What is Smithsonian Folkways Recordings?
Folkways Records was founded in 1948 in New York City by Moses Asch and Marian Distler. Under Asch’s enthusiastic and dedicated direction, Folkways sought to record and document the entire world of sound. Between 1948 and Asch’s death in 1986, Folkways’ tiny staff released 2,168 albums. Topics included traditional, ethnic, and contemporary music from around the world; poetry, spoken word, and instructional recordings in numerous languages; and documentary recordings of individuals, communities, current events, and natural sounds. In 1988 the Smithsonian Institution Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage in Washington, D.C., acquired Folkways Records & Service Corp. as well as the label’s business papers and files in order to ensure that the sounds and genius of its artists and compilers would continue to be available to future generations. In the years since 1987, Smithsonian Folkways has continued to expand on Asch’s legacy, adding several other record labels to the collections and
