Founded by the Library of Congress in 1928. The first
archivist, Robert W. Gordon, made cylinder recordings of African Americans. In 1933, John A. Lomax
and Alan Lomax made the first of many trips covering most southern states during the next ten years.
Their many discoveries included Huddie Ledbetter
(‘‘Leadbelly’’), James ‘‘Iron Head’’ Baker, and Vera
Hall. A 1938 trip to Detroit yielded important recordings by Calvin Frazier and Sampson Pittman. In the
same year, W. C. Handy and Jelly Roll Morton made
documentary recordings in Washington, D.C. In the
late 1930s other collectors also worked for the archive, often under W.P.A. sponsorship. A trip to
Mississippi in 1941–1942 jointly sponsored by Fisk
University famously led to new recordings by Son
House and the discovery of David ‘‘Honeyboy’’
Edwards and McKinley Morganfield (‘‘Muddy
Waters’’). The library has issued records drawn from
its holdings and there have been many other issues of
important blues material.
HOWARD RYE
Bibliography
DGR