Arguably, one of the most telling influences on music has been that of the African Americans. No form of music - be it blues, swing, rock-n-roll or folk - has escaped the impact of African American harmonies. The overall effect has been a rewarding one though, as it infused freshness in musical styles and innovations in the lyrics. Today, African American music itself has evolved into many forms, soul, rap, jazz and hip-hop to name a few which are immensely popular among music lovers.

To quote Harold Courlander, author of Negro Folk Music, U.S.A. "Negro folk music...is the largest body of genuine folk music still alive in the United States, and this alone justifies an effort to see it in the round." Born out of the agony of souls subjected to undeserved slavery, African American music carries a depth of feeling, emotions and an intensity that may be wanting in other forms of music.

The Fort Valley State College Folk Festival featured African American music of all kinds - humorous numbers, gospel, blues and folk music as well. Of the many recordings made by John Wesley Work III, Willis Laurence James, and Lewis Jones on three recording trips to document the folk festival held at Fort Valley State College, only 104 have survived the ravages of time.

This CD features some of the best folk music that was presented at this festival and includes some moving vocals and some equally enjoyable instrumental pieces.

This CD features 20 Folk songs that were presented at the Fort Valley State College Folk Festival, and includes glorious examples of songs that were popular in the 40s.

Listen to Samples:

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

TRACK	RUNNING TIME
1. Old langs syne	00:03:38	Listen
2. Newman	00:01:54	Listen
3. Jubilee	00:02:34
4. My home above	00:03:31
5. Glory shone around	00:03:05
6. I love thy kingdom	00:02:22
7. Great God	00:03:19
8. Whoa mule	00:0:02
9. Coon Jive	00:01:17
10. Bottle up & go - I	00:01:40
11. Bottle up & go - II	00:00:29
12. Bottle up & go - III	00:03:36
13. Bottle up & go - IV	00:03:14
14. Breakaway	00:03:34
15. Sevassafool	00:00:39
16. Sally Walker	00:01:31
17. Rail road song	00:04:22
18. Boll Weevil	00:02:53
19. Are you from dixie?	00:01:24
20. Fast train	00:03:29

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EDITORIAL REVIEW:

It's always rewarding in some way to got to the roots of music and see how various forms evolved over the years - each influencing the other in some way. Deprived of the freedom to express themselves, African American slaves working on southern plantations fell back on an innovative way of communicating - through songs. The touching lyrical masterpieces born out of this singular situation soon became popular among the slaves who sang to dispel the gloom and remind themselves of the promise of a better tomorrow.

African Folk music drew heavily on the African musical forms, keeping alive century-old musical traditions. This historic CD contains fabulous reminders of this from of music. These songs also reflect the level of technological advancements achieved in sound recording in those early days. Sadly some of the music from this fest could not be preserved, but the numbers that have survived give us a fair idea of what their quality and influence may have been.

Jam-packed with lilting tunes, memorable lyrics and some unforgettable folk songs, this musical CD is sure to delight connoisseurs of vintage music.

CUSTOMER'S REVIEWS:

"This CD is a treat for all music lovers. An ardent lover of African American music in all its forms, I was delighted by the musical repast on this and the other titles on African American Music forms from a2zcds.com. This surely is a source that is professionally managed and one, which seems to have an ear to the ground - producing one fabulous title after another."

Customer's Name: Denise Emerson (San Francisco, California)