In the early 1940’s, Herbert Harris, owner of NYC store called Stinson Trading Company, partnered with an entrepenuer named Moe Asch to create a record label that was known as Asch Stinson Company. In their few years of existence, they would record a number of artists who would become well known names in the folk music world including Lead Belly, Burl Ives and Woody Guthrie.

The partnership would dissolve after a few years and Moe Asch would go on to create Folkways Records, and Harris would keep the Stinson label going for awhile – reissuing and repackaging some of the early recordings, often on distinctive red vinyl.

After Harris passed away, his widow Irene kept the original masters in the basement of her Brooklyn Apartment and the treasures were all but forgotten. After Irene passed, the Stinson library passed onto a neighbor, and after a series of phone calls and music business connections – the recordings came to the attention of the Woody Guthrie Foundation and Archives, headed by Woody’s daughter Nora.

Over 2000 masters were found, of which 150 were recordings featuring Woody Guthrie. The masters were recorded on metal discs and most were in pristine condition. (Some were deliberately scratched – perhaps by someone in the past who did not want specific recordings to see the light of day).

I have heard these recordings, and I agree that the discs report are superb – the quality is perhaps the finest sound of any Woody Guthrie recording available. For those of us who grew up on the scratchy and muffled LP’s and reissues, these CD’s strip away layers of dust and noise to the point where you can appreciate the power of Woody’s performances.

After hearing the recordings, Nora Guthie wrote “I heard my father’s voice start to fill the room and I absolutely remembered it, and then he was right there with me. … It’s very, very strange. The more time goes by, the clearer Woody’s voice gets.”

If you have heard any of the Stinson Recordings, you probably recall that the sound quality was relatively poor. The vinyl recording were originally released during World War II when materials were scared. Moses Asch was also well known for cutting corners with expenses and using cheaper grades of material in his latter releases as well as recording sessions. The newly found masters are original source material and do not suffer from such problems. The fact that they were untouched and most remained in good condition allow for a quality recording that would have been impossible in the 1940’s. Contemporary audio restoration techniques also helped clean up the few flaws in the masters.

On August 25, everyone will have a chance to here this remarkable recordings. Rounder Records in conjuction with the Woody Guthrie Foundation are release a unique 4 CD set called “My Dustry Road”. A limited edition “Suitcase Set” is being issued – the CD’s are being packaged in a reproduction of a vintage suitcase with a 64 page book with note by Guthrie biographer Ed Cray; reproductions of Woody’s business card; a postcard from Woody sent to his wife in 1951; and a flyer for a People’s Artist booking. There are numerous photos and illustrations as well as lyric sheets.

The 54 songs are featured on 4 thematic discs – “Woody’s Greatest Hits”, “Woody’s Roots”, “Woody the Agitator” and “Woody, Cisco & Sonny” – the latter disc featuring recordings from sessions with Sonny Terry and Cisco Houston.

Most of the songs have been issued on other albums, but not with the sonic quality that will be available on these recordings. There are also a handful of previously unreleased songs, including “Bad Reputation”, a song that has appeared in some Guthrie songbooks but no one had heard this recording before.

Expect more releases from Rounder and the Woody Guthrie Foundation in the next few years. 2012 will mark the 100th anniversary of the birth of Woody Guthrie, and we can expect more remarkable treasures to be shared.