Moses Asch

Moses Asch was a prominent American record producer who played a significant role in the music industry. Born in 1905, Asch founded his own record label, initially known as Asch Records, which later underwent a transformation and was renamed Folkways Records with the shift from 78 RPM recordings to LP records. As the head of Folkways Records, Asch was instrumental in popularizing folk music and bringing it into the mainstream American culture.

Under Asch's leadership, Folkways Records became a platform for renowned artists, with iconic songs such as Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land" and Lead Belly's "Goodnight Irene" being recorded for the label. Asch's legacy extended beyond his own label, as he sold numerous commercial recordings to Verve Records. Following his death in 1986, his archive of ethnic recordings was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution, which later released them under the label Smithsonian Folkways Records, ensuring the preservation and continuation of his life's work.