17 - Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie: Introducing John A. and Ruby T. Lomax's 1939 Texas recordings
33m
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Been All Around This World
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Between 1933 and 1946, John A. Lomax made some 80 hours of recordings in the state of Texas, his home state. (John was born in Mississippi in 1867, but his family moved to rural Bosque County, Texas, near Waco, just after his second birthday.) It’s a massive amount of material, reflecting an extraordinary diversity of vernacular traditions, and featuring the first and last recordings that John made. We’ve labored for quite a few years to secure the funding to digitize, catalog, and make available the collection in its entirety, but have to date come up short. In 2020 our colleagues at the Library of Congress’ American Folklife Center kindly provided us with the transfers they’d done some years earlier of the ten hours of Texas recordings that John and his second wife Ruby Terrill Lomax (“Miss Terrill,” as he always called her) made in the spring of 1939—our idea being that this discrete collection could function as a representative sample of all the Lomax Texas material while we continue our efforts to digitally preserve and make the entirety available. With the support of the National Endowment for the Arts, we digitally cataloged all of the ‘39 recordings and prepared the catalog for inclusion in the Lomax Digital Archive, where they are now available for your exploration and enjoyment (here).
1. Charles Eckhardt, Otis Evans, and Clinton Saathoff: The Fox and the Hounds(Pipe Creek, Bandera County, May 4, 1939)
2. Gonzalo and Cleofe Lopez: La vida de los arrieros (The life of the muleteers) (The home of Gonzalo Lopez, Sugarland, Fort Bend County, April 23, 1939)
3. Lake Porter: Black Jack Grove (The home of Lake Porter, Falfurrias, Brooks County, April 29, 1939)
4. Elmo Newcomer: Glory to the Meetinghouse (Mabel) (The home of Elmo Newcomer, Pipe Creek, Bandera County, May 3, 1939)
5. Shirley Duggan Lomax: Crows in the Garden (Calloway Ranch, the home of Mr. and Mrs. Oscar Calloway, Comanche, Comanche County, May 7, 1939)
6. Sylvester Jones (Texas Stavin’ Chain) and Wallace Chains: My Mother Keeps On Praying for Me (Camp #4, Ramsey State Farm, Otey, Brazoria County, April 23, 1939)
7. Smith Casey: Shorty George (Dormitory, Clemens State Farm, Brazoria, Brazoria County, April 16, 1939)
8. Hattie Ellis w/ Cowboy Jack Ramsey: Desert Blues (Goree State Farm For Women, Huntsville, Walker County, May 14, 1939)
9. Francisco Leal & Agapito Salinas: La Potranquita (The Little Filly) (At the home of Rev. William A. Moye and his wife Carmen Taffinder Moye, Kingsville, May 2, 1939)
10. E.A. Briggs: Sam Sherman’s Barroom (The home of Beal D. Taylor, Medina, Bandera County, May 5, 1939)
11. Frank Goodwyn: Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie (Falfurrias, Brooks County,April 29, 1939)
12. Manuela Longoria: Love Song (El Sentimiento) (The home of Manuela Longoria, Brownsville, Cameron County, April 24, 1939)
Bed music:
Ace Johnson and L.W. Gooden: Mama Don’t Allow (Dormitory, Clemens State Farm, Brazoria, Brazoria County)
Clinton Saathoff and J. Otis Evans: Eeph Caught A Rabbit, (Pipe Creek, Bandera County) 2635B2
Smith Casey: Grey Horse Blues (Dormitory, Clemens State Farm, Brazoria, Brazoria County) 2597B2
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22 - When I Get Home: Sacred songs from the 1939 Texas recordings
The last episode of our survey of John A. and Ruby T. Lomax's 1939 Texas recordings features highlights of sacred performances in the collection.
1) Eulalia Martinez, Paola Lopez, Genoveva Lopez: Gloria a Diós en las alturas (Sugarland,Fort Bend County,Texas,April 23, 1939)
2) Gonzalo Lopez, Cleofe Lopez: Vela por tu amante (Sugarland,Fort Bend County,Texas,April 23, 1939)
3) Iron Head Baker: This Heart of Mine (Camp #4, Ramsey State Farm, Otey, Brazoria County, Texas, April 23, 1939)
4) Columbus Christopher, Wallace Chains, W.S. Harrison (Jaybird), Sylvester Jones (Texas Stavin’ Chain), Wade Bolden (Monkey): Jesus Getting Us Ready for that Great Day (Camp #4, Ramsey State Farm, Otey, Brazoria County, Texas, April 23, 1939)
5) Smith Casey & Unidentified man: When I Get Home (Dormitory, Clemens State Farm, Brazoria, Brazoria County, Texas, April 16, 1939)
6) Unidentified women: It's A Blessing Just to Call My Savior's Name (Goree State Farm for Women, Huntsville, Walker County, Texas, May 14, 1939)
7) Alvin Brown, William Brown, Terrell Conley, and Eugene Blacker: Ride on King Jesus (State Penitentiary (The Walls), Huntsville, Walker County, Texas, May 13, 1939)
8) Henry Truvillion: Ride on Mighty Rider (The Mighty Rider) (The home of Henry Truvillion, Burkeville, Newton County, Texas, May 16, 1939)
21 - Songs of Christmas, Midwinter, and New Year
An admittedly cursory holiday mix presenting performances from our new digital release, "Songs of Christmas, New Year, and Midwinter from the Lomax Collection," availablenow on the Lomax Archive'sBandcamp pageas well as the streaming services.
We invite you to pair this mix with our older holiday-themedepisode, which features other related material (if some occasional overlap) and the complete "Sing Christmas" program. This ambitiousradio broadcast was produced by Alan for the BBC on Christmas Day 1951, and featured regional Yuletide traditions transmitted via live hook-ups all across Britain.
1) Vera Ward Hall: No Room at the Inn story / song (The home of Vera Ward Hall, Livingston, Sumter County, Alabama, October 10, 1959).
2) United Sacred Harp Musical Association: Sherburne (56th Annual United Sacred Harp Musical Association Convention, Corinth Baptist Church, Fyffe,Dekalb County,Alabama,September 12, 1959)
3) Steven Wright: Jingle Bells (New York City, New York, 1950)
4) Group from Sangonera la Verde, Murcia: Rondalla (En tu puerta está la Virgen) (Monteagudo,Murcia,Región de Murcia,Spain, December 14, 1952)
5) Alice Gibbs and group: Today, Today is Christmas Day (Sint Eustatius,Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, 1967)
6) Kate Nicholson and group: Tàladh Chrìosda (Christ's lullaby) (A cΘilidh at the home of Dr. MacLean, Daliburgh,Eilean Siar,Scotland,United Kingdom, June 21, 1951)
7) Miquel Bonet and group -Caramelles (The Seven Joys of Mary, part 1) (Village church patio, Sant Josep, Ibiza,Illes Balears,Islas Baleares, Comunidad Autónoma de las,Spain, July 18, 1952)
8) Norman Edmonds and the Old-Timers -Breaking Up Christmas (Probably the home of George Stoneman, Hillsville,Carroll County,Virginia, August 28, 1959)
9) Bartolomeo Angelitti -Venite Adoremus
10) Joy Bells -Jingle Bells (Gingerland,Saint George Gingerland,Nevis,Saint Kitts and Nevis, July 11, 1962)
11) Group from Positano, Campania -Capo d'anno > Tammuriata
12) Vera Ward Hall -Last Month of the Year (Alan Lomax's apartment, 3rd Street, New York City,New York, May 1, 1948)
20 - Inspiration: Instrumentalists from the 1939 Texas recordings
Fiddlers, harp blowers, and guitarists recorded by John A. and Ruby T. Lomax during their 1939 Texas field-trip.
1) Frank Goodwyn & Manuel Salinas: Chinese Breakdown (Falfurrias, Brooks County, Texas, April 29, 1939)
2) Lake Porter: The Lost Girl (Falfurrias, Brooks County, Texas, April 29, 1939)
3) Lake Porter: Drunken Hiccups (Falfurrias, Brooks County, Texas, April 29, 1939)
4) Elmo Newcomer: Rye Whiskey (The home of Elmo Newcomer, Pipe Creek, Bandera County, Texas, May 3, 1939)
[see here for Newcomer's later Cro-Mart release of "Rye Whiskey."]
5) Elmo Newcomer: The Old Grey Mare (The home of Elmo Newcomer, Pipe Creek, Bandera County, Texas, May 3, 1939)
6) Clinton Saathoff, and Otis Evans: Eeph Caught A Rabbit (Pipe Creek, Bandera County, Texas, May 4, 1939)
7) Pop Warner: Inspiration (State Penitentiary [The Walls], Huntsville, Walker County, Texas, May 11, 1939)
[see here for the fine Marshall Project piece on prison radio, which includes a discussion of "Thirty Minutes Behind the Walls" and the Ace Johnson photo discussed in the episode.]
8) Ace Johnson: Rabbit in the Garden (Dormitory, Clemens State Farm, Brazoria, Brazoria County, Texas, April 16, 1939)
9) Ace Johnson: Train song (Dormitory, Clemens State Farm, Brazoria, Brazoria County, Texas, April 16, 1939)
10) Smith Casey: East Texas Rag, (Dormitory, Clemens State Farm, Brazoria, Brazoria County, Texas, April 16, 1939)
11) L.W. Gooden: Clemens Rag (Dormitory, Clemens State Farm, Brazoria, Brazoria County, Texas, April 16, 1939)
Bed Music:
Wilbert Gilliam: Long Freight Train Blues (State Penitentiary [The Walls], Huntsville, Walker County, Texas, May 11, 1939)
19 - Go to Sleepy Little Baby: Lullabies from the Alan Lomax Collection
The Lomax Collection reflects a variety of human experience—from the sacred to the profane, from the rural to the urban, and from the public square to the domestic scene. The Lomaxes recorded lullabies all over the world, creating a record of the universality of these particularly intimate moments between parents and children. This episode gathers some of our favorite lullabies from the archive, and is part of a larger project on the subject, which includes an exhibit on the Lomax Digital Archive and a compilation pairing archival recordings with new interpretations by contemporary artists.
For information on the performers, old and new, and the songs, visit the accompanying exhibit on the Lomax Digital Archive:archive.culturalequity.org/go-to-sleepy. The compilation is available via our Bandcamp page:https://alanlomaxarchive.bandcamp.com/album/hush-the-waves-are-rolling-in-lullabies-from-the-alan-lomax-collection.This project was made possible with support from the Mid-Atlantic Arts Council and by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
Show Notes:
1) Elizabeth Cronin - Dance To Your Daddy (The home of Elizabeth Cronin, Ballymakeery, County Cork, Ireland, January 24, 1951)
2) Jean Ritchie - Dance To Your Daddy/Hush Little Baby (Alan Lomax's apartment, 3rd street, New York City, May 14, 1949)
3) Carmen Martínez - Durme meu filliño (Soutoxuste,Pontevedra,Galicia,Spain, November 23, 1952)
4) María Escrihuela - Nana Nanita (Tavernes de Valldigna,Valencia,Valencia,Spain, August 5, 1952)
5) Unidentified women - Iavnana (Republic of Georga, August 1, 1964)
6) Vera Ward Hall - Come Up, Horsey (Alan Lomax's apartment, 3rd St, New York City, New York, May 1, 1948)
7) Bessie Jones - Go To Sleepy Little Baby (Saint Simons,Glynn County,Georgia, October 12, 1959)
8) Bruna Bazil - Night, Night, Night (Massacre,Saint Paul Parish,Dominica, June 24, 1962)
9) Bruna Bazil - Little Baby I Want You to Sleep (Massacre,Saint Paul Parish,Dominica, June 24, 1962)
10) Unidentified women - Cântec De Leagan (I) (Drăguș,Brașov,Transylvania,Romania, August 1, 1964)
11) Unidentified women - Cântec De Leagan (II) (Drăguș,Brașov,Transylvania,Romania, August 1, 1964)
12) Unidentified woman - Ninna Nanna (Baiardo, Imperia, October 9. 1954)
13) Natale Rotella - Ninna Nanna (Feroleto Antico, Calabria, August 5, 1954)
14) Francesca Chilona - Che Bera Sta Figghiola (Cardeto, Calabria, July 27, 1954)
15) Sidney Hemphill Carter - Didn't Leave Nobody But The Baby (Probably the home of Sidney Hemphill Carter, Senatobia,Tate County,Mississippi, September 26, 1959)
Bed Music:
K.B. Singh, Harry Naran, Bully Naran, Mrs. Afrose Mohammed - Lullaby (Pasea Village,Tunapuna/Piarco,Trinidad and Tobago, May 7, 1962)
Niña de la Puebla - Alborada de villancicos (Andalucía, Spain, September 20, 1952)
W.D. Stewart (Bama), Robert Sanders (Yancey) - Bye Bye Baby (Lambert Camp, Parchman Farm (Mississippi State Penitentiary) Sunflower County,Mississippi, November 1, 1947)
18 - Long Hot Summer Days: Work songs from the 1939 Texas recordings
This second episode exploring the 1939 Texas recordings of John A. and Ruby T. Lomax focuses on work songs: selections of "river songs" sung by Black men incarcerated in the prison-farms of the Texas Department of Corrections, as well as pieces from free-world agricultural settings and the railroad section gang.
1) Alan Lomax interview with Charles Kuralt, 1991 (watch the complete interview here)
2) Tommy Woods & group: Go Down Old Hannah (Dormitory, Clemens State Farm, Brazoria, Brazoria County, Texas, April 16, 1939)
3) Clyde Hill & group: Long Hot Summer Days (Dormitory, Clemens State Farm, Brazoria, Brazoria County, Texas, April 16, 1939)
4) Charles Eckhardt: Calling the animals, (Pipe Creek, Bandera County, Texas, May 4, 1939)
5) Henry Truvillion: calling track (Truvillion’s home, between Newton and Burkeville, Texas, May 16, 1939)
6) Jose Suarez: Cotton-pickers corrido (The home of J.K. Wells, Brownsville, Cameron County, Texas, April 26, 1939)
7) John Lowey Goree, Who Curled Your Hair, Who Combed Your Bangs (At Goree's home, 2908 Jackson St, Houston, Harris County, Texas, April 12, 1939)
8) Mose “Clear Rock” (or “Wyandotte”) Platt: Ain’t No More Cane on the Brazos (Hotel Blazilmar, 107 Porter Street, Taylor, Williamson County, Texas, May 10, 1939)
9) Unidentified men: Hammer Ring (Dormitory, Clemens State Farm, Brazoria, Brazoria County, Texas, April 16, 1939)
Bed Music
Smith Casey: East Texas Rag (Dormitory, Clemens State Farm, Brazoria, Brazoria County, Texas, April 16, 1939)
Elmo Newcomer: Unfortunate Puppy (The home of Elmo Newcomer, Pipe Creek, Bandera County, Texas, May 13, 1939)
L.W. Gooden, Ace Johnson: Mama Don't Allow (Dormitory, Clemens State Farm, Brazoria, Brazoria County, Texas, April 16, 1939)