Dust-to-Digital
Founded1999 (1999)
FounderLance Ledbetter, April Ledbetter
GenreBlues, Country, Folk, Gospel, Jazz, and World Music
Country of originU.S.
LocationAtlanta, Georgia
Official websitewww.dust-digital.com

Dust-to-Digital started as a record company that specialized in documenting the history of American popular music, including historical recordings of blues, gospel, and country music. They've since expanded their catalogue to include a breadth of international music, and their full discography has over 70 releases from all over the world. Their method combines rare recordings with historic images, photographs, and detailed texts describing artists and their works.[1] The company has won multiple Grammy Awards.[2][3]

History

In February 1999, while working at WRAS, an Atlanta college radio station, and becoming frustrated at the unavailability of gospel music recordings from the 78 RPM era, Lance Ledbetter set out on a search for rare recordings of gospel music. Aiding in his search was his then girlfriend, April, who has continued to work with Lance ever since. The culmination of five years of research, Goodbye, Babylon was released in 2003 on Ledbetter's newly formed label, Dust-to-Digital. The six-CD box set, containing gospel music from 1902 to 1960,[4] accompanied by a 200-page book, was well received.[5][6][7] Known for their deluxe packaging and in-depth research, Dust-to-Digital quickly established itself as the gold-standard for archival releases.

Since 2004, Dust-to-Digital has issued more than 70 titles. Their 2007 release Art of Field Recording Volume 1: Fifty Years of Traditional American Music Documented by Art Rosenbaum, a collection of recordings by folklorist and artist Art Rosenbaum, won a Grammy for Best Historical Album. In 2012, Lance and April launched their nonprofit Music Memory, an organization dedicated to the preservation of recorded music of all types & genres.

In May 2017, Dust-to-Digital began posting Instagram videos of music performances of all kinds, from rare historical television footage to people making music out of everyday objects. The label's account has since garnered over a million followers, and Dust-to-Digital has become known as a hub for footage of engaging musical performances on social media.

Their box-set Voices of Mississippi: Artists and Musicians Documented by William Ferris won two Grammy Awards in 2019 for Best Historical Album and Best Liner Notes. Based on the award-winning set, the Voices of Mississippi Live Tour began in 2022, and the program features live musical performances by blues and gospel musicians integrated with film, audio recordings, and rare photographs.


Releases

List of Dust-to-Digital Releases
Year Release Artist Format Notes
2003 Goodbye, Babylon Various Artists CD box set with book Nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Historical Album and the Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package
2004 Where Will You Be Christmas Day? CD Compiled by Lance Ledbetter and Dick Spottswood
2005 Fonotone Records Frederick, Maryland (1956-1969) CD box set with book Nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package; Compiled by Joe Bussard and Lance Ledbetter
2006 How Low Can You Go?: Anthology of the String Bass (1925-1941) CD box set with book Nominated for Jazz Journalists Association Award for Reissue/Historical Box Set of the Year; Compiled by Lance Ledbetter and Dick Spottswood
Desperate Man Blues CD Soundtrack to film of the same name; won Living Blues Award for Best Historical Reissue
Edward Gillan (director) DVD Documentary on Joe Bussard
I Belong to this Band: 85 Years of Sacred Harp Recordings Various Artists CD Compiled by Matt Hinton and Lance Ledbetter
2007 Art of Field Recording Sampler CD Won Grammy Award for Best Historical Album; nominated for Grammy Award for Best Liner Notes; and nominated for Association for Recorded Sound Collections Award for Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research; Compiled by Lance Ledbetter and Art Rosenbaum
2007 Art of Field Recording Volume I: Fifty Years Of Traditional American Music Documented By Art Rosenbaum CD box set with book
Melodii Tuva: Throat Songs and Folk Tunes from Tuva CD Liner notes by Dr. Pekka Gronow
Black Mirror: Reflections in Global Musics Compiled by Ian Nagoski
2008 Victrola Favorites: Artifacts from Bygone Days Two CDs with book Compiled by Rob Millis and Jeffrey Taylor
2009 Art of Field Recording Volume II: Fifty Years Of Traditional American Music Documented By Art Rosenbaum CD box set with book Field recordings by Art Rosenbaum
Take Me to the Water: Immersion Baptism in Vintage Music and Photography, 1890-1950 CD with book Nominated for Grammy Award for Best Historical Album[8] and Association for Recorded Sound Collections Award for Best Research in Recorded Country Music; Compiled by Jim Linderman and Lance Ledbetter
Au clair de la lune Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville Vinyl record
2010 Jesus Christ from A to Z Rev. Johnny L. Jones Vinyl record
The Hurricane That Hit Atlanta Two CD set
Excavated Shellac: Strings (Guitar, Oud, Lar, Violin and More from the 78rpm Era) Various Artists Vinyl/CD Compiled by Jonathan Ward
Baby How Can it Be?: Songs of Love, Lust and Contempt from the 1920s and 1930s CD set Compiled by John Heneghan and featuring liner notes by Nick Tosches
Let Your Feet Do the Talkin' Stewart Copeland (director) DVD Documentary on Thomas Maupin and clogging
Ten Thousand Points of Light: 20th Anniversary Edition George King (director) Documentary on an Atlanta family's Christmas light display
2011 Ain't No Grave: The Life and Legacy of Brother Claude Ely Brother Claude Ely Book Written by Macel Ely II. Includes a CD featuring a sermon by Claude Ely; nominated for Association for Recorded Sound Collections Award for Best Historical Research in Blues, Gospel, Hip-Hop or R&B
Luk Thung: Classic & Obscure 78s from the Thai Countryside Various Artists CD Compiled by David Murray
Never a Pal Like Mother: Vintage Songs & Photographs of the One Who's Always True Book with two CDs Book features an introduction by Rosanne Cash and an essay by Sarah Bryan
I Listen to the Wind that Obliterates My Traces: Music in Vernacular Photographs, 1880-1955 Book with two CDs Compiled by Steve Roden
Your Past Comes Back To Haunt You The Fonotone Years 1958–1965 John Fahey CD box set Compiled by Glenn Jones
Opika Pende: Africa at 78 rpm Various Artists CD box set with book Compiled by Jonathan Ward; Nominated for Grammy Award for Best Historical Album, 2003
I Have My Liberty!: Gospel Sounds from Accra, Ghana CD Produced by Calpin Hoffman-Williamson
Qat, Coffee & Qambus: Raw 45s from Yemen Compiled by Chris Menist
2012 Pictures of Sound: One Thousand Years of Educed Audio, 980-1980 Book and CD Nominated for Grammy Award for Best Historical Album and won Association for Recorded Sound Collections Award for Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research
Drop on Down in Florida: Field Recordings of African-American Traditional Music, 1977-1980 Various Artists Two CDs and book Compiled by Dwight DeVane and Blaine Waide
Just Before Music Lonnie Holley CD/Vinyl
2013 Greek Rhapsody: Instrumental Music from Greece, 1905-1956 Various artists Two CDs and book Compiled by Tony Klein
Sorrow Come Pass Me Around: A Survey of Rural Black Religious Music CD/Vinyl Liner notes by David Evans
Kassidat: Raw 45s from Morocco
Longing for the Past: The 78 rpm Era in Southeast Asia CD box set with book Nominated for Grammy Award for Best Historical Album; compiled by David Murray
Keeping a Record of It Lonnie Holley CD/vinyl
Michigan-I-O: Alan Lomax and the 1938 Library of Congress Folk-Song Expedition Various Artists Book Liner notes written by Todd Harvey
2014 Lead Kindly Light Various artists Two CDs and book Compiled by Sarah Bryan and Peter Honig
Parchman Farm: Photographs and Field Recordings, 1947-1959 Nominated for Grammy Award for Best Historical Album; Compiled by Lance Ledbetter and Nathan Salsburg with essays by Alan Lomax, Anna Lomax Wood and Bruce Jackson
Arkansas at 78 rpm: Corn Dodgers & Hoss Hair Pullers CD Compiled by Tony Russell and Maxine Payne
Making Pictures Three for a Dime Book Featuring vintage photo booth photography; compiled by Phillip March Jones
2015 No More Good Time in the World for Me J.B. Smith CD Field recordings by Bruce Jackson, recorded at the Ramsey Unit in 1965-66; liner notes by Nathan Salsburg
Ola Belle Reed and Southern Mountain Music on the Mason-Dixon Line Ola Belle Reed Two CDs and book Compiled by Henry Glassie and Clifford Murphy
The Birth of Rock and Roll: Photographs from the Collection of Jim Linderman Jim Linderman and Joe Bonomo Book
Rawhead & Bloodybones Brian Harnetty Two CDs
Don't Think I've Forgotten: Cambodia's Lost Rock and Roll Various Artists CD/Vinyl Soundtrack for the documentary of the same name
Folksongs of Another America: Field Recordings from the Upper Midwest, 1937-1946 CD box set with book and DVD Nominated for Grammy Award for Best Liner Notes; compiled by James P. Leary
Joe Bussard presents: The Year of Jubilo - 78 rpm Recordings of Songs from the Civil War CD Compiled by Joe Bussard
Excavated Shellac: Reeds (Reed Performances from Tanzania, Kurdistan, Turkey, India, China and More from the 78 rpm Era) CD/vinyl Compiled by Jonathan Ward
2016 Bruce Conner: I'm Always Thinking of You Bruce Conner Greeting card Reproduction of 1957 greeting card
Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten: Cambodia’s Lost Rock and Roll Various Artists Double LP Expanded vinyl edition of film soundtrack
Blind Alfred Reed: Appalachian Visionary Blind Alfred Reed CD and book Liner notes by Ted Olson
Music of Morocco from the Library of Congress: Recorded by Paul Bowles, 1959 Various Artists CD box set with book Nominated for Grammy Award for Best Historical Album; Introduction by Lee Ranaldo and liner notes by Philip Schuyler
Washington Phillips and His Manzarene Dreams Washington Phillips CD and book Liner notes by Michael Corcoran
2017 Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten: Cambodia’s Lost Rock and Roll: Promo 45 Various Artists Vinyl Record Record Store Day Release
2018 Voices of Mississippi: Artists and Musicians Documented by William Ferris Various Artists CD box set with book and DVD Nominated for Grammy Award for Best Historical Album; Nominated for Grammy Award for Best Liner Notes; Liner notes by Scott Barretta, David Evans, William Ferris and Tom Rankin
Listen All Around: The Golden Age of Central and East African Music Various Artists Two CDs and book Liner notes by Alex Perullo and Hugh Tracey
The Early Films of William Ferris 1968-1975 Various films DVD Seven documentary films by William Ferris with a total running time of 115 minutes
Voices of Mississippi: Artists and Musicians Documented by William Ferris Various Artists Vinyl Single LP vinyl edition of box set
2020 Excavated Shellac: An Alternate History of the World’s Music Various Artists Digital and box-set, 100 tracks with 186-page pdf Compiled by Jonathan Ward. Nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Historical Album.
2022 Hard Times Never Kill Gonora Sounds Digital only Produced by David Aglow
From the Lion Mountain: Traditional Music of Yeha, Ethiopia Various Artists Digital only Produced by David Evans
2023 Bolinus Brandaris Various Artists CD and hardcover book Produced by David Aglow

References

  1. Fantz, Ashley. "Label turns forgotten music into gold". www.cnn.com. CNN. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  2. "The Grammys". www.grammy.com. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  3. Williams, Wyatt. "An Unfinished State". www.oxfordamerican.org. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  4. Battaglia, Andy. "Music review: Paul Bowles' Moroccan musical survey from the 50s". www.thenational.ae. Abu Dhabi Media. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  5. Miller, Michael H. "Dust-to-Digital Brings Brother Claude Ely Back to Life". www.observer.com. Observer. Retrieved 11 July 2016.
  6. "Goodbye Babylon". www.crossrhythms.co.uk. 15 February 2004. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
  7. "Dusted Reviews: V/A - Goodbye, Babylon". www.dustedmagazine.com. 16 April 2004. Retrieved 19 April 2010.
  8. "Grand Haven collector nominated for Grammy for historical album" . The Grand Rapids Press, John Sinkevics January 31, 2010

Notes

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