Title and Performer Indexes - Folk Music on Recordings

by Jane Keefer, c1996 - 2013

The title and performer indexes provide discographic information in a frame-based browsable alphabetic format. All entries are actively cross linked between performer and title as well as to the Source Publisher Index.

In the title browse format, you may see several identical titles listed, with each title followed by a roman numeral or a number to distinguish the distinct pieces with the same title. Different songs with the same title will have roman numerals (I, II, etc.), while tunes are distinguised using numbers (#1, 2, etc.) Composer information may also be available to help distinguish different pieces that have the same title and this is listed immediately after the title in the full list.

Although a piece may not have a composer credit, this does not necessarily imply that the song or tune is traditional. The reverse is also true. Recordings will often note credits for songs, but these credits may be just for the specific arrangements. To see that this is can be the case, simply try searching the major music copyright management organizations, BMI , ASCAP, and SESAC, for a typical traditional tune like Soldier's Joy or Arkansas Traveller, and you'll begin to see the problems in making accurate composer credits.

Following the title, specific recording performances or printed appearances are listed, with the name of the performer, the source title and recording label, the format (Bk, LP, CD, etc.), and the date of publication of the source, if given. Approximate dates are listed, but these are simply my own personal estimate. This date reflects only the date of publication of the specific item listed. Following the date, the location of the item as a recording trk(cut) or page number is given. If the recording is a reissue, or a printed entry is for an earlier collected or published entry, the actual date of the recording or field collection is listed in brackets.

The performer discographic files follow the same format except that neither composer information nor format is listed.

Revised - 11/22/13, Jane Keefer