Dust-to-Digital started as a record company that specialized in documenting the history of American popular music, including historical recordings of blues, gospel, and country music. They have since expanded their catalogue to include a breadth of international music, and their full discography has over 70 releases from all over the world. Their method combines rare recordings with historic images, photographs, and detailed texts describing artists and their works. The company has won multiple Grammy Awards.
History In February 1999, while working at WRAS, an Atlanta college radio station, and becoming frustrated at the unavailability of gospel music recordings from the 78 rpm era, Lance Ledbetter set out on a search for rare recordings of gospel music. Aiding in his search was his then-girlfriend, April, who has continued to work with Lance ever since. The culmination of five years of research, Goodbye, Babylon was released in 2003 on Ledbetter's newly formed label, Dust-to-Digital. The six-CD box set, containing gospel music from 1902 to 1960, accompanied by a 200-page book, was well received. Known for their deluxe packaging and in-depth research, Dust-to-Digital quickly established itself as the gold-standard for archival releases.
Since 2004, Dust-to-Digital has issued more than 70 titles. Their 2007 release Art of Field Recording Volume 1: Fifty Years of Traditional American Music Documented by Art Rosenbaum, a collection of recordings by folklorist and artist Art Rosenbaum, won a Grammy for Best Historical Album. In 2012, Lance and April launched their nonprofit the Dust-to-Digital Foundation, an organization dedicated to the preservation of recorded music of all types & genres.
In May 2017, Dust-to-Digital began posting Instagram videos of music performances of all kinds, from rare historical television footage to people making music out of everyday objects. The label's account has since garnered over a million followers, and Dust-to-Digital has become known as a hub for footage of engaging musical performances on social media.
Their box-set Voices of Mississippi: Artists and Musicians Documented by William Ferris won two Grammy Awards in 2019 for Best Historical Album and Best Liner Notes. Based on the award-winning set, the Voices of Mississippi Live Tour began in 2022, and the program features live musical performances by blues and gospel musicians integrated with film, audio recordings, and rare photographs.
Releases
List of Dust-to-Digital Releases Year Release Artist Format Notes2003 Goodbye, BabylonVarious Artists CD box set with book Nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Historical Album and the Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package2004 Where Will You Be Christmas Day? CD Compiled by Lance Ledbetter and Dick Spottswood2005 Fonotone Records Frederick, Maryland (1956-1969) CD box set with book Nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Boxed or Special Limited Edition Package; Compiled by Joe Bussard and Lance Ledbetter2006 How Low Can You Go?: Anthology of the String Bass (1925-1941) CD box set with book Nominated for Jazz Journalists Association Award for Reissue/Historical Box Set of the Year; Compiled by Lance Ledbetter and Dick SpottswoodDesperate Man Blues CD Soundtrack to film of the same name; won Living Blues Award for Best Historical Reissue Edward Gillan (director) DVD Documentary on Joe Bussard I Belong to this Band: 85 Years of Sacred Harp RecordingsVarious Artists CD Compiled by Matt Hinton and Lance Ledbetter2007Art of Field Recording SamplerCDWon Grammy Award for Best Historical Album; nominated for Grammy Award for Best Liner Notes; and nominated for Association for Recorded Sound Collections Award for Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research; Compiled by Lance Ledbetter and Art Rosenbaum2007 Art of Field Recording Volume I: Fifty Years Of Traditional American Music Documented By Art Rosenbaum CD box set with book Melodii Tuvi: Throat Songs and Folk Tunes from TuvaCD Liner notes by Dr. Pekka Gronow Black Mirror: Reflections in Global Musics Compiled by Ian Nagoski 2008 Victrola Favorites: Artifacts from Bygone Days Two CDs with book Compiled by Rob Millis and Jeffrey Taylor2009 Art of Field Recording Volume II: Fifty Years Of Traditional American Music Documented By Art Rosenbaum CD box set with book Field recordings by Art Rosenbaum Take Me to the Water: Immersion Baptism in Vintage Music and Photography, 1890-1950 CD with book Nominated for Grammy Award for Best Historical Album"Grand Haven collector nominated for Grammy for historical album" . The Grand Rapids Press, John Sinkevics January 31, 2010 and Association for Recorded Sound Collections Award for Best Research in Recorded Country Music; Compiled by Jim Linderman and Lance Ledbetter Au clair de la lune Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville Vinyl record2010 Jesus Christ from A to ZRev. Johnny L. Jones Vinyl record The Hurricane That Hit Atlanta Two CD set Excavated Shellac: Strings (Guitar, Oud, Lar, Violin and More from the 78rpm Era)Various Artists Vinyl/CD Compiled by Jonathan Ward Baby How Can it Be?: Songs of Love, Lust and Contempt from the 1920s and 1930s CD set Compiled by John Heneghan and featuring liner notes by Nick Tosches Let Your Feet Do the Talkin' Stewart Copeland (director)DVD Documentary on Thomas Maupin and clogging Ten Thousand Points of Light: 20th Anniversary Edition George King (director) Documentary on an Atlanta family's Christmas light display2011 Ain't No Grave: The Life and Legacy of Brother Claude Ely Brother Claude Ely Book Written by Macel Ely II. Includes a CD featuring a sermon by Claude Ely; nominated for Association for Recorded Sound Collections Award for Best Historical Research in Blues, Gospel, Hip-Hop or R&B Luk Thung: Classic & Obscure 78s from the Thai CountrysideVarious Artists CD Compiled by David Murray Never a Pal Like Mother: Vintage Songs & Photographs of the One Who's Always True Book with two CDs Book features an introduction by Rosanne Cash and an essay by Sarah Bryan I Listen to the Wind that Obliterates My Traces: Music in Vernacular Photographs, 1880-1955 Book with two CDs Compiled by Steve Roden Your Past Comes Back To Haunt You The Fonotone Years 1958–1965 John Fahey CD box set Compiled by Glenn Jones Opika Pende: Africa at 78 RPMVarious Artists CD box set with book Compiled by Jonathan Ward; Nominated for Grammy Award for Best Historical Album I Have My Liberty!: Gospel Sounds from Accra, GhanaCD Produced by Calpin Hoffman-Williamson Qat, Coffee & Qambus: Raw 45s from Yemen Compiled by Chris Menist2012 Pictures of Sound: One Thousand Years of Educed Audio, 980-1980 Book and CD Nominated for Grammy Award for Best Historical Album and won Association for Recorded Sound Collections Award for Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research Drop on Down in Florida: Field Recordings of African-American Traditional Music, 1977-1980 Various Artists Two CDs and book Compiled by Dwight DeVane and Blaine Waide Just Before Music Lonnie Holley CD/Vinyl2013 Greek Rhapsody: Instrumental Music from Greece, 1905-1956Various artists Two CDs and book Compiled by Tony Klein Sorrow Come Pass Me Around: A Survey of Rural Black Religious MusicCD/Vinyl Liner notes by David Evans Kassidat: Raw 45s from Morocco Longing for the Past: The 78 rpm Era in Southeast Asia CD box set with book Nominated for Grammy Award for Best Historical Album; compiled by David Murray Keeping a Record of It Lonnie Holley CD/vinyl Michigan-I-O: Alan Lomax and the 1938 Library of Congress Folk-Song Expedition Various Artists BookLiner notes written by Todd Harvey2014 Lead Kindly LightVarious artistsTwo CDs and book Compiled by Sarah Bryan and Peter Honig Parchman Farm: Photographs and Field Recordings, 1947-1959 Nominated for Grammy Award for Best Historical Album; Compiled by Lance Ledbetter and Nathan Salsburg with essays by Alan Lomax, Anna Lomax Wood and Bruce Jackson Arkansas at 78 rpm: Corn Dodgers & Hoss Hair Pullers CD Compiled by Tony Russell and Maxine Payne Making Pictures Three for a Dime Book Featuring vintage photo booth photography; compiled by Phillip March Jones 2015 No More Good Time in the World for Me J.B. Smith CD Field recordings by Bruce Jackson, recorded at the Ramsey Unit in 1965-66; liner notes by Nathan Salsburg Ola Belle Reed and Southern Mountain Music on the Mason-Dixon Line Ola Belle Reed Two CDs and book Compiled by Henry Glassie and Clifford Murphy The Birth of Rock and Roll: Photographs from the Collection of Jim Linderman Jim Linderman and Joe Bonomo Book Rawhead & Bloodybones Brian Harnetty Two CDs Don't Think I've Forgotten: Cambodia's Lost Rock and RollVarious Artists CD/Vinyl Soundtrack for the documentary of the same name Folksongs of Another America: Field Recordings from the Upper Midwest, 1937-1946 CD box set with book and DVD Nominated for Grammy Award for Best Liner Notes; compiled by James P. Leary Joe Bussard presents: The Year of Jubilo - 78 rpm Recordings of Songs from the Civil War CD Compiled by Joe Bussard Excavated Shellac: Reeds (Reed Performances from Tanzania, Kurdistan, Turkey, India, China and More from the 78 rpm Era) CD/vinyl Compiled by Jonathan Ward2016 Bruce Conner: I'm Always Thinking of You Bruce Conner Greeting card Reproduction of 1957 greeting card Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten: Cambodia’s Lost Rock and Roll Various Artists Double LP Expanded vinyl edition of film soundtrack Blind Alfred Reed: Appalachian Visionary Blind Alfred Reed CD and book Liner notes by Ted Olson Music of Morocco from the Library of Congress: Recorded by Paul Bowles, 1959 Various Artists CD box set with book Nominated for Grammy Award for Best Historical Album; Introduction by Lee Ranaldo and liner notes by Philip Schuyler Washington Phillips and His Manzarene Dreams Washington Phillips CD and book Liner notes by Michael Corcoran2017 Don’t Think I’ve Forgotten: Cambodia’s Lost Rock and Roll: Promo 45 Various Artists Vinyl Record Record Store Day Release2018 Voices of Mississippi: Artists and Musicians Documented by William Ferris Various Artists CD box set with book and DVD Nominated for Grammy Award for Best Historical Album; Nominated for Grammy Award for Best Liner Notes; Liner notes by Scott Barretta, David Evans, William Ferris and Tom Rankin Listen All Around: The Golden Age of Central and East African Music Various Artists Two CDs and book Liner notes by Alex Perullo and Hugh Tracey The Early Films of William Ferris 1968-1975 Various films DVD Seven documentary films by William Ferris with a total running time of 115 minutes Voices of Mississippi: Artists and Musicians Documented by William Ferris Various Artists Vinyl Single LP vinyl edition of box set2020 Excavated Shellac: An Alternate History of the World’s Music Various Artists CD box set with book Compiled by Jonathan Ward. Nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Historical Album.2022Hard Times Never KillGonora SoundsDigital onlyProduced by David AglowFrom the Lion Mountain: Traditional Music of Yeha, EthiopiaVarious ArtistsDigital onlyProduced by David Evans2023Bolinus BrandarisVarious ArtistsCD and hardcover bookProduced by David Aglow2024Pied Piper of New OrleansBabe StovallDigital onlyProduced by David Evans2025Excavated Shellac: VoicesVarious ArtistsDigital onlyProduced by Jonathan WardSun Gonna ShineRoosevelt HoltsDigital onlyProduced by David Evans
References
Notes