The 1936 Virginia Prison Recordings
In 1936 famed folklorist John A. Lomax visited the Virginia State Prison Farm here and at the Virginia State Penitentiary in Richmond. Working for the Library of Congress's Archive of Folk Song, Lomax canvassed southern prisons in search of traditional African American music. On 13 and 14 June 1936, Lomax, assisted by Harold Spivacke, recorded quartets, banjo tunes, work songs, spirituals, and blues at the State Farm. Among the notable performers were inmates Jimmie Strother and Joe Lee. The Library of Congress first released songs from the sessions in the 1940s and they have appeared on many recordings since. These sessions are among the earliest aural records of Virginia's black folk-song tradition.
Marker is at the intersection of River Road West (Virginia Route 6) and State Farm Road, on the right when traveling east on River Road West.
Courtesy hmdb.org
