“Each year since 2002, the National Recording Preservation Board (NRPB) and members of the public have nominated recordings to the National Recording Registry. The depth and breadth of nominations received highlights the richness of the nations’ audio legacy and underscores the importance of assuring the long-term preservation of that legacy for future generations. Each year, the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress chooses 25 recordings showcasing the range and diversity of American recorded sound heritage in order to increase preservation awareness. The diversity of nominations received highlights the richness of the nation’s audio legacy and underscores the importance of assuring the long-term preservation of that legacy for future generations.”

National Recording Registry Picks Are “Over the Rainbow” Barbra Streisand, Richard Pryor, NPR Recordings Among Inductees – announced March 29, 2017

Judy Garland’s hit single “Over The Rainbow”; the original-cast album of “The Wiz”; the rap group N.W.A’s seminal album, “Straight Outta Compton”; the Eagles’ 1976 “Their Greatest Hits”; and the national anthem of black America have been designated as aural treasures worthy of preservation as part of America’s patrimony. Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden today named these recordings and 20 other titles to the National Recording Registry of the Library of Congress because of their cultural, artistic and historical importance to American society and the nation’s audio heritage. “This year’s exciting list gives us a full range of sound experiences,” said Hayden. “These sounds of the past enrich our understanding of the nation’s cultural history and our history in general.” Under the terms of the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, the Librarian, with advice from the Library’s National Recording Preservation Board (NRPB), is tasked with annually selecting 25 titles that are “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” and are at least 10 years old. More information on the National Recording Registry can be found here. The recordings selected for the 2016 registry bring the total number of titles on the registry to 475, a small part of the Library’s vast recorded-sound collection of nearly 3 million items.  The recordings named to the registry feature a rich and diverse array of spoken-word and musical recordings—representing nearly every musical category—spanning the years 1888 to 1997.  Among the 2016 selections are Harry Richman’s 1929 “Puttin’ on the Ritz”; Big Mama Thornton’s 1953 “Hound Dog”; Sonny Rollins’ 1956 “Saxophone Colossus”; Wilson Pickett’s 1965 “In the Midnight Hour”; Talking Heads’ 1980 “Remain in Light”; Marty Robbins’ 1959 “Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs”; the 1960 album “The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery”; David Bowie’s 1972 apocalyptic concept album “The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars”; and Sister Sledge’s 1979 hit single “We Are Family.” Barbra Streisand’s 1964 debut hit single, “People,” was also tapped for a place in the registry…”