This is the Library of Congress, American Folklife Center site that deals with the folk music collection gathered by the federal government during the Great Depression and the subsequent decades. The New-Deal-funded music collecting of the 1930s and 1940s was extremely important for building a foundation of archival material for this significant part of American heritage. Many people played important roles in this process (both musicians and collectors), but the program became the core experience that allowed the Lomax father-son team to establish their remarkable careers. The impact of their work continues to be felt in the American folk music and Bluegrass movements.