WASHINGTON — From rare audio interviews of former slaves to recordings by Donna Summers and the Grateful Dead, 25 sounds that shaped the American cultural landscape are being inducted into the National Recording Registry.
Summer's 1977 hit "I Feel Love" is joining the Dead's famed 1977 Barton Hall concert as sounds of cultural significance, among 25 additions being announced Wednesday by the Library of Congress into its recording registry.
The world's largest library has chosen a diverse array of history-setting sounds and songs to retain for permanent preservation.
Also chosen were Dolly Parton's "Coat of Many Colors," Prince's "Purple Rain" and Leonard Bernstein's 1943 conducting debut with the New York Philharmonic.
Some selections are truly historic, including the only known audio of former American slaves who were interviewed in the 1930s.