In the period between 1889 and 1895, the influence became quite remarkable. As a widely publicized press release pertaining to that era declared - ‘'the fire that would ignite almost every American popular music style was sparking. These were some of the worst years in American race relations, yet they witnessed the emergence of ragtime and the birth of an African American popular entertainment industry". By 1889, jubilee singing troupes were making their mark on an enthusiastic music world, and ‘ragtime’ was soon born.

The African American Music Festivals of 1938-1943 pertain to the folk festival at Fort Valley State College (now Fort Valley State University), Fort Valley, Georgia - a locality that has been among the majors breeding grounds for innovative American music. It is fascinating to explore firsthand how very effectively African American music has influenced the music industry.

The African American Music Festivals, 1938-1943 - Ragtime, Speeches and Ballads Audio CD from A2ZCDS is the latest addition in this innovative series of retrospective music recorded at the Fort Valley State University, Fort Valley, Georgia. Some of the legendary tracks featured on this CD are:

Alabama Red (Murder Ballad):

This is a snappy 3:06 minutes song about the Pastel family, that was hog-tied and murdered by a fleeing chain gang in Alabama. The ballad is rendered by Buster Ezell on vocals and Boll Weevil on a very accomplished banjo.

Roosevelt and Hitler, Part 1 (Strange Things Are Happening In This Land)

Again rendered by the classic bluesman Buster Ezell, this delightfully renegade 3:32 minute protest song features the memorable lyric "He's treating us so mean with his dreadful submarines."

A Prayer:

This 1:28 minute religious recital is rendered by the dramatic song leader Sam (Deacon) Jackson who also performed popular messages like ‘Don’t Sit Down’ and songs such as ‘My Soul Couldn’t Rest Contented’ and ‘If I Had My Way’ at the Fort Valley State Folk Festival.

War Song:

Buster Brown sings and plays the harmonica for this enthralling 2:48 minute blues ballad. Buster’s forte was the amazing feat of vocalizing and playing the harmonica at the same time, doubtlessly inspiring performers like Bob Dylan much later.

This innovative audio CD from the Fort Valley State Folk Festival, now released by A2ZCDS, features the above as well six other legendary songs and speech recordings from the same event.

Listen to Samples:

To hear a song sample, click on the " Listen ."

TRACK	RUNNING TIME	MP3
1. Alabama Red	00:03:08	Listen
2. Smithy Rag	00:02:53	Listen
3. I cant give it Away	00:01:53
4. War song	00:02:50
5. Roosevelt & Hitler - I	00:03:34
6. Roosevelt & Hitler - II	00:01:50
7. Southern Rag	00:01:26
8. A Prayer	00:01:30
9. Don’t sit down	00:01:42
10. Roosevelt and Hitler - III	00:03:18

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EDITORIAL REVIEW:

The Fort Valley State College musical festivals were an explosion of accomplished guitar, banjo, harmony and choral arrangements that were recorded on twelve-inch acetate discs. The songs had been compiled by various people, including Lewis Jones of Fisk University, Willis Lawrence of Spelman College and John Wesley Work III. The performers were some of the most accomplished African American musicians of that era and included groups like the New York and Georgia Singers and the Golden Jubilee Quartet, spiritual singers like Deacon Sam Jackson and the legendary Buster Brown and the secular wartime singer Buster Ezell.

This event was, amongst other things, probably the first folk festival organized entirely by and for African Americans. An editorial of that period in American music history commented that these festivals presented African American musicians with "an unusual opportunity to forward the war-time program of recording soldiers' songs and other folkloristic and documentary material growing out of the war." Certainly, some very fine talents were represented and the Fort Valley State College musical festivals have become a footnote in American musical history.

CUSTOMER'S REVIEWS:

"No fan of soul sounds of any kind can ignore this momentous collection (African American Music Festivals, 1938-1943 - Ragtime, Speeches and Ballads Audio CD). The seat-of-the-pants recording adds to the charm of listening to actual musical history. I ma so glad that the trouble was taken to record this event for the edification of our people’s enormous musical talents. Thanks a million, A2ZCDS...."

Customer's Name: Adele Franklin (New Orleans, Louisiana)