Introduction (Program #1)

Smithsonian Folkways: Sounds to Grow On is a 26-part series featuring the original recordings of Folkways records. Host Michael Asch is the only child of Moses and Frances Asch. He was a professor of Anthropology at the University of Alberta in Edmonton until his retirement. However, as he says in this first program: "The show is not about me. It is about my father, and more specifically about the record company my father founded and ran for 38 years. The company’s name is Folkways Records, and, due to the foresight and perseverance of many people at the Smithsonian Institution, the company still continues as Smithsonian Folkways Records. This program features an overview of great Folkways sounds."