Festival Stage
Object Details
- Introduction
- During the 1974 Festival, the Regional America program featuring Mississippi took place only during the first week (July 3-7, 1974). A Festival Stage presented Mississippi musicians during that week, alongside performers from other programs. During the two down days (July 8 and 9, 1974) and the Festival's second week, in addition to cross-Festival presentations, the Festival Stage hosted a program devoted to the "Evolution of American Folk Music". That program sought to trace the hidden or lost connection between "down home" music and the professional music that evolved from it. It focused on four traditions of folk music and several styles of more popular music descended from the older forms. Two of the traditions were considered familiar to many people who visit folk festivals - black music and white country music. The two other traditions had not theretofore been presented with the same attention - the music of the French-speaking Cajuns and Creoles of Louisiana, and the music of Spanish-speaking Cubans, Puerto Ricans, and Mexican Americans from New York and Texas. These presentations featured the music that people make at home for their own enjoyment, and the music that developed as these people and their students began making music outside their homes for the entertainment of the public. The program was coordinated by Frank Proschan and James Rooney. Substantial financial support came from the Music Performance Trust Funds.
- Participants
- Barry Jean Ancelet, 1951-, M.C., Cajun program Ardoin Family, Cajun musicians Bata Players, Afro-Cuban drummers Balfa Brothers, Cajun musicians Inez Catalan, 1913-1994, Cajun ballad singer Sam Chatmon, 1899-1983, blues guitarist, Hollandale, Mississippi Clifton Chenier, 1925-1987, Cajun blues band Wilma Lee Cooper (1921-2011) and Stony Cooper (1918-1977) & the Clinch Mountain Clan, Grand Ole Opry country musicians Corozo Group, Puerto Rican popular musicians Dorina Gonzalez, Mexican-American singer Josh Graves, 1927-2006, Dobro instrumentalist El Grupo Afro Folklorico Nuevo Yorquino, Latin folklore group Esteban Jordan, 1938-, Chicano folklore group Key West Junknoos, Junknoos band Manuel Liscano, Mexican-American cantina singer Tex Logan, 1927-2015, country fiddler René López, M.C., Cuban/Puerto Rican program Jimmy C. Newman, Cajun country singer La Patato, Cuban street musicians Rev. Leon Pinson, 1919-1998, gospel singer and guitarist, Cleveland, Mississippi Lonnie Lee Pitchford, 1955-1998, one-string player and guitarist, Lexington, Mississippi Christine Rainey and the Ensemble Sacred Singers, holiness singers, Jackson, Mississippi José Reyna, M.C., Mexican-American program James Talley, 1944-, Southwest country singer Joe Townsend & Jesse Mays, gospel singer and guitarist, Independence, Mississippi Lupe Valenti, Mexican-American mariachi singer Speedy West (1924-2003) Swing Band, western swing band
- Collection Creator
- Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
- See more items in
- Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1974 Festival of American Folklife
- Archival Repository
- Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections
- Identifier
- CFCH.SFF.1974, Series 5
- Type
- Archival materials
- Collection Citation
- Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1974 Festival of American Folklife, Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections, Smithsonian Institution.
- Collection Rights
- Permission to publish materials from the collection must be requested from the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections. Please visit our website to learn more about submitting a request. The Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections make no guarantees concerning copyright or other intellectual property restrictions. Other usage conditions may apply; please see the Smithsonian's Terms of Use for more information.
- Collection Restrictions
- Access to the Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections is by appointment only. Visit our website for more information on scheduling a visit or making a digitization request. Researchers interested in accessing born-digital records or audiovisual recordings in this collection must use access copies.
- Record ID
- ebl-1503510202147-1503510202199-8
- Metadata Usage
- CC0