Folklorist John Avery Lomax was born on this day in 1867 in Goodman, Mississippi, though his family moved to Texas before his second birthday. In Texas, Lomax lived near the Old Chisholm Trail and after hearing the old cowboy songs while growing up decided to write down the words to the songs. This early interest transformed into an occupation, and Lomax traveled the nation collecting folk songs, with his Cowboy Songs and Other Frontier Ballads being published in 1910. Lomax, who was among the founders of the Texas Folklore Society, is also known for introducing the nation to the music of Lead Belly, whom he met at Angola in Louisiana. The folklorist died in Mississippi in 1948.
Here is a Lomax recording of Doris McMurray singing "This Little Light o' Mine." The recording was made near Huntsville, Texas, in 1939.
To learn more about John Avery Lomax, please follow the link to the Texas State Historical Association (TSHA) article, which is the source from which the majority of the information in this blog post originated.
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