A history of the record label Smithsonian Folkways. When he opened his tiny recording studio in New York in 1940, Moses Asch had a larger-than-life dream: To document and record all the sounds of his time. He created Folkways Records to achieve his goal, not just a record label but a statement that all sounds are equal and every voice deserves to be heard. The Folkways catalog grew to include a myriad of voices, from world- and roots-music to political...

A sampler from various Folkways releases of folk music from North Carolina, Virginia, Kentucky, and Tennessee, including "old-time fiddle and banjo pieces, early bluegrass, [and] traditional ballads, with a special emphasis on Appalachian vocal traditions"--Container verso.