The Midnight Special and Other Southern Prison Songs
The Midnight Special and Other Southern Prison Songs is an album by Lead Belly and the Golden Gate Quartet, recorded for Victor Records in Camden, New Jersey in 1940 and released in 1941.
| The Midnight Special and Other Southern Prison Songs | ||||
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | 1941 | |||
| Recorded | June 15-17, 1940, Camden, New Jersey | |||
| Genre | Folk, blues | |||
| Length | 18:31 | |||
| Label | Victor Records | |||
| Producer | Robert P. Weatherald | |||
| Lead Belly chronology | ||||
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In 1939, Lead Belly was back in jail for assault after stabbing a man in a fight in Manhattan. The ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax, who had started to make field recordings of folk music for Victor Records, helped raise money for Lead Belly's legal expenses.[1] It was Lomax's original intent to record songs in prison, but instead a recording studio was used. To create a "prison" feel Lomax suggested that the Golden Gate Quartet back Lead Belly. However, the Golden Gate Quartet was a polished, professional group, and Lead Belly had to teach them how to sing as a group of prisoners would sing the selected songs.[2]
The Midnight Special and Other Southern Prison Songs was originally released as one three-disc collection of 78 rpm records. Six sides, including the double-sided "The Midnight Special", were included in this release. All tracks were recorded at Victor Studios in Camden, New Jersey on June 15-17, 1940.
Track listing
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Midnight Special" | 3:07 |
| 2. | "Ham and Eggs" | 2:59 |
| 3. | "Grey Goose" | 2:57 |
| 4. | "Stewball" | 3:01 |
| 5. | "Pick a Bale of Cotton" | 3:01 |
| 6. | "Alabama Bound" | 3:03 |
References
- https://www.thestoryoftexas.com/discover/artifacts/grey-goose-78-rpm-by-lead-belly
- Szwed, John (2010). Alan Lomax: The Man Who Recorded the World. Penguin. p. 169. ISBN 9781101190340.