He was a fascinating man who did much for cultural study and appreciation in the 20th century- the Anthology is still one of the greatest musical compilations of its kind.
In a way, his work reminds me of the sound archivist Tony Schwartz, who was as eccentric as Harry in his own way. Tony suffered a form of agoraphobia where he never left his New York neighborhood, but he recorded all sorts of things like the street musicians and ethnic festivals. He was among the first who recorded Moondog, the bearded blind street musician who famously wore a Viking helmet and performed on homemade instruments. He also collected home recordings of people around the world who would send tapes to him. Worth looking into: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Schwartz_(sound_archivist)#
He was a fascinating man who did much for cultural study and appreciation in the 20th century- the Anthology is still one of the greatest musical compilations of its kind.
I may be misremembering this but didn't R. Crumb draw Harry Smith and devote a comic to him?
I’ve never heard it but I would love to see that.
I saw this decades ago but thankfully the internet keeps records on everything. Dig into this and you’ll see a small cartoon of Smith.
https://speedreaders.info/9850-crumb-complete-record-cover-collection/#:~:text=Robert%20Crumb%20has%20amazed%2C%20amused%2C%20distressed%2C%20rebuked%2C%20outraged&text=Harry%20Smith%20as%20featured%20in%20his%201952%20Folkways%20Records%20Anthology%20of%20American%20Folk%20Music.
Great post. I especially like Smith's reply to Whitmer about how to best listen to the Anthology recordings—fucking priceless.
In a way, his work reminds me of the sound archivist Tony Schwartz, who was as eccentric as Harry in his own way. Tony suffered a form of agoraphobia where he never left his New York neighborhood, but he recorded all sorts of things like the street musicians and ethnic festivals. He was among the first who recorded Moondog, the bearded blind street musician who famously wore a Viking helmet and performed on homemade instruments. He also collected home recordings of people around the world who would send tapes to him. Worth looking into: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tony_Schwartz_(sound_archivist)#