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 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.[2] 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.[3] 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, the 2006 list only included 25 selections. Thus, a total of 225 recordings have been preserved in the Registry thus far. Each year, open nominations are accepted until July 1 for inclusion in that year's list of selections to be announced the following spring. Thus, nominations for the 2007 list to be announced in the spring of 2008 must be submitted by July 1, 2007 although nominations are accepted year round.[1]
Each of the first five yearly lists have included a few recordings that had already been selected for inclusion in the holdings of the National Archives' audiovisual collection. The National Archives maintains holdings of documents and materials created by the United States Federal government that are so important for legal or historical reasons that they are kept forever.[4] Its audiovisual collection consists of film, sound recordings and videotapes.[5] The National Archives serves American democracy by safeguarding and preserving the records of our Government, ensuring continuing access to the essential documentation of the rights of American citizens and the actions of their government.[6] Thus, those recordings in the 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.
2002
In January 2003, the following 50 selections were made by the National Recording Preservation Board.[7]
Selected exhibitions recording for the phonograph were added in 2002.Louis armstrong was one of American music's most important and influential figures. The sessions preserved in the registry, and his solos in particular, set a standard musicians still strive to equal in their beauty and innovation.[7]The Original Dixieland Jazz Band's "Tiger Rag" launched jazz as a music genre, and is preserved in the registry."Down-Hearted Blues" was the first release by "Empress of the Blues" Bessie Smith.Booker T. Washington recreated his controversial 1895 Atlanta Exposition Speech in 1906.Franklin D. Roosevelt's Fireside Chats "redefined the relationship between the president and the American people."[7]Orson Welles' 1938 "War of the Worlds" radio drama created alarm and panic across the United States.
Recording or Collection
Performer
Year
National Archives
Edison Exhibition Recordings (Group of three cylinders):[8] "Around the World on the Phonograph", "The Pattison Waltz", "Fifth Regiment March"
In March 2004, the following 50 selections were made by the National Recording Preservation Board.[9]
File:Jelly roll morton.jpgA series of interview of Ferdinand 'Jelly Roll' Morton made by Alan Lomax in 1938, during which the artist recounted his life and played various pieces, were preserved in 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.[9]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."[9]File:Ellafitzgerald.jpegThe Cole Porter Song Book was the first of Ella Fitzgerald's many anthologies.File:Beatles retouched.jpgThe Beatles' 1967 Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album was also part of the 2003 selection.
In April 2005, the following 50 selections were made by the National Recording Preservation Board.[10]
The traditional pop music song "Fascinating Rhythm," sung by Fred and Adele Astaire in Lady, Be Good, was preserved in 2004.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.File:Sergei Prokofiev.jpgSergey Prokofiev intended his Peter and the Wolf to be a children's introduction to orchestral music. it premiered in the United States in 1938, 2 years after the Moscow premiereIn spite of the controversy surrounding MacArthur at the time, his farewell speech to congress is noted for its eloquence and effectiveness.[10] "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 lading on the moon "have become some of the most recognizable and memorable sentences spoken in United States history."[10]
In April 2006, the following 50 selections were made by the National Recording Preservation Board.[11]
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.File:Bhope.jpgBob Hope entertained troops during World War II, The Korean War, and Vietnam War.B. B. King and Lucille (guitar)Stevie Wonder is the most decorated recording artist with 22 Grammy Awards.
On March 6, 2007, the following 25 selections were made by the National Recording Preservation Board.[12]
Cal Stewart was among the most prolific and popular recording artists of the first 20 years of commercial recording.File:Franklin Roosevelt signing declaration of war against Japan December 1941.jpgPresident Roosevelt signs the declaration of war against Japan after the "date which will live in infamy".Folk singer Pete Seeger took a gospel song, "I Shall Overcome", changed the "I" to "We", and the song became a standard for the civil rights movement.
^"About the National Archives". U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved March 1. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
^"Our Mission Statement". U.S. National Archives and Records Administration. Retrieved March 1. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
^"Fear of a Black Planet". All Media Guide. Retrieved 2007-02-27. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
