ABSTRACT
American folklorist and folk singer, son of John Avery Lomax, born in Austin, Texas. He assisted his father in field work, and also studied at the University of Texas (B.A., 1936). From 1937 to 1942 he was assistant curator-to his father-of the Archive of Folk Song, Library of Congress. He collected folk songs in the Midwest and Southeast U.S. One of his important projects was to interview and record Jelly Roll Morton for the Library of Congress in 1938; he also recorded extensive interviews and performances for the Library with Leadbelly and Woody Guthrie. He became director of folk music for Decca Record Co. after World War II,bringing that label to prominence in the field through the 1950s. Lomax also sang, and was heard on a 1958 LP from the Tradition label; then Kapp Records produced his album Folk Song Saturday Night. His Southern Journey series was issued by Atlantic Records in the late 1950s, and a similar series from the same trip was issued on Presitge. He performed on radio and at folk festivals. His books include collaborations with his father plus Folk Songs of North America in the English Language (1960), and Hard Hitting Songs for Hard-Hit People, with Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger (1967).
