Died On This Date (October 19, 1986) Moe Asch / Founder of Folkways Records
themusicsover Moses “Moe” Asch
December 2, 1905 – October 19, 1986
Moe Asch was a Poland born, New York City raised musicologist who founded the legendary Folkways label in 1948. The label specialized in folk and is considered an invaluable asset to American culture. The label itself, was a major influence on the development of folk musicians for years to come. Folkways released over 2100 recordings during Asch’s time. They included new releases by the likes of Lead Belly, Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie was well as previously unreleased discoveries from the ’20s and ’30s. Moe Asch died of natural causes at the age of 81. Following his death, the Smithsonian Institution acquired the Folkways catalog.