Announcing a cornerstone of the Alan Lomax Archive, reissued and remastered on vinyl for the first time since 1959

On July 10, Lomax Archive will proudly reissue Blues in the Mississippi Night, the landmark 1947 recordings by Alan Lomax at Decca Studios in New York City.

In 1959, these recordings of bluesmen “Natchez, Sib & Leroy” were finally issued by United Artists after being deemed too “controversial” for public consumption.

In fact, the recordings were deemed so potentially dangerous, “Natchez, Sib & Leroy” were pseudonyms given to the men whose words and songs were captured to tape after a public show at New York’s Town Hall.

Those bluesmen were, in fact, Big Bill Broonzy, Sonny Boy Williamson & Memphis Slim.

Lomax asked them to play a few songs and talk about “the blues”.

Blues in the Mississippi Night is the result.

This is a landmark recording of their songs and stories, pinpointing the music’s origins in the blood, sweat, and tears of the African-Americans who inhabited the Mississippi Delta world of Jim Crow exploitation.

Simply put, the recordings are stunning in their brutal honesty and spellbinding mastery.

Blues in the Mississippi Night comes newly remastered and restored, pressed onto quality vinyl and stored in a beautiful Stoughton tip-on jacket. The OBI-strip label is removable to reveal the beautiful original album cover.

Included in the package is a 20 page deluxe booklet that contains a full transcription of the entire recording, plus brand new liner notes from Anna Lomax Wood and an introduction by renowned drummer and producer Steve Jordan (Rolling Stones, John Mayer).

“I urge everyone that loves life and truth to listen to this recording” - Steve Jordan

Blues in the Mississippi Night is available worldwide July 10, 2026 and available for preorder now on deluxe vinyl LP or CD.

This is an essential recording– a cornerstone to any blues fan’s record collection and an indisputable part of American music history.

Also available on compact disc and all digital providers (hi-res, too!)

All preorders will ship with a limited three postcard set featuring the stars of the recording

Preorder Your Copy Today!
Preorder Your Copy Today!

Learn more about us

  • Lomax Archive is a record label founded through a partnership with Alan Lomax’s Association for Cultural Equity and industry veterans David Katznelson and Reed Watson.


    Founders: Anna Lomax Wood, Odysseus D. Chairetakis, David Katznelson, Robert Meitus

  • The label is committed to ethical presentation and collaboration with the descendants of the musicians featured in the archive. Proceeds from the releases will be shared with the Association for Cultural Equity (ACE) and the families of the musicians.

  • The Association for Cultural Equity (ACE) was founded by Alan Lomax to explore and sustain the world's expressive traditions with humanistic commitment and scientific engagement. ACE was registered as a charitable organization in the State of New York in 1983, and is housed at New York City's Hunter College.

    Our mission is to stimulate cultural equity through preservation, research, and dissemination of the world's traditional music and dance, and to reconnect people and communities with their creative heritage. ACE is a living archive that puts its collections and works at the service of communities of origin, endangered cultures, emerging cultural leaders, students and teachers at all levels, and the scientific community. 

    "It still remains for us to learn how we can put our magnificent mass communications technology at the service of each and every branch of the human family." - Alan Lomax

    Learn more about ACE by clicking here.

  • The label launches in 2025 to mark a new chapter in making these historic recordings more widely accessible. With advances in digital platforms and remastering technology, the label can bring these essential recordings to a new generation of listeners while honoring the Lomax family legacy.