Moe Asch | |
|---|---|
 Moses Asch in his Folkways Records Office in New York | |
| Born | Moses Asch December 2, 1905 |
| Died | October 19, 1986 (aged 80) |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation(s) | Record executive Record engineer |
| Known for | Folkways Records |
| Children | Michael Asch |
| Parent | Sholem Asch |
Moses Asch (December 2, 1905 – October 19, 1986) was an American recording engineer and record executive. He founded Asch Records, which then changed its name to Folkways Records when the label transitioned from 78 RPM recordings to LP records. Asch ran the Folkways label from 1948 until his death in 1986. Folkways was very influential in bringing folk music into the American cultural mainstream. Some of America's greatest folk songs were originally recorded for Asch, including "This Land Is Your Land" by Woody Guthrie and "Goodnight Irene" by Lead Belly. Asch sold many commercial recordings to Verve Records; after his death, Asch's archive of ethnic recordings was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution, and released as Smithsonian Folkways Records.