| My Dusty Road | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Compilation album by | |
| Released | 2009 |
| Recorded | 1944 |
| Genre | Folk/Americana |
| Label | Rounder Records |
| Producer | Moses Asch and Herbert Harris for Stinson Records, reissue producers: Scott Billington, Michael Creamer, and Bill Nowlin |
My Dusty Road is a 4 CD box set of Woody Guthrie music containing 54 tracks and a book. [1] It is a collection of the newly discovered Stinson master discs. It was released by Rounder Records in 2009.
According to the album liner notes by Ed Cray and Bill Nowlin, the master discs were housed in the basement of the Brooklyn apartment of Lucia Sutera.
In June 2003, Boston music manager Micheal Creamer was informed by Jim Farrow that he had made contact with Mrs. Sutera, who had inherited a collection of recording masters from her friend Irene Harris.
Irene Harris died of a heart attack in 1999; she was the wife of Robert Harris, the son of the founder of Stinson records, Herbert Harris. Harris had founded Stinson records in 1939 and during the 1940s, he had been in partnership with Moses Asch, the founder of Folkways Records in New York City. During World War II, Stinson had helped Asch to procure shellac, the raw material for manufacturing 78 rpm records which was in short supply due to wartime restrictions. [2] [3]
Ultimately, the recordings of artists like Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly and The Almanac Singers were released under three different labels: Asch, Stinson and Disc.
When Moses Asch went bankrupt in 1947 with the Disc label, some master discs fell to Harris as part of the bankruptcy settlement. [4]
In the years later Asch released the recordings of his artists under the Label Folkways. He also reissued several of the older recordings on his new label. But he could not use the Master discs which were released here for the first time. [5]
The recordings represented in these Box were made in April and May 1944 in New York City. They were cut partly on aluminum discs or glass masters. The masters were never released on any Folkways or Smithsonian Folkways album. They have clearer sound than older compilations of Guthrie's recordings of that time.
The Box consists of 4 CDs:
| Track | Title | Catalogue No. | Recording Date | Notes / Instrument | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woody's "Greatest" Hits | |||||
| 01. | This Land Is Your Land | Master Ma 114 | 1944-04 | Woody Guthrie vocals and guitar | 2:47 |
| 02. | Going Down The Road (I Ain't Gonna Be Treated This Way) | Master Ma 711 | April 24, 1944 | Woody Guthrie mandolin, Cisco Houston guitar, Sonny Terry harmonica | 2:59 |
| 03. | Talking Sailor | Master Ma 20 | April 25, 1944 | Woody Guthrie guitar | 3:09 |
| 04. | Philadelphia Lawyer | Master Ma 36 | April 19, 1944 | Woody Guthrie guitar | 2:35 |
| 05. | Hard Travelin' | Master Ma 689 | Woody Guthrie mandolin, Cisco Houston guitar, Sonny Terry harmonica | 2:41 | |
| 06. | Jesus Christ | Master Ma 135 | 1944-04 | Woody Guthrie vocal and guitar | 2:44 |
| 07. | The Sinking of the Reuben James | Master Ma 80 | Woody Guthrie vocal and guitar | 3:28 | |
| 08. | Pretty Boy Floyd | Master Ma 57 | Woody Guthrie vocal and guitar | 3:09 | |
| 09. | Grand Coulee Dam | Master Ma 17 | Woody Guthrie vocal and guitar | 2:12 | |
| 10. | Nine Hundred Miles | Master Ma 702 | April 24. 1944 | Woody Guthrie mandolin, Cisco Houston guitar, Sonny Terry harmonica | 2:54 |
| 11. | Going Down The Road (I Ain't Gonna Be Treated This Way) | Master Ma 44 | Woody Guthrie guitar, Cisco Houston guitar | 3:00 | |
| 12. | My Daddy (Flies a Ship in the Sky) | Master Ma 14 | April 19, 1944 | Woody Guthrie guitar | 2:36 |
| 13. | Bad Reputation | Master Ma 111 | Woody Guthrie vocal and guitar | 2:50 | |
| Woody's Roots | |||||
| 01. | Poor Boy | Master Ma 50 | Woody Guthrie vocals and guitar | 2:29 | |
| 02. | Worried Man Blues | Master Ma 47 | Woody Guthrie vocals and guitar | 3:04 | |
| 03. | A Picture from Life's Other Side | Master Ma 82 | Woody Guthrie vocals and mandolin, Cisco Houston Guitar and harmony vocal | 3:08 | |
| 04. | The Buffalo Skinners | Master 902 | Woody Guthrie vocals and guitar | 3:23 | |
| 05. | Hard, Ain't it Hard | Master LM 1 | April 16, 1944 | Woody Guthrie vocals and mandolin, Cisco Houston guitar | 2:43 |
| 06. | Stewball | Master Ma 16 | April 19, 1944 | Woody Guthrie vocals and guitar | 3:30 |
| 07. | Stackolee | Master Ma 68 | Woody Guthrie vocals and guitar | 3:04 | |
| 08. | Gypsy Davy | Master Ma 139 | Woody Guthrie vocals and guitar | 2:52 | |
| 09. | Little Darling Pal of Mine | Master Ma 38 | Woody Guthrie vocals and guitar, Cisco Houston guitar | 2:57 | |
| 10. | What did the Deep Sea say? | Master Ma 48 | April 19, 1944 | Woody Guthrie vocals and mandolin, Cisco Houston Guitar and harmony vocal | 3:02 |
| 11. | Chisholm Trail | Master Ma 29 | April 19, 1944 | Woody Guthrie vocals, Cisco Houston Guitar | 2:39 |
| 12. | Put My Little Shoes Away | Master Ma 81 | April 24, 1944 | Woody Guthrie mandolin, Cisco Houston guitar, Sonny Terry harmonica | 2:52 |
| 13. | Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone | Master Ma 83 | Woody Guthrie mandolin, Cisco Houston guitar | 2:39 | |
| 14. | John Henry | Master Ma 10 | April 19, 1944 | Woody Guthrie mandolin and vocals, Cisco Houston guitar and vocals | 2:39 |
| Woody The Agitator | |||||
| 01. | I'm Gonna Join That One Big Union (you Gotta Go Down and Join the Union) | Master Ma 9 | April 19, 1944 | Woody Guthrie vocals and guitar | 2:32 |
| 02. | Hangknot, Slipknot | Master Ma 115 | Woody Guthrie vocals and guitar | 2:35 | |
| 03. | Gonna Roll the Union On | Master Ma 118 | April 1944 | Woody Guthrie vocals and guitar | 2:40 |
| 04. | Ludlow Massacre | Master 902 | Woody Guthrie vocals and guitar | 3:35 | |
| 05. | Sally Don't You Grieve | Master Ma 34 | April 19, 1944 | Woody Guthrie vocals and guitar | 2:26 |
| 06. | The Ballad of Harriet Tubman, Part 1 | Master 905 | Woody Guthrie vocals and guitar | 3:24 | |
| 07. | The Ballad of Harriet Tubman, Part 2 | Master 904 | Woody Guthrie vocals and guitar | 3:12 | |
| 08. | Tear The Fascists Down | Master Ma 13 | Woody Guthrie vocals and guitar | 2:09 | |
| 09. | Yanks Go Marching In | Master Ma 2 | April 19, 1944 | Woody Guthrie vocals and Mandolin, Cicso Houston guitar and harmony vocals | 2:45 |
| 10. | You Can Hear My Whistle Blow | Master Ma 35 | Woody Guthrie vocals and guitar | 2:26 | |
| 11. | Union Burying Ground | Master Ma 77 | Woody Guthrie vocals and guitar | 3:08 | |
| 12. | You Gotta Go Down and Join the Union | Master Ma 46 | Woody Guthrie vocals and guitar | 2:42 | |
| Woody, Cisco, And Sonny Jam The Blues, Hollers, And Dances | |||||
| 01. | Train Breakdown | Master Ma 103 | Woody Guthrie guitar, Sonny Terry harmonica | 2:34 | |
| 02. | Do You Ever Think Of Me? (aka At My Window) | Master Ma 89 | Woody Guthrie guitar, Sonny Terry harmonica, Cisco Houston guitar and harmony vocals | 3:08 | |
| 03. | Guitar Rag | Master Ma 101 | Woody Guthrie guitar, Sonny Terry harmonica | 2:22 | |
| 04. | Square Dance Medley | Master 1225 | Woody Guthrie mandolin, Cisco Houston guitar, Sonny Terry harmonica | 3:53 | |
| 05. | Guitar Breakdown | Master Ma 25 | Woody Guthrie guitar, Cisco Houston guitar | 2:23 | |
| 06. | Raincrow Bill | Master 699 | Woody Guthrie guitar, Sonny Terry harmonica | 2:39 | |
| 07. | Ain't Nobody's Business | Master Ma 42 | April 19, 1944 | Woody Guthrie mandolin, Cisco Houston guitar, Sonny Terry harmonica | 2:45 |
| 08. | Goodbye to My Stepstone | Master MA 94 | April 25, 1944 | Woody Guthrie Vocals and Mandolin, Cisco Houston guitar and harmony vocals, Sonny Terry harmonica | 2:55 |
| 09. | Ezekiel Saw the Wheel | Master Ma 88 | Woody Guthrie Vocals and Mandolin, Cisco Houston guitar and harmony vocals, Sonny Terry harmonica | 2:45 | |
| 10. | Bile Them Cabbage Down | Master Ma 140 | Woody Guthrie Vocals and Fiddle, Cisco Houston guitar and harmony vocals, Sonny Terry harmonica | 2:49 | |
| 11. | Danville Girl | Master Ma 1226 | Woody Guthrie Vocals and guitar, Cisco Houston guitar and harmony vocals | 2:45 | |
| 12. | Guitar Blues | Master 675 | April 20, 1944 | Woody Guthrie guitar, Cisco Houston guitar | 2:58 |
| 13. | Brown's Ferry Blues | Master Ma 98 | April 25, 1944 | Woody Guthrie Vocals and mandolin, Cisco Houston guitar and harmony vocals, Sonny Terry harmonica | 2:48 |
| 14. | More Pretty Gals than One | Master LA-2 | April 16, 1944 | Woody Guthrie Vocals and mandolin, Cisco Houston guitar and harmony vocals | 2:19 |
| 15. | Sonny's Flight | Master Ma 705 | Woody Guthrie Vocals and mandolin, Cisco Houston guitar and harmony vocals | 2:57 | |
Huddie William Ledbetter, better known by the stage name Lead Belly, was an American folk and blues singer notable for his strong vocals, virtuosity on the twelve-string guitar, and the folk standards he introduced, including his renditions of "In the Pines", "Pick a Bale of Cotton", "Goodnight, Irene", "Midnight Special", "Cotton Fields", and "Boll Weevil".
Folkways can refer to:
Gilbert Vandine "Cisco" Houston was an American folk singer and songwriter, who is closely associated with Woody Guthrie due to their extensive history of traveling and recording together.
Dust Bowl Ballads is an album by American folk singer Woody Guthrie. It was released by Victor Records, in 1940. All the songs on the album deal with the Dust Bowl and its effects on the country and its people. It is considered to be one of the first concept albums. It was Guthrie's first commercial recording and the most successful album of his career.
Smithsonian Folkways is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution. It is a part of the Smithsonian's Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, located at Capital Gallery in downtown Washington, D.C. The label was founded in 1987 after the family of Moses Asch, founder of Folkways Records, donated the entire Folkways Records label to the Smithsonian. The donation was made on the condition that the Institution continue Asch's policy that each of the more than 2,000 albums of Folkways Records remain in print forever, regardless of sales. Since then, the label has expanded on Asch's vision of documenting the sounds of the world, adding six other record labels to the collection, as well as releasing over 300 new recordings. Some well-known artists have contributed to the Smithsonian Folkways collection, including Pete Seeger, Ella Jenkins, Woody Guthrie, and Lead Belly. Famous songs include "This Land Is Your Land", "Goodnight, Irene", and "Midnight Special". Due to the unique nature of its recordings, which include an extensive collection of traditional American music, children's music, and international music, Smithsonian Folkways has become an important collection to the musical community, especially to ethnomusicologists, who utilize the recordings of "people's music" from all over the world.
American singer-songwriter Woody Guthrie's published recordings are culled from a series of recording sessions in the 1940s and 1950s. At the time they were recorded they were not set down for a particular album, so are found over several albums not necessarily in chronological order. The more detailed section on recording sessions lists the song by recording date.
The Asch Recordings, recorded between 1944 and 1949, are a series of albums featuring some of the most famous recordings of US folk musician Woody Guthrie. These sessions were recorded by Moses "Moe" Asch in New York City.
Folkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987 and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways.
Moses Asch was an American recording engineer and record executive. He founded Asch Records, which then changed its name to Folkways Records when the label transitioned from 78 RPM recordings to LP records. Asch ran the Folkways label from 1948 until his death in 1986. Folkways was very influential in bringing folk music into the American cultural mainstream. Some of America's greatest folk songs were originally recorded for Asch, including "This Land Is Your Land" by Woody Guthrie and "Goodnight Irene" by Lead Belly. Asch sold many commercial recordings to Verve Records; after his death, Asch's archive of ethnic recordings was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution, and released as Smithsonian Folkways Records.
Released in 2005, Folkways: The Original Vision is an expanded rerelease of the 1989 album Folkways: The Original Vision, created by Smithsonian Folkways to document the origins of the Folkways Records label. The rerelease was created on the 15th anniversary of the original album, and included enhanced liner notes and six bonus tracks.
Folkways: The Original Vision was released in 1989 and is the first album created by Folkways Records under new acquisition by the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage following the death of the record label's founder, Moses Asch. Funds were raised for the acquisition of the label to be established as a non-profit entity in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution by the collaborative recording A Vision Shared: A Tribute to Woody Guthrie and Lead Belly by artists such as Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, and U2. Folkways: The Original Vision was digitally remastered and re-released in 2005 by Folkways Records.
Struggle is an album released by Folkways Records as a vinyl LP in 1976 and as a CD in 1990. It contains recordings by folk artist Woody Guthrie, accompanied on some of the tracks by Cisco Houston and Sonny Terry. Songs on this album are commonly referred to as protest music, songs that are associated with a movement for social change.
Stinson Records was an American record label formed by Herbert Harris and Irving Prosky in 1939, initially to market, in the US, recordings made in the Soviet Union. Between the 1940s and 1960s, it mainly issued recordings of American folk and blues musicians, including Woody Guthrie and Josh White.
Jeff Place is the American writer and producer, and a curator and senior archivist with the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. He has won three Grammy Awards and six Indie Awards.
Lead Belly Sings for Children is a compilation album by American folk and blues singer Lead Belly. It was released in 1999 by Smithsonian Folkways.
Play Parties in Song and Dance is an album by Lead Belly recorded in 1941 and released a few months later by Asch Recordings.
Work Songs of the U.S.A. is an album by Lead Belly, recorded in 1942 and released a few months later by Asch Recordings.
Songs by Lead Belly is an album by Lead Belly, recorded in 1943 by Asch Recordings and probably released in 1944.
Negro Folk Songs is an album by Lead Belly, recorded in 1943 and released as an album in early 1946.
Midnight Special is an album by Lead Belly, Woody Guthrie, and Cisco Houston, recorded in 1946 and released as an album in 1947.
