding aid.
Arrangement note:
Arranged in 6 series: (1) University of Chicago; (2) Old Town School of Folk Music, Chicago, Ill.; (3) One Sheridan Square, N.Y.; (4) Cisco Houston's Last Performance; (5) Miscellaneous People; (6) Correspondence and Miscellaneous. Contact sheets and prints arranged in 1 binder; negatives are stored in a separate binder. Series VI, Correspondence and Miscellaneous, is filed separately. Materials are arranged chronologically.
Biographical/Historical note:
Robert C. Malone is currently retired and lives in Ridgewood, New Jersey. Between 1957-1961, Robert C. Malone moved between Chicago and New York photographing folk singers such as the Weavers and Cisco Houston.
Through contact with Robert Koppelman, a scholar working with the Lee Hays Papers in the Rinzler Archives, Robert C. Malone heard about the Archives and wrote to offer his photos to the Archives collections.
Shared Stewardship of Collections:
The Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage acknowledges and respects the right of artists, performers, Folklife Festival participants, community-based scholars, and knowledge-keepers to collaboratively steward representations of themselves and their intangible cultural heritage in media produced, curated, and distributed by the Center. Making this collection accessible to the public is an ongoing process grounded in the Center's commitment to connecting living people and cultures to the materials this collection represents. To view the Center's full shared stewardship policy, which defines our protocols for addressing collections-related inquiries and concerns, please visit https://doi.org/10.25573/data.21771155.
Provenance:
The Smithsonian Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections acquired the Robert C. Malone Photograph Collection in 1998. In a letter dated 19 January 1999, Mr. Malone gave full discretion to the Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage to grant permission for both internal and external use of his photographs with the request that his work be credited.
Restrictions:
Access to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections is by appointment only. Visit our website for more information on scheduling a visit or making a digitization request. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies.
Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
10 Digital images (5 shots; each shot has a sepia-toned version and a black and white version. )
10 Photographic prints (5 shots; each shot has a sepia-toned print and a black and white print.)
Type:
Collection descriptions
Archival materials
Digital images
Photographic prints
Date:
2005 November 3
Summary:
The Bruce Mondschain Photographs compiled by Illinois-based photographer Bruce Mondschain are a collection of 5 photographs of Pete Seeger taken at his home in Beacon, NY, on November 3, 2005.
Scope and Contents:
The Bruce Mondschain Photographs are a collection of 5 born digital photographs and corresponding photographic prints of Pete Seeger taken at his home in Beacon, NY, on November 3, 2005. Each photograph (prints and digital files) has a sepia and a black-and-white toned version as prepared by the photographer. The shots include close-up portraits of Seeger, and close-up shots of his hands playing his banjo.
Arrangement note:
Digital files are maintained in the Smithsonian's Digital Asset Management System.
Biographical / Historical:
Bruce Mondschain has been an active photographer in the Chicago area for over 30 years. His work focuses on portraiture and fine arts figure study.
In the fall of 2005, Mondschain was invited to photograph folk singer Pete Seeger at his home in Beacon, NY after writing him a fan letter.
Mondschain and his wife Ellen donated five of the photographs to the Center of Folklife and Cultural Heritage in 2008.
Shared Stewardship of Collections:
The Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage acknowledges and respects the right of artists, performers, Folklife Festival participants, community-based scholars, and knowledge-keepers to collaboratively steward representations of themselves and their intangible cultural heritage in media produced, curated, and distributed by the Center. Making this collection accessible to the public is an ongoing process grounded in the Center's commitment to connecting living people and cultures to the materials this collection represents. To view the Center's full shared stewardship policy, which defines our protocols for addressing collections-related inquiries and concerns, please visit https://doi.org/10.25573/data.21771155.
Restrictions:
Access to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections is by appointment only. Visit our website for more information on scheduling a visit or making a digitization request. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies.
Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
Genre/Form:
Digital images
Photographic prints
Citation:
Bruce Mondschain Photographs, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.
Merry golden tree -- Juice of the forbidden fruit -- Buffalo gals -- Willow green -- My pretty little gal is gone -- Alan Bain -- Eighth of January -- The soldier and the lady -- Cotton Eye Joe -- Turkey in the straw -- Lonesome dove -- Turnip greens -- Nancy's got a purty dress on -- Rock all the babies to sleep.
Track Information:
101 Merry Golden Tree (Child No. 286) / Almeda Riddle.
102 Juice of the Forbidden Fruit / Neil Morris. Guitar.
103 Buffalo Gals / Carlos Shannon. Banjo.
104 Willow Green / Ollie Gilbert.
105 My Pretty Little Gal is Gone / Ashley Morrison. Fiddle.
106 Alan Bain / Almeda Riddle.
107 The Eighth of January / Carlos Shannon. Banjo.
201 Soldier and the Lady, The (Laws P14) / Neil Morris. Guitar.
202 Cotton Eyed Joe / Carlos Shannon. Banjo.
203 Turkey in the Straw / Neil Morris, Charlie Eldridge. Guitar,Mouth bow.
204 Lonesome Dove / Almeda Riddle.
205 Turnip Greens / Neil Morris. Guitar.
207 Rock All the Babies to Sleep / Neil Morris. Guitar.
206 Nancy's Got a Pretty Dress On / Ashley Morrison. Fiddle.
Local Numbers:
FW-ASCH-LP-1688
Prestige/International.25006
Publication, Distribution, Etc. (Imprint):
Bergenfield, NJ Prestige International 1961
General:
Additional imprint on container: Prestige/International. "Southern journey: a collection of field recordings from the South." Program notes by Alan Lomax on container.
Restrictions:
Restrictions on access. No duplication allowed listening and viewing for research purposes only.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
Pretty Polly (Estil C. Ball, vocal & guitar) -- Po' Laz'rus (Bright Light Quartet) -- Claude Allen (Hobart Smith, vocal & guitar) -- Hangman tree (Almeda Riddle, vocals) -- Early in the mornin' (Johnny Lee Moore, lead vocal, with prisoners from Camp B, Mississippi State Penitentiary at Lambert) -- Lawson murder (Spencer Moore, vocal & guitar; and Roy Everett Birns, mandolin) --Dangerous blues (Floyd Batts, vocals) --Railroad Bill (Hobart Smith, vocal & guitar) --Columbus stockade (Carolyn Mainer Helmes, Mary Mainer, vocals & guitars; J.E. Mainer, fiddle; Glen Mainer, banjo; Floyd Overcash, bass) -- Willie Brennan (Neil Morris, vocal & guitar) -- Hawkins County jail (Hobart Smith, vocal & 5-string banjo) -- Po' Laz'rus (James Carter, lead vocal, with prisoners from Camp B, Mississippi State Penitentiary at Lambert). Pretty Polly -- Po' Laz'rus -- Claude Allen -- Hangman tree --Early in the mornin' -- The Lawson murder -- Dangerous blues -- Railroad Bill -- Columbus Stockade -- Willie Brennan -- Hawkins County Jail -- Po' Laz'rus.
Track Information:
101 Pretty Polly / E.C. Ball. Guitar.
102 Po' Laz'Rus / Bright Light Quartet.
103 Claude Allen / Hobart Smith. Guitar.
104 Hangman Tree (Child No. 95)/ Almeda Riddle.
105 Early In the Mornin' / Johnny Lee Moore.
106 The Lawson Murder / Roy Birns, Spence Moore. Guitar,Mandolin.
201 Dangerous Blues / Floyd Batts.
202 Railroad Bill / Hobart Smith. Guitar.
203 Columbus Stockade / Carolyn Mainer Helmes, J. E. (Joseph E.) Mainer, Mary Mainer. Guitar,Fiddle,Banjo,Bass.
204 Willie Brennan / Neil Morris. Guitar.
205 Hawkins County Jail / Hobart Smith. Banjo.
206 Po' Laz'Rus / James Carter.
Local Numbers:
FW-ASCH-LP-1690
Prestige/International.25009
Publication, Distribution, Etc. (Imprint):
Bergenfield, N.J. Prestige International 1961
General:
Additional imprint on container: Prestige International. Program notes by Alan Lomax on container.
Restrictions:
Restrictions on access. No duplication allowed listening and viewing for research purposes only.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
The collection documents the lives and careers of the Smothers Brothers, with emphasis on their 1960s television variety show, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour.
Scope and Contents:
Collection documents the private lives and professional careers of Tom and Dick Smothers, with emphasis on their television variety show, The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour. The largest portion of the collection contains photographic materials. Publicity materials including press releases, programs, newspaper clippings, and magazine articles; correspondence containing fan mail (some from famous persons such as Lucille Ball, Jack Paar, and others), letters from viewers both complimentary and critical of shows, and letters from members of Congress; business records including contracts, tour itineraries, talent agency materials, scripts, and scrapbooks; and legal documents relating to the lawsuit against Columbia Broadcasting System (CBS) are also found in the collection. Collection is arranged into three series: Series 1, Photographs, 1961-2007, undated; Series 2, Business Records, 1959-2002, undated; and Series 3, Personal Papers, 1966-2008, undated.
Arrangement:
Collection is arranged into three series:
Series 1: Photographic Materials, 1961-2007, undated
Subseries 1.1: Television Shows, 1966-1989, undated
Subseries 1.2: Specials, Tours, and Public Appearances, 1964-1988, undated
Subseries 1.3: Motion Picture Films and Theatre, 1969-1982
Subseries 1.4: General, 1961-2007, undated
Subseries 1.5: Promotional, 1961-2003, undated
Series 2: Business Records, 1959-2002, undated
Subseries 2.1: Press, 1960-2002, undated
Subseries 2.2: Employee Files, 1959-1999, undated
Subseries 2.3: Smothers Brothers v. Columbia Broadcasting System, Incorporated (CBS), 1966-1972, undated
Sam DeVincent Collection of Illustrated American Sheet Music, Series 16: Country, Western and Folk Music NMAH.AC.0300
Bob Rule Papers, NMAH.AC.0855
Restrictions:
Collection is open for research.
Rights:
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives Center makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives Center cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.
Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Search this
Type:
Archival materials
Introduction:
Three programs at the 1980 Festival focused attention on immigrant communities, two of which involved what was called the "New Immigration", subsequent to passage of the 1965 Immigration and Naturalization Act. The 1965 Act represented an effort to equalize opportunity for immigrants to the United States without favoring the traditional Western-Northern European or Western Hemispheric source countries. The new immigrants tended to be largely urban located and oriented. Because of their visibility and the discrimination against visible minorities, they often suffered multiple levels of disregard by the larger population. The life styles, cultures, and languages of the new immigrants were perceived to be little known, appreciated, or regarded by the general American public as the decade began.
American cities were seen as the frontiers of the new immigrants; the arenas where the wills, interests, and cultures of each group came into contest with those of other ethnic groups; and the settings where competition or coalescence took place among them. It was cities that saw scenes of confrontation between traditions and of adjustments from both sides - natives and immigrants. The cities were also the sites of the celebrations and the contributions of most new immigrants. This was true both for the Southeast Asian Americans program and for the Caribbean Americans program.
Many factors, including the growing acceptance of "cultural pluralism" rather than "Anglo-conformity" as a model for the United States, imbued the contemporary Caribbean immigrant community with the confidence to proclaim and practice openly their Caribbean heritage. An obvious example was the proliferation in many North American cities of the Caribbean festival of Carnival that had been featured in the 1979 Festival. In Boston, Hartford, New York, Montreal, Toronto, and Los Angeles, this festival has emerged as a full-scale annual community celebration, while in Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Miami, and other cities, some aspects of Carnival can be seen on a smaller scale. One function of these carnivals was the impetus they give to the internal unification of the Caribbean communities themselves. Considerations of class and island origin have tended to divide members of the American Caribbean community from each other, but the carnivals have emerged as Caribbean, and their acceptance by the community as such held the potential for even greater unification in the future.
In addition to Carnival, the Caribbean immigrant community contributed to the American scene in sports, religion, music, dance, literature, and the arts. Cricket, once considered an elite British game, is the sport that every child is introduced to in the Caribbean. West Indians have been credited with bringing to a game that was once considered stylish but stuffy a spirit of fun and fete that can now be enjoyed any Saturday or Sunday afternoon in West Indian communities in such cities as Hartford, Boston, and New York.
In Miami, New York, and Washington, the distindly Caribbean religions of Santeria, the worship of Vodun (Voodoo), and Rastafarianism can be found. Santeria, practiced by many Cubans, is a synthesis of Catholicism with the Yoruba religion of West Africa. Vodun, a Haitian religion, is a similar blend of Christianity and the religious worship of ancient Dahomey. Rastafarianism, however, is a modern religion that originated in Jamaica in the 1930s based on belief in the divinity of the former Emperor of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie, and the perception of Ethiopia as the original homeland to which Black people in the Western Hemisphere should repatriate. Caribbean music was part of the sound of many an American city - whether the Yoruba drumming of Santeria, the reggae rhythms that originated with the Rastafarians, or the rumba, the samba, and the calypso - and likewise part of the 1980 Festival. Syncretism between these Caribbean rhythms and the rhythm-and-blues beat of the United States was demonstrated in such new dance beats as the "salsa" and "soca" (soul-calypso).
Caribbean contributions to American community life featured at the 1980 Festival thus included an impressive record of achievement and an infusion of cultural forms adding to the vitality and diversity of American life through the contributions of immigrant communities.
Katherine Williams was Caribbean Americans Program Coordinator, and Roy Bryce-LaPorte was Special Consultant
Participants:
Miguel Alpizar, Santero, Silver Spring, Maryland
George Andre, 1946-, Brazilian music discussant, Washington, D.C.
Ruthven John Blake, 1947-, publicist & M.C., Silver Hill, Maryland
Elliott P. Boisdore, Mardi Gras discussant, New Orleans, Louisiana
Brightwood Elementary School, Hispanic American games, Washington, D.C.
Marie Brooks & Claude Brooks, dancer and drummer, New York, New York
William Brown, Umbanda discussant leader, Brazilian costumed band, Washington, D.C.
Selwyn Callendar, stick fighter, Washington, D.C.
Isolina Campbell, Botanica, Washington, D.C.
Caribbean American Carnival Day Association (Edward Harry, leader), costume band, Boston, Massachusetts
Sons of His Majesty (Satta Blue, 1954-, leader), Nyabingi drummers, Rastafari discussants, Washington, D.C.
Triangle Systems (Linda Phifer, leader), kiddies and costume band, Washington, D.C.
The Trinidad and Tobago Baltimore Steel Orchestra (Paul Gervais, 1941-, leader), steelband, Baltimore, Maryland
The Trinidad and Tobago Steelband of Washington, D.C. (Franklin Harding, 1941-, leader), steelband, Washington, D.C.
Brian Walker, 1957-, dancer, costume band, Washington, D.C.
Levi Warren, Cornelia Cotillion Square Dance Club, New York, New York
Reginald Warren, Cornelia Cotillion Square Dance Club, New York, New York
The West Indian American Labor Day Association (Carlos Lezama, 1923-, leader), carnival organizer, New York, New York
Peter Whiteman, 1944-, costume designer, costume band leader, Washington, D.C.
The Wild Tchoupitoulas (Jason Berry, agent), Mardi Gras krewe, New Orleans, Louisiana
Connie Williams, cook, Brooklyn, New York
Collection Restrictions:
Access to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections is by appointment only. Visit our website for more information on scheduling a visit or making a digitization request. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies.
Collection Rights:
Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
Collection Citation:
Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1980 Festival of American Folklife, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.
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