Anthology of American Folk Music

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Anthology of American Folk Music is a three-volume compilation album released in August 1952 by Folkways Records. It was compiled by American polymath Harry Smith from his own collection of 78 rpm records. It consists of eighty-four recordings of American folk, blues and country music made and issued from 1926 to 1933 by a variety of performers, divided into three categories: "ballads", "social music", and "songs". The anthology sold relatively poorly, with no notable early coverage besides a minor mention in Sing Out! in 1958. However, it eventually became regarded as a landmark and influential release, particularly for the 1950s and 1960s American folk music revival. In 2003, Rolling Stone ranked it at number 276 on their list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. In 2005, it was inducted into the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress.

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