Shows 3/02 4:45 PM (Rep), 3/05 9:15 PM (Rep)

For most of his life, Alan Lomax travelled everywhere he could, lugging bulky direct-to-vinyl equipment with him to collect the folk songs of the world. He was an archivist for the Library of Congress, a position he inherited from his father, who was also a songhunter. The Lomaxes were the first to make recordings of folk music, which later became something of a craze. Lomax was a hero to director Rogier Kappers, who wanted to interview him and make that the center of the documentary. Unfortunately, by the time Kappers could interview him, Lomax had suffered a stroke which left him unable to answer the questions Kappers wanted to ask him. So, Kappers and his crew set out to learn about Lomax by tracking down the people who had sung for him all those years ago. Many were already dead, but Kappers found some who were alive. It’s amazing to watch as the old recordings are played back to the people who sang them.
This is a moving and fascinating portrait of a man who was driven to preserve a dying art form. Lomax made sacrifices to pursue his dream, and he left behind him thousands of recordings from all over the world. Anyone with an interest in folk music cannot afford to miss this film.