ABSTRACT
Attempting to tell a story as grand as the life of Folkways Records is a daunting task, to say the least. Nonetheless, these pages contain what I hope is the foundation for such an important tale. It is built largely from what Folkways left behind: sales forms, tally sheets, letters, legal documents, and all those bits and pieces that add up to what famed anthropologist Bronislaw Malinowski referred to as the “imponderabilia of everyday life.” 1 It is a story that can launch a hundred other lines of inquiry: the artists and their lives; the recording industry that has surrounded Folkways for the fifty-plus years of its existence; the impact on the cultural groups whose music has been preserved on Folkways, or the loss to those who have not been recorded. All are important avenues to investigate and will undoubtedly find authors to pursue them.
