We are excited to announce the acquisition of Folk-Legacy Records, founded in 1961 by folk musicians Sandy and Caroline Paton along with their friend and business partner Lee Haggerty. The mission of Folk-Legacy is similar to that of Smithsonian Folkways: to preserve, create, and share traditional folk music with the public. With this acquisition comes over 140 albums recorded by the Patons at informal gatherings, live concerts, sessions in the Folk-Legacy studio, in the homes of musicians, and in their family home atop Sharon Mountain in the northwest corner of Connecticut. This collection offers music from the British Isles, as well as various geographical pockets of the U.S., including Appalachia, the Ozarks, New England, and the American Southwest.

Alongside this acquisition, Smithsonian Folkways and Folk-Legacy are releasing A Living Tradition: Selections from Folk-Legacy Records, a compilation that offers a small sample of the vast catalog of Folk-Legacy material. This 15-track release includes the skillful old-time banjo picking of Hedy West on “Barbara Allen”, the wistful harmonies of the Gordon Bok, Ann Mayo Muir, and Ed Trickett trio on “Turning Toward the Morning”, and Frank Proffitt’s rendition of folk classic “Little Birdie”. It is available today via Bandcamp and Smithsonian Folkways' web store. Learn more about Folk-Legacy Records.