I’m Gonna Live Anyhow Until I Die is the fifth instalment from Global Jukebox, an independent label from the Alan Lomax Archive. All five albums in the series cover the Field Recordings from Alan Lomax’s “Southern Journey”, 1959-1960. They feature a whole range of incredible recordings some of which were previously unreleased along with new re-masters. Lomax was accompanied by a young Shirley Collins whom he met whilst living in London. The journey through the Southern states lasted from July to November 1959. The vast recordings offer a unique legacy of sound which has inspired many artists since their exposure to the world by Lomax. Atlantic Records financed the trip, allowing Alan to re-record many of the artists he had recorded earlier in the 1940s with improved quality equipment and in stereo.
On a piece of work like this, it’s so hard to pick out highlights when you weigh up the importance of all the recordings alone. But if I had to make a selection from this fifth release it would be:
Vera Ward Hall‘s a capella version of The Last Month of the Year, I can hear a lot of modern music in that one track.
Elder I.D. Back: Poor Pilgrim of Sorrow. A definative precursor to O’ Brother Where Art Thou. You can hear the crickets chirping in the background…you can see why these hell fire preachers scared the hell out of the congregation, incredible presence and power!
J.E. Mainer’s Mountaineers: Number 111 A classic if ever there was one. It has a rawness that isn’t just the recording, something that many roots revival artists are now striving to re-create.
Celebrating the 50th anniversary of Alan Lomax’s “Southern Journey”, Global Jukebox have re-issued all five Southern Journey albums. The album is available on Vinyl or download, no music collection should be without it!
Alan Lomax also filmed some incredible footage in the ’70s and ’80s which is really worth checking out, here’s a taster:
Belton Sutherland’s blues (1978)
Sheila Kay Adams: Little Margaret (1982)