May 16th, 2008
By Mike

Every year, the Library of Congress adds to the National Recording Registry. They select 25 recordings that are “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant” to preserve for all time.
Here’s the list of recordings the NRPB, the Library’s National Recording Preservation Board, selected for the 2007 National Recording Registry. It’s great to see some of my favorite artists on this list, of which I’ve bolded below.
(In chronological order:)
“The First Trans-Atlantic Broadcast (March 14, 1925)
“Allons a Lafayette,” Joseph Falcon (1928)
“Casta Diva,” from Bellini’s “Norma”; Rosa Ponselle, accompanied by the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra & Chorus, conducted by Giulio Setti. (Dec. 31, 1928 & Jan. 30, 1929)
“If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again,” Thomas A. Dorsey (1934)
“Sweet Lorraine,” Art Tatum (February 22, 1940)
Fibber’s Closet Opens for the First Time, “Fibber McGee & Molly” radio program (March 4, 1940)
Wings Over Jordan, Wings Over Jordan (1941)
Fiorello LaGuardia reading the comics (1945)
“Call it Stormy Monday but Tuesday is Just As Bad,” T-Bone Walker (1947)
Harry S. Truman speech at the 1948 Democratic National Convention (July
15, 1948)
“The Jazz Scene,” various artists (1949)
“It Wasn’t God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels,” Kitty Wells (May 30, 1952)
“My Fair Lady,” original cast recording (1956)
Navajo Shootingway Ceremony Field Recordings, …