''Negro Folk Songs'' (or ''Negroe Folksongs Sung by Lead Belly'') is an album by

Lead Belly Huddie William Ledbetter ( ; January 1888 or 1889 – December 6, 1949), better known by the stage name Lead Belly, was an American folk music, folk and blues singer notable for his strong vocals, virtuosity on the twelve-string guitar, and the ...

, recorded in 1943 and released as an album in early 1946. By 1943, Lead Belly had recorded and released two albums and several singles with producer

Moe Asch Moe, MOE, MoE or m.o.e. may refer to: In arts and entertainment Fictional characters * Moe, leader of The Three Stooges, played by Moe Howard * Moe Szyslak, from the animated television show ''The Simpsons'' * Moe Higurashi, a supporting charact ...

and his label Asch Recordings. In October of this year, Lead Belly went into the studio and recorded six more sides for Asch. These songs were intended to be released as an album under Asch Recordings, but it is unlikely this was ever issued. In 1945, Asch Recordings went out of business and Moe Asch partnered with Herbert Harris to form Disc Records. By the fall of 1945, Disc Records would entirely replace Asch Recordings, owning all its previously recorded material. Asch would reissue several of Lead Belly's records on this new label. These songs that were recorded years earlier may have been issued for the first time as ''Negro Folk Songs'' (catalog number Disc 660), a three-disc collection of 12"

78 rpm records A phonograph record (also known as a gramophone record, especially in British English) or a vinyl record (for later varieties only) is an analog signal, analog sound Recording medium, storage medium in the form of a flat disc with an inscribed, ...

. The linear notes were written by

Fred Ramsey Charles Frederic Ramsey, Jr. (January 29, 1915 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania – March 18, 1995 in Paterson, New Jersey) was an American writer on jazz and record producer. Ramsey took his BA at Princeton University in 1936, then took jobs at Ha ...

. In July 1946,

Studs Terkel Louis "Studs" Terkel (May 16, 1912 – October 31, 2008) was an American writer, historian, actor, and broadcaster. He received the Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction in 1985 for ''The Good War'' and is best remembered for his oral histor ...

(a Chicago disc jockey) wrote a fan letter to Asch, telling him he had received positive responses to this album, as well as other albums released by Disc Records. Multiple short songs were recorded as one continuous take and therefore have the same matrix number. Each matrix number was given its own side of a record. In 1994,

Document Records Document Records is an independent record label, founded in Austria and now based in Scotland, that specializes in reissuing vintage blues and jazz. The company has been recognised by The Blues Foundation, being honoured with a Keeping the Bl ...

released digital remasters of these songs on the album ''Leadbelly: Complete Recorded Works 1939–1947 in Chronological Order, Volume 3: October 1943 to 25 April 1944'', catalog number DOCD-5228. On this remaster, each of the matrix numbers were given their own track. The six tracks are meant to represent the six sides of the album.

Track listing

References

External links

* * 1946 albums Lead Belly albums {{folk-album-stub