This episode continued talking about Harry Smith and the Anthology of American Folk Music. In 1952, Harry Smith approached Mo Asch because he was in need of money. He had a large collection of folk music records that he wanted to sell. At that time folk music was referred to by some as hillbilly music or race records.
Mo Asch suggested putting his old records together in a new way. Harry Smith had a little over 80 recordings and he put them together in an organized fashion.
Harry and Mo had a strong relationship. They each had a lot of respect for each other even though Harry was asking Mo for money quite often.
The director of the Harry Smith archives said,
"Harry did not select the songs based on which were his favorites."
Harry Smith said,
"I was looking for exotic records."
I believe that both of these quotes are important because it explains why the Anthology of American Folk Music was such a big deal. The variety and culture present was appealing to people because everyone could find something they liked. Good music reflects the culture and the time period as stated on an earlier episode. Harry Smith understood that and applied it to his work.
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