Festival Stage
odd: label: Introduction
content: During the 1974 Festival, the Regional America program featuring Mississippi took place only during the first week (July 3-7, 1974). A Festival Stage presented Mississippi musicians during that week, alongside performers from other programs. During the two down days (July 8 and 9, 1974) and the Festival's second week, in addition to cross-Festival presentations, the Festival Stage hosted a program devoted to the "Evolution of American Folk Music". That program sought to trace the hidden or lost connection between "down home" music and the professional music that evolved from it. It focused on four traditions of folk music and several styles of more popular music descended from the older forms. Two of the traditions were considered familiar to many people who visit folk festivals - black music and white country music. The two other traditions had not theretofore been presented with the same attention - the music of the French-speaking Cajuns and Creoles of Louisiana, and the music of Spanish-speaking Cubans, Puerto Ricans, and Mexican Americans from New York and Texas. These presentations featured the music that people make at home for their own enjoyment, and the music that developed as these people and their students began making music outside their homes for the entertainment of the public.

The program was coordinated by Frank Proschan and James Rooney. Substantial financial support came from the Music Performance Trust Funds.
label: Participants
content: Barry Jean Ancelet, 1951-, M.C., Cajun program

Ardoin Family, Cajun musicians

Bata Players, Afro-Cuban drummers

Balfa Brothers, Cajun musicians

Inez Catalan, 1913-1994, Cajun ballad singer

Sam Chatmon, 1899-1983, blues guitarist, Hollandale, Mississippi

Clifton Chenier, 1925-1987, Cajun blues band

Wilma Lee Cooper (1921-2011) and Stony Cooper (1918-1977) & the Clinch Mountain Clan, Grand Ole Opry country musicians

Corozo Group, Puerto Rican popular musicians

Dorina Gonzalez, Mexican-American singer

Josh Graves, 1927-2006, Dobro instrumentalist

El Grupo Afro Folklorico Nuevo Yorquino, Latin folklore group

Esteban Jordan, 1938-, Chicano folklore group

Key West Junknoos, Junknoos band

Manuel Liscano, Mexican-American cantina singer

Tex Logan, 1927-2015, country fiddler

René López, M.C., Cuban/Puerto Rican program

Jimmy C. Newman, Cajun country singer

La Patato, Cuban street musicians

Rev. Leon Pinson, 1919-1998, gospel singer and guitarist, Cleveland, Mississippi

Lonnie Lee Pitchford, 1955-1998, one-string player and guitarist, Lexington, Mississippi

Christine Rainey and the Ensemble Sacred Singers, holiness singers, Jackson, Mississippi

José Reyna, M.C., Mexican-American program

James Talley, 1944-, Southwest country singer

Joe Townsend & Jesse Mays, gospel singer and guitarist, Independence, Mississippi

Lupe Valenti, Mexican-American mariachi singer

Speedy West (1924-2003) Swing Band, western swing band
name: label: Collection Creator
content: Smithsonian Institution. Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
setName: label: See more items in
content: Smithsonian Folklife Festival records: 1974 Festival of American Folklife
dataSource: label: Archival Repository
content: Ralph Rinzler Folklife Archives and Collections
identifier: label: Identifier
content: CFCH.SFF.1974, Series 5
objectType: label: Type
content: Archival materials