A new children’s album on Smithsonian Folkways includes a song about gay activist and politician Harvey Milk. The album was co-written by Cass McCombs and San Francisco preschool teacher Greg Gardner.
Greg Gardner
San Francisco-based preschool teacher Greg Gardner says he and his friend, singer-songwriter Cass McCombs, “have collected way too many Folkways records” over the years — by Woody Guthrie, Michael Hurley, Lead Belly, Mary Lou Williams, Ella Jenkins and others.
The pair are huge fans of the influential label founded in 1948 by Moses Asch. So they were thrilled when Folkways agreed to include their new album of children’s songs to the label’s 75th anniversary celebration.
A storied collection turns 75
To say Moses Asch’s interests were eclectic would be an understatement. With Folkways, he set out to, quite literally, capture the world’s sounds, from Cajun accordion to Langston Hughes’ voice, Irish ballads to the sound of steam locomotives.
His catalogue of more than 2,000 recordings was a fitting sonic addition to the so-called “nation’s attic.” It was also in line with the Smithsonian’s mission statement – “The increase and diffusion of knowledge” – says Folkways spokesperson Jonathan Williger
“Knowledge is not just words on a page. Sound is a major way that humans interact with the world,” says Williger, “The Folkways catalog is full of both the monumental and the minute, everything from the sound of a stapler being stapled to the March on Washington.”
“[Folkways] records talk of serious subjects, but they do so in a really fun way, that’s silly at times and heartfelt, and I really connect to that,” says Gardner, “They sound quite simple and they’re also pretty stripped down….
Read the full article here
Leave a Reply