Since FRC started in 2004, we have made available the recordings of many collectors of traditional music. To date these include (with CDs they contributed to): Continue reading →

Two of our collectors passed away in 2019. Ray knew each of them for a long time and both were involved with the Field Recorders’ Collective from the very beginning. We will miss their contributions both in music, knowledge, and camaraderie.

John Cohen (August 2, 1932 — September 16, 2019)

The NPR tribute to John (linked below) starts: “John Cohen straddled two worlds: as a photographer, he immersed himself in the avant-garde visual arts scene of 1950s New York; as a musician, he was an integral part of that city’s folk revival of the same era.” All very true, though for those who knew him well, John straddled many more than two worlds. Every time we saw him he loved to discuss some new interest such as South American textiles, inform us of the history and back stories of the tunes and songs we played and stories of his experiences following his passions throughout his long and productive life. He was certainly a valuable contributor to FRC and to the traditional music scene in general. He will be missed.

John was responsible for these FRC recordings:

• John Summers (FRC310)
• Reverend Gary Davis (FRC116)
• Berkeley in the 1960s (FRC609)
• The Lost Recordings of Banjo Bill Cornett (FRC304).

Some Links:

• John Cohen, Champion of Old-Time Music, Is Dead at 87 – New York Times, Sept. 17, 2019
• John’s web site
• Banjo Player, Folklorist, Photographer and Filmmaker John Cohen Has Died – NPR, Sept. 17, 2019
• John Cohen Obituary – The Guardian (UK)
• Remembering John Cohen – Musician, Photographer, Filmmaker, Collector – Smithsonian Folkways

Peter Hoover (April 29, 1939 – October 11, 2019)

Peter Hoover was a larger than life character, both figuratively and literally. His many, diverse passions as well as his undeniable quirkiness are documented thoroughly and lovingly in the obituary piece that appeared in the Ithaca Journal. In 1959, Peter took it upon himself to journey South, to meet older-generation musicians and to record their music. He did this over a period of three years, and the recordings that he made have resulted — thus far — in 10 excellent CDs issued by the FRC.

These FRC recordings were from Peter’s extensive collection:

• Calvin Cole (FRC704)
• Addie Leffew & Claude Wolfenbarger (FRC509)
• Heywood Blevins (FRC508)
• Wade Ward (FRC507)
• Dan Tate (FRC506)
• Byard Ray, Manco Sneed & Mike Rogers (FRC505)
• Sidna & Fulton Myers (FRC504)
• Santford Kelly (FRC503)
• Marcus Martin (FRC502)
• Uncle Charlie Higgins, and Wade Ward & Dale Poe (FRC501)

Some Links:

• Peter Hoover by John Hoffman
• Peter Hoover obituary – The Ithaca Journal

by John Hoffmann

It was the summer of 1959 and a young Peter Hoover, having flunked out of Harvard the summer before, was volunteering at the Library of Congress, transcribing inventory information of aluminum disc recordings made in 1937 of Crockett Ward’s Bogtrotters, from Ballard Branch, Virginia.  (The original Bogtrotters, consisted of Davey Crockett Ward and his neighbor Alec Continue reading →

The Brandywine Valley Friends of Old Time Music (“BFOTM”) was founded in 1972 by a small group of traditional American music devotees.  Carl Goldstein and Shel Sandler, two young Delaware lawyers and budding musicians, had begun playing informally with a local autoharp player, Mike Hudak, who was a protege of Kilby Snow.  Kilby Snow was a brilliant autoharpist from Fries, VA who Continue reading →

Excerpts from the November 2003 Banjo Newsletter interview with Ray Alden

BN: Did you grow up with Appalachian music?

RA: Mountain music wasn’t exactly the rage with the southern Italians from my Bronx neighborhood.  Do-wop was the music I grew up with.  Just ahead of me in school were Dion and the Belmonts.  A guy in my class wrote “Barbara Ann,” later made famous by the Beach Boys. Continue reading →