In the 1940s and 1950s, Fort Valley State College in Fort Valley, Georgia hosted a folk music festival. In 1941 & 1943 professors from Fisk University recorded performances from this festival for the Libray of Congress. Today, we feature gospel highlights from this, the first African-American-sponsored folk festival.

Songs include: If I Had My Way, I Got a Long White Robe, Over In Zion, I'm on the Battlefield & I'll Fly Away.

Tunes about fish and fishing, including: Saturday Night Fish Fry, Fishing Blues, Gone Fishing, Fisherman's Luck and Poissons d'or.  Performers include: Henry Thomas, Woody Guthrie, the Dixon Brothers, Kay Kayser, Al Cooper and Carlo Zecchi.

Songs include: That's the Way it Is, Things Are Looking Up, Goodnight Sweetheart, Ain't He Sweet and Let's Take the Long Way Home.

Artists include: Pearl Bailey, Bing Crosby, Ada Jones, Ella Fitzgerald, Russ Columbo and Jo Stafford.

More stride jazz piano music, including: Carolina Shout, Solitude, African Ripples, Nevertheless and Euphonic Sounds.

Performers include: James P. Johnson, Luckey Roberts, Fats Waller, Donald Lambert, Willie the Lion Smith, Joe Sullivan, Duke Ellington and Art Tatum.