National Recording Registry

Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech was one of the 50 recordings added on the first year of existence of the United States National Recording Registry.

The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically important, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000,^[1] which created the National Recording Preservation Board, whose members are appointed by the Librarian of Congress. The recordings preserved in the United States National Recording Registry form a registry of recordings selected yearly by the National Recording Preservation Board for preservation in the Library of Congress.^[2]

The legislative intent of the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000 was to develop a national program to guard America's sound recording heritage. The Act resulted in the formations of the National Recording Registry, The National Recording Preservation Board and a fund-raising foundation to aid their efforts.^[3] The act established the Registry specifically for the purpose of maintaining and preserving sound recordings and collections of sound recordings that are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.^[1] Beginning in 2002, the National Recording Preservation Board began selecting nominated recordings each year to be preserved.

The first four yearly lists included 50 selections. However, since 2006, 25 recordings have been selected annually. Thus, a total of 425 recordings have been preserved in the Registry as of 2014. Each calendar year, public nominations are accepted for inclusion in that year's list of selections to be announced the following spring. Nominations are made in the following categories:

Each yearly list has often included a few recordings that have also been selected for inclusion in the holdings of the National Archives' audiovisual collection. Those recordings on the Library of Congress' National Recording Registry that are of a political nature will tend to overlap with the audiovisual collection of the National Archives. The list shows overlapping items and whether the National Archives has an original or a copy of the recording.

Selection criteria

The criteria for selection are as follows:^[4]

• Recordings selected for the National Recording Registry are those that are culturally, historically or aesthetically important, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States.
• For the purposes of recording selection, "sound recordings" are defined as works that result from the fixation of a series of musical, spoken, or other sounds, but not including the sound component of a moving image work, unless it is available as an autonomous sound recording or is the only extant component of the work.
• Recordings may be a single item or group of related items; published or unpublished; and may contain music, non-music, spoken word, or broadcast sound.
• Recordings will not be considered for inclusion into the National Recording Registry if no copy of the recording exists.
• No recording should be denied inclusion into the National Recording Registry because that recording has already been preserved.
• No recording is eligible for inclusion into the National Recording Registry until ten years after the recording's creation.

2002

On January 27, 2003, the following 50 selections were announced by the National Recording Preservation Board.^[5]

Selected exhibition recordings for the phonograph were added in 2002.

Booker T. Washington recreated his controversial 1895 Atlanta Exposition Speech in 1906.

The Original Dixieland Jazz Band's "Tiger Rag" launched jazz as a music genre.

"Downhearted Blues" was the first release by Bessie Smith.

Louis Armstrong was one of American music's most important figures. The preserved sessions, and his solos in particular, set a standard musicians still strive to equal in their beauty and innovation.^[5]

Franklin D. Roosevelt's "Fireside Chats" "redefined the relationship between the president and the American people."^[5]

Orson Welles' 1938 "War of the Worlds" radio drama created alarm and panic across the United States.

Bob Dylan is considered one of the 20th century's most influential figures.

2003

"He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" was one of Marian Anderson's favorite spirituals, and she often performed it at the conclusion of her recitals.^[7]

The Cole Porter Songbook was the first of Ella Fitzgerald's many anthologies.

Chuck Berry- widely considered to have "laid the groundwork for not only a rock and roll sound but a rock and roll stance".

O. Winston Link's recordings of the sounds produced by a variety of locomotive models capture "the unique and now-lost sounds of the engines which united the United States."^[7]

The Beatles' album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is arguably one of the most important albums in popular music.

Marvin Gaye has been covered by artists from The Who to Alicia Keys.

In March 2004, the following 50 selections were made by the National Recording Preservation Board.^[7]

2004

In April 2005, the following 50 selections were made by the National Recording Preservation Board.^[8]

The traditional pop music song "Fascinating Rhythm," was sung by Fred and Adele Astaire in Lady, Be Good.

The NBC's coverage of Colonel Lindbergh in Washington was an important achievement for the network, and involved reporters in three locations in the city.

In spite of the controversy surrounding MacArthur at the time, his farewell speech to congress is noted for its eloquence and effectiveness.^[8]

Among those to have claimed musical satirist Tom Lehrer as an influence are Lenny Bruce and Weird Al Yankovic.

"Houston. Tranquility base here. The Eagle has landed ... I'm going to step off the LEM now. That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind." Neil Armstrong's words upon landing on the moon "have become some of the most recognizable and memorable sentences spoken in United States history."^[8]

Nirvana are considered one of the modern era's most influential bands, helping popularize alternative rock.

2005

In April 2006, the following 50 selections were made by the National Recording Preservation Board.^[9]

An athlete, a gentleman and a scholar, Robeson used his diverse talents to pave a successful career as a performer and become active in sociopolitical affairs.

Count Basie, prominent band leader during the big band era, influenced many musicians of his day.

Archibald MacLeish, Librarian of Congress and Pulitzer Prize-winning poet.

Former champion Max Schmeling handed Joe Louis his first loss.

B. B. King and his guitar Lucille.

Don't Crush That Dwarf ... was the first comedy album to utilize such production techniques including 16-track recording and Dolby noise reduction.

Stevie Wonder has been awarded over 20 Grammy Awards. His 1976 album Songs in the Key of Life won the Grammy that year for Album of the Year.

2006

On March 6, 2007, the following 25 selections were made by the National Recording Preservation Board.^[10]

Cal Stewart was among the most prolific and popular recording artists of the first 20 years of commercial recording.

Pete Seeger adapted a gospel song, "I Shall Overcome", by changing "I" to "We", and it became a civil rights standard.

(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, The Rolling Stones' first U.S. No. 1 is thought to be one of the greatest rock songs.

2007

"Allons à Lafayette" was the best-known recording by Cajun accordionist Joe Falcon.

Fiorello La Guardia read the comics on WNYC radio during the 1945 newspaper delivery strike.

T-Bone Walker- one of the first electric guitarists.

Murmurs of Earth is an eclectic 90-minute record of life and culture, sent into space by NASA.

On May 14, 2008, the following 25 selections were made by the National Recording Preservation Board.^[11][12]

2008

Shortly after his Carnegie Hall debut, violinist Jascha Heifetz made his first recordings for Victor.

Mary Lou Williams was a prolific jazz pianist, composer, and arranger.

Winston Churchill's "Sinews of Peace" address originated the term "Iron Curtain."

With Rumble, Link Wray popularized the power chord.

On June 10, 2009, the following 25 selections were made by the National Recording Preservation Board.^[13]

2009

On June 23, 2010, the following 25 selections were made by the National Recording Preservation Board.^[14]

Little Richard

Bill Cosby

Mississippi John Hurt

Willie Nelson

Patti Smith

R.E.M.

2010

Ishi, last surviving member of the Yahi tribe

Willis Conover, broadcaster with the Voice of America

Don Van Vliet, better known by the stage name Captain Beefheart

A humpback whale, known for producing whale songs

On April 6, 2011, the following 25 selections were announced.^[15]

2011

On May 23, 2012, the following 25 selections were made by the National Recording Preservation Board.^[14]

Lillian Russell

Leonard Bernstein

Bo Diddley

Dolly Parton

Grateful Dead

2012

Will Rogers

Dwight D. Eisenhower

Ornette Coleman

Big Brother and the Holding Company

Pink Floyd

On March 21, 2013, the following 25 selections were announced.^[15]

2013

Louis Jordan

The Everly Brothers

Lyndon B. Johnson

Isaac Hayes

Larry Norman

U2

On April 2, 2014, the following 25 selections were announced.^[16][17]

2014

Johnny Mercer

Joan Baez

The Doors

Sly and the Family Stone

Steve Martin

Lauryn Hill

Marin Alsop

On March 25, 2015, the following 25 selections were announced.^[18]

Statistics

As of 2014, the oldest recording on the list is Edouard-Leon Scott de Martinville's Phonautograms which date back to 1853. The most recent is Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman by Joan Tower, performed by the Colorado Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Marin Alsop, which was released in 1999.^[19]

Selections vary widely in duration. Both the early Edison recordings and the instrumental "Rumble" by Link Wray clock in at under three minutes; the Edison Talking Doll cylinder is only 17 seconds long. Meanwhile Georg Solti's recording of Wagner's complete Ring Cycle is approximately 15 hours in duration and Alexander Scourby's recitation of the King James Bible is over 80 hours in length.^[19]

See also

• National Film Registry
• Sounds of Australia

Notes

• ^A The original 25 recordings from July 24, 1933 and July 28, 1934 are preserved at the Roosevelt Library in Hyde Park, New York.^[20]

References

External links

• National Recording Preservation Board
• Full National Recording Registry
• NPR All Things Considered – series spotlighting selections from the Registry