The Lomax Legacy

From 1867 to 2002 John and Alan Lomax, father and son, may have contributed more to music than any other men in history. They traveled the world- from the most established metropolitan cities to the smallest farm communities- and ended up recording over ten thousand folk songs from a wide array of cultures, all of which remain in the Library of Congress to this day. The albums accumulated over the years range from Italian sea shanties to the chain gang hymns from early American penitentiaries. The Lomax's explored and documented Caribbean, Spanish and even Irish folk music- not to mention songs sung by the impoverished workers from England, Scotland and Wales.

In 1910 John Lomax became president of the Texas Folklore Society which hoped to encourage general interest in folk and story music. It was during this time that John set out across America, armed with a antique 350 pound recording machine, and secured his first collection of folk music from the states. During this time songs like "Come along little doggie" and "Home on the range" were first discovered, contributing to Alan's first book Cowboy Songs and Frontier Ballads. After that the phonograph recordings began to flood into the Library of Congress with no signs of stopping. The Lomax recordings proved that the poor have a voice and culture worth hearing. More than that, the amassed songs brought these cultures to the public eye and invigorated a worldwide cultural tether that helped create a kind of familiarity amongst otherwise opposite communities.

Alan Lomax earned his degree in philosophy at the University of Texas at Austin and afterward began his shared passion with his father in understanding the roots at the bottom of folk music. During the 1932 summer the father and son team explored 16,000 miles in only 4 months time. Most of the recordings during the summer were from southern penitentiaries where many African American work songs were gathered. The riveting soul and roar in these singers were especially precious to the Lomax's. It was then that the famous folk and blues singer Huddie Ledbetter (Leadbelly) was discovered.