The Library of Congress announced 2010’s inductees to the National Recording Registry. The twenty-five selections were chosen by Librarian of Congress James H. Billington on the basis that they are “culturally, historically or aesthetically significant.” They join the 300 recordings already a part of the registry. The chosen recordings originate from a multitude of sources, anything from stand-up comedy to hip-hop music. However, here are some selections relevant to Sing Out!’s  readership:

Capt Beefheart: 2010 Inductee

The Almanac Singers’ “Talking Union” was selected for its impact on the American labor movement. “Tumbling Tumbleweeds” by premier Western singing group, The Sons of the Pioneers, was inducted for being the foundation of non-traditional, popular cowboy music. Blind Willie Johnson’s “Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground” was chosen for its unique innovativeness combining English song with blues tradition. Alan Lomax’s recordings of the United Sacred Harp Musical Convention in 1959, was one of the first of its kind and help spark the revival of this unique early American music form. The recently passed Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band’s “Trout Mask Replica” was Van Vliet’s opus and influenced artists from Tom Waits to the White Stripes.

Here’s a complete list of 2010’s inductees

1. Phonautograms – Edouard-Leon Scott de Martinville (ca. 1853-1861)
2. “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” – Edward Meeker, accompanied by the Edison Orchestra (1908)
3. Cylinder Recordings of Ishi (1911-14)
4. “Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground” – Blind Willie Johnson (1927)
5. “It’s the Girl” – The Boswell Sisters with the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra (1931)
6. “Mal Hombre” – Lydia Mendoza (1934)
7. “Tumbling Tumbleweeds” – The Sons of the Pioneers (1934)
8. “Talking Union” – The Almanac Singers (1941)
9. “Jazz at the Philharmonic” (July 2, 1944)
10. “Pope Marcellus Mass” (Palestrina) –The Roger Wagner Chorale (1951)
11. “The Eagle Stirreth Her Nest” – Rev. C. L. Franklin (1953)
12. “Tipitina” – Professor Longhair (1953)
13. “At Sunset” – Mort Sahl (1955)
14. Interviews with Jazz Musicians for the Voice of America, Willis Conover (1956)
15. “The Music From ‘Peter Gunn’” – Henry Mancini (1959)
16. United Sacred Harp Musical Convention in Fyffe, Alabama – field recordings by Alan Lomax and Shirley Collins (1959)
17. “Blind Joe Death” – John Fahey (1959, 1964, 1967)
18. “Stand By Your Man” – Tammy Wynette (1968)
19. “Trout Mask Replica” – Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band (1969)
20. “Songs of the Humpback Whale” (1970)
21. “Let’s Stay Together” – Al Green (1971)
22. “Black Angels (Thirteen Images from the Dark Land)” –George Crumb, CRI Recordings, (1972)
23. “Aja” – Steely Dan (1977)
24. “3 Feet High and Rising” – De La Soul (1989)
25. GOPAC Strategy and Instructional Tapes (1986-1994)