<I>Land Where the Blues Began</I>
date: label: Date
content: 1979
name: label: Directed by
content: Alan Lomax, American, 1915 - 2002
label: Written by
content: Alan Lomax, American, 1915 - 2002
label: Subject of
content: Johnny Brooks
label: Subject of
content: Walter Brown
label: Subject of
content: Belton Southerland
label: Subject of
content: Lonnie Pitchford
label: Subject of
content: Napolean Strickland
label: Subject of
content: Clyde Maxwell
label: Subject of
content: Lucius Smith
label: Subject of
content: Jack Owens
label: Subject of
content: Bud Spires
label: Subject of
content: Sam Chatmon
label: Subject of
content: Eugene Powel
label: Subject of
content: Wilbert Puckett
label: Subject of
content: J.T. Tucker
label: Subject of
content: Joe Savage
label: Subject of
content: James Hall
label: Subject of
content: Beatrice Maxwell
label: Subject of
content: George Johnson
label: Subject of
content: William S. Hart
label: Owned by
content: D.C. Public Library, American, founded 1896
notes: label: Caption
content: This film was a part of the Washington D.C. Public Library's circulating 16mm film collection housed at the Martin Luther King Jr. Central Library. The collection is particularly noted for the wide variety of African American and African diaspora content.
label: Description
content: A documentary film with the title Land Where the Blues Began. It consists of two reels of color 16mm acetate film with optical sound.
label: Description
content: The documentary is narrated by filmmaker Alan Lomax and, through a series of interviews with Mississippi residents, it explores the origins of Blues music. In addition to these residents engaging in short musical performances, the narrator also discusses the history of Blues by comparing the musical instruments used by people in the Mississippi delta to the musical instruments that Africans played. There are also demonstrations of how some of the musical instruments are made.
place: label: Place used
content: Washington, District of Columbia, United States, North and Central America
label: Place filmed
content: Mississippi, United States, North and Central America
topic: label: Topic
content: African American
label: Topic
content: Africa
label: Topic
content: African diaspora
label: Topic
content: American South
label: Topic
content: Blues (Music)
label: Topic
content: Documentary films
label: Topic
content: Film
label: Topic
content: Folklife
setName: label: See more items in
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
label: Collection title
content: DC Public Library Film Collection
label: Classification
content: Time-based Media - Moving Images
creditLine: label: Credit Line
content: Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Transferred from the DC Public Library
dataSource: label: Data Source
content: National Museum of African American History and Culture
identifier: label: Object number
content: 2017.55.61.1ab
objectType: label: Type
content: sound films
label: Type
content: color films (visual works)
label: Type
content: 16mm (photographic film size)
objectRights: label: Restrictions & Rights
content: Restrictions likely apply. Proper usage is the responsibility of the user.
physicalDescription: label: Medium
content: acetate film
label: Dimensions
content: Duration (Reel 1): 26 Minutes
label: Dimensions
content: Length (Film): 950 Feet
label: Dimensions
content: Duration (Reel 2): 29 Minutes
label: Dimensions
content: Length (Film): 1075 Feet