Introduction

Ruby Terrill Lomax, photographer. *Lolo Mendoza and Chico Real, with guitars, at the home of Mrs. Sarah Kleberg Shelton, Kingsville, Texas*. September 1940. Lomax photographs depicting folk musicians in the Lomax Collection. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.

American Folklife Center collections from Texas display the depth of diversity found within the Lone Star State and span over a century. Beginning with the John A. Lomax Cylinder Recordings of American Cowboy Songs recorded between 1906 and 1910 (AFC 1940/022), the collections depict the lives and artistic achievements of the many communities of Texas. Collections of the American Folklife Center cover the vast geographic region that is Texas, and its many communities—through our collections one can conduct research on cowboys, view photographs of the Mexico-United States border, listen to prison songs and southern spirituals from African American and White singers, and study oral histories of Texan Veterans.

Lomax and Faulk, 1940s Collecting in the Lone Star State

In the fall of 1940, John A. Lomax, Sr. and Ruby Terrill Lomax embarked on a two-month field trip from their home in Dallas to Washington, DC. Highlights of the trip included a return to Livingston, Alabama, to record Vera Ward Hall and other singers from that town, and also a stop in Wiergate, Texas to see their old friend Henry Truvillion. The first weeks of the trip, however, incorporated two new elements: the addition of college-bound Bess Lomax and several days at the King Ranch. Lolo Mendoza and Chico Real (at right) were two of the many musicians they recorded.

The following year, John Henry Faulk, under a grant from the Rosenwald Foundation, recorded African American Baptist church services, gospel quartets, and choirs for the Archive of American Folk Song. These field recordings, which also include sermons, hymns, and prayers, illustrate the rich musical history of Texas and elucidates the state of racism in Texas in the mid-20th century. In 1942, Faulk then continued to record work songs and blues by African American prisoners in Sugarland, Texas. More than twenty years later, Bruce Jackson would also record a sampler of work songs, blues, and spirituals sung by African American and white prisoners in the Texas prison system in the summer of 1964 and again in 1965 through 1966.

Collection Highlights

The following materials link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to digital content are provided when available.

John Henry Faulk recordings of Negro religious services Part 1 by John Henry Faulk, collector
Call Number: AFC 1941/014
Published/Created: July 1941
This collection is comprised of field recordings of African American Baptist church services including scripture readings, African American gospel quartets and quintets, choirs, religious songs, hymns, prayers, and sermons recorded in Texas in July 1941 by John Henry Faulk. The collection includes Faulk's recording logs, descriptions of the services and names of participants, and correspondence with Alan Lomax and others at the Archive of American Folk Music, Library of Congress, about recording African Americans and describing racism in Texas.
John Henry Faulk collection of Texas prison songs
Call Number: AFC 1943/009
Published/Created: 1942
Field recordings of work songs and blues performed by African American prisoners in Sugarland, Texas recorded in June 1942 by John Henry Faulk.
Bruce Jackson Texas prison songs, 1964
Call Number: AFC 1965/011
Published/Created: 1964
Sampler of worksongs, blues, and spirituals sung by Negro and white prisoners compiled by Bruce Jackson from his field recordings made in the Texas prison system in summer 1964; includes two pages of notes by Bruce Jackson.
Bruce Jackson Texas prison songs, 1965-1966
Call Number: AFC 1967/009
Published/Created: 1965-1966
Collection of field recordings of Negro work songs, blues, poetry, toasts, and conversation recorded in Texas prisons by Bruce Jackson, 1965-1966. Research was funded by Harvard University Society of Fellows. The collection includes correspondence between Bruce Jackson and Rae Korson and Alan Jabbour of the Archive of Folk Song, Library of Congress.

Additional Collections of Interest

The following materials link to fuller bibliographic information in the Library of Congress Online Catalog. Links to digital content are provided when available.

John A Lomax southern states collection
Call Number: AFC 1935/002
Published/Created: 1933-1937
Collection comprised primarily of field recordings made by John A. Lomax, Alan Lomax, Ruby T. Lomax, and Harold Spivacke for the Archive of American Folk Song, Library of Congress, recorded on instantaneous discs from 1933-1937 with performances by numerous musicians and speakers.
Voices Remembering Slavery: Freed People Tell Their Stories
Call Number: E444
Published/Created: 1932-1975
The recordings of former slaves in Voices Remembering Slavery: Freed People Tell Their Stories took place between 1932 and 1975 in nine states. Twenty-three interviewees discuss how they felt about slavery, slaveholders, coercion of slaves, their families, and freedom. Several individuals sing songs, many of which were learned during the time of their enslavement. It is important to note that all of the interviewees spoke sixty or more years after the end of their enslavement, and it is their full lives that are reflected in these recordings. The individuals documented in this presentation have much to say about living as African Americans from the 1870s to the 1930s, and beyond. All known recordings of former slaves in the American Folklife Center are included in this presentation. Interviews of freed people from Texas can be found here.
Felipe Hinojosa collection of interviews with Latino Mennonites
Call Number: AFC 2016/042
Published/Created: 2003-2009
Various interviewees include Samuel Hernandez, Ruperto "Tito" Guedea, Enrique Ortiz, Hector Lugo, Jose Enrique Jimenez, Gracie Torres, Neftali Torres, Lupe DeLeón, Seferina DeLeón, John Powell, Paul Conrad and Ann Conrad, Ted Chapa, Jesus "Chuy" Navarro, John Ventura, Jose Ortiz, Alfredo Tagle, Ricardo Peña and Yolanda Villarea, Rosario Vallejo and Perfecta DeLeón, Rolando Mireles, and others.
Surviving Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in Houston Collection
Call Number: AFC 2008/006
Published/Created: 2006-2008
Oral history interviews with 104 survivors of Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Rita who relocated to Houston, Texas, after the 2005 storms. Interviews were conducted from 2006 to 2008 as part of Surviving Katrina and Rita in Houston: A Survivor-Centered Storytelling and Documentation Project, directed by Carl Lindahl and Pat Jasper in consultation with the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress. Approximately 50 interviewers, who are survivors of the hurricanes themselves, were trained to conduct the interviews in which survivors told of their personal experiences of the disasters.

Blog Posts & Podcasts

Corridos of the Texas Border Collected by John and Ruby Lomax
Read about the history of the Mexican corrido tradition and listen to songs recorded by John and Ruby Lomax in Texas in 1939 in this post by Stephanie Hall. (Folklife Today Blog: September 14, 2015)

Public Programming

Folklorist and ethnomusicologist Langston Wilkins discusses "screw," Houston's distinctly local form of hip-hop music that emerged within the city's African American community almost 30 years ago. It is inextricably tied to "slab," a vernacular car culture in which mostly young African American men spend countless hours and money transforming outmoded American sedans into spectacular automotive art pieces. In his talk, Wilkins discussed how "screw" and "slab" combined to form a unique local tradition that affirmed and empowered working class black Houstonians across several generations.

American Folklife Center Collections: Texas

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