Hey, Curtis Metcalf here — we’re gonna have some fun on this edition of From the Vault… When I began volunteering at the Pacifica Radio Archives in 2002, I saw an opportunity to contribute to Pacifica by helping make important programs from Pacifica’s rich broadcast history available to a wide audience. In that first year I discovered a shelf of old recordings from the San Diego Folk Festival that caught my attention– it just so happens that I have a personal interest in many types of folk music, including country blues, 1950?s country western, African and reggae. When I took a closer look at the musicians performing at the San Diego Folk festival I noticed some amazing names like Rose Maddox, Patsy Montana, Lydia Mendoza, and The Balfa Brothers — all names that made me want to take these programs off the shelves and have a good listen. And when I listened, I just knew that I had to share. Today, I’m happy to present some of the songs that would amaze me if I heard them on the radio today… so please – sit back and enjoy this priceless collection of live recordings from thirty years past, courtesy of the Pacifica Radio Archives.
From the Vault is presented through the Pacifica Radio Archives Preservation and Access Project, funded in part by an award from the National Endowment for the Arts, past grants from the Grammy Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the American Archive funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, along with the generous support of Pacifica Radio listeners.
Original air date 6/22/07, rebroadcast 7/20/2012.
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