Legacy: A Collection of New Folk Music

Legacy: A Collection of New Folk Music
Compilation album by
Various artists
Released1989
GenreFolk
Singer-songwriter
Length56:59
LabelWindham Hill Records
ProducerRobert Duskis
Will Ackerman
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic[1]

Legacy: A Collection of New Folk Music and Legacy II: A Collection of Singer-songwriters are a pair of compilations that were released by Windham Hill Records in 1989 and 1992 respectively to introduce listeners to a new crop of young singer-songwriters.

The first volume was an attempt to document a very recent "passing of the torch from one generation to another" that was taking place with a resurgence of folk music in the 1980s. In his liner notes, folk radio host for WNEW-FM, Pete Fornatale explains:

The depth and breadth of this new scene is truly staggering. The only constant is diversity. Sure, it owes a debt to the great American Folk Tradition, but call any of the fifteen artist gathered on this sampler a "folkie" and you're liable to get smashed over the head with a six-string acoustic guitar! This is, after all, the post-Dylan era of American music. The old labels simply don't work anymore. Especially when it comes to the arts. It's just an annoying habit we human have of categorizing anything and everything. There's no need for it. At all. Period.

Will Ackerman goes on to note the debt owed to "marvelously talented singer/songwriters" Suzanne Vega, Tracy Chapman and Michelle Shocked for "prying open the doors at radio and retail", but suggests that they are just the beginning and predicts that a real musical movement is about to explode onto the scene.

Some of the artists included on the compilation went on to major label record deals. Others remained fairly obscure. Windham Hill began long term relationships with some of the artists. Years later John Gorka recalled these events: "Windham Hill decided to include one of my songs on the first Legacy songwriters compilation. Before it was even released, Will Ackerman called to say that they would like me to record for them. Land of the Bottom Line came out shortly thereafter...."[2]

Some of the artists already had albums of their own while other did not. Some of the artists also appeared on compilations for Fast Folk Musical Magazine.

Following the album's release, some of the artists appeared together in concerts to promote the compilation.[3]

  1. ^ Allmusic review
  2. ^ "Here in Gravyland: John Gorka", by Adrienne Redd (with additional interview material by Mark D. Moss), Sing Out! Vol 39, # 3, p. 12-18, (Nov/Dec '94/Jan '95)
  3. ^ "Sampling Contemporary Folk" by Mike Joyce, The Washington Post, October 29, 1989