National Recording Registry
Latin music has profoundly shaped the American musical landscape. From the lively rhythms of Celia Cruz and Johnny Pachecoâs joint album Celia & Johnny to Daddy Yankeeâs reggaetĂłn breakthrough hit âGasolina,â these songs represent the diverse and vibrant contributions of Latin artists to the American songbook.
Each year, the Library of Congress selects 25 recordings to the registry to preserve sound recordings that are âculturally, historically or aesthetically significantâ to American life.Â
Last week, the Library of Congressâ National Recording Registry immortalized two more Latin songs: Juan Gabrielâs heartfelt ballad âAmor Eternoâ and HĂ©ctor Lavoeâs salsa anthem âEl Cantante.â Now enshrined in the registry, these timeless songs testify the enduring legacy of Latin music. âFor musicians of any genre, having a song inducted into the National Recording Registry is a prestigious honor,â Congressman Joaquin Castro tells Billboard Español, whoâs a major driving force for Latin music on the list. âIâm very proud that the Library of Congress ultimately honored two artists from my list [this year].â
Created under the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, the Registry has included more than twenty works of Latin music and/or musicians of Latin descent to date. The first Latin music release to be added to the Registry was Dance Mania (1958) by Tito Puente in 2002. Subsequent inductees include Santanaâs electrifying Abraxas (1970), which redefined Mexican-American rock; Buena Vista Social Clubâs eponymous album (1997), bringing Cuban son to American audiences; Ritchie Valensâ âLa Bambaâ (1957), which reinvented a son jarocho song from Veracruz, Mexico by injecting American rock into it.
âIn addition to advocating for more Latino inclusion in American media â which, more than any other industry, shapes how Americans see the world around us â I would also push for more recognition of the ways that Latinos have contributed to American excellence,â Castro explains.Â
âToday, Latinos make up 20 percent of the United States, but less than five percent of the titles on the Registry come from Latino artists, adds the Mexican American politician from San Antonio. âAs a result, the Registry became a natural place to direct my work â in part because the Library of Congress has tried in recent years to do a better job of honoring how Latinos and other racial minorities have shaped Americaâs growth.â
Below, we present the Latin music entries, arranged from the most recent inductions to the earliest.
HĂ©ctor Lavoe, “El Cantante”
04/16/2024
Lily Tomlin’s This Is a Recording joins the list this year. As her character Ernestine would say, ‘One ringy-dingy, two ringy-dingy.’
04/16/2024
Albums by The Notorious B.I.G., The Chicks and Green Day are among the 2024 inductees to the National Recording Registry, which is administered by the Library of Congress. The 25 newly-added recordings bring the number of titles on the Registry to 650.
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Several of the inducted recordings capture important scenes in popular music. Jefferson Airplaneâs Surrealistic Pillow, which spawned the hits âWhite Rabbitâ and âSomebody to Love,â captures 1967âs Summer of Love; The Carsâ The Cars and Blondieâs Parallel Lines tapped into the new wave scene of the late â70s; HĂ©ctor Lavoeâs âEl Cantanteâ was part the late â70s salsa boom in New York City.
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Other inductees include Jackie Brenston and His Delta Catsâ âRocket â88â (1951), produced by Sam Phillips, often called the first rockânâroll recording; Lily Tomlinâs This Is a Recording, the first comedy album by a woman to be inducted; and Gene Autryâs 1949 smash âRudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer,â the third Christmas song to be inducted (following Bing Crosbyâs âWhite Christmasâ and Mariah Careyâs âAll I Want for Christmas Is Youâ).
âThe Library of Congress is proud to preserve the sounds of American history and our diverse culture through the National Recording Registry [NRR],â Carla Hayden, the Librarian of Congress, said in a statement.
The inductees cover a wide range of genres, including jazz, bluegrass, pop, dance, country, rock, rap, Latin and classical music.
Several of the inductees achieved historic firsts. Bobby McFerrinâs âDonât Worry, Be Happyâ became the first a cappella recording to top the Billboard Hot 100 in 1988. It was also the first recording produced by a woman (Linda Goldstein) to win a Grammy for record of the year. Perry Comoâs âCatch a Falling Starâ (1958) was the first single to be officially certified gold by the RIAA.
Several debut or first major-label recordings were inducted â Biggieâs debut album, Ready to Die; the debut single (âAinât No Sunshineâ) from Bill Withersâ debut album Just As I Am (1971); and the first major-label albums by Green Day (1994âs Dookie) and The Chicks (formerly Dixie Chicks, 1998âs Wide Open Spaces).
In addition to McFerrinâs âDonât Worry, Be Happy,â which topped the Hot 100 in 1988, the list includes four songs that reached No. 1 on pop charts that appeared in Billboard prior to the introduction in 1958 of the Hot 100: Autryâs âRudolph,â Comoâs âStar,â Patti Pageâs pop and country smash âThe Tennessee Waltzâ (1950) and Johnny Mathisâ âChances Areâ (1957). (The NRR lists the latter smash along with its hit B side, âMagic Moments,â one of the first hits by songwriting titans Burt Bacharach & Hal David.)
Two of the inducted albums spawned No. 1 hits on the Hot 100. ABBAâs Arrival (1976) included their signature smash âDancing Queen.â Blondieâs Parallel Lines (1978) included their dance/disco hit âHeart of Glass,â their first of four No. 1 hits in a two-year blitz.
Two hip-hop recordings were saluted â Biggieâs Ready to Die and Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rickâs âLa-Di-Da-Di,â which originated as the B side of Doug E. Fresh & the Get Fresh Crewâs 1985 single âThe Show.â The A side was a top five hit on Billboardâs Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
Two Latin recordings were honored. Lavoeâs âEl Cantanteâ (1978) is among the most famous recordings by the late Puerto Rican salsa singer; it was written by RubĂ©n Blades and produced by Willie ColĂłn. Likewise, Juan Gabrielâs âAmor Eternoâ (1990) is one of the late Mexican singer/songwriterâs signature songs. âItâs a great honor for my dad,â Juan Gabrielâs son Ivan Gabriel Aguilera told the Library in Spanish. â⊠He would always say that âas long as the public, people, keep singing my music, Juan Gabriel will never die,â and itâs nice to see that happening here.â
Benny Goodman was acknowledged for a second time, a relatively rarity in the NRR. âRose Room,â a 1939 recording by the Goodman Sextet with guitarist Charlie Christian, follows Goodmanâs 1938 Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert into the Registry. That landmark album was inducted in 2003.
Booker T. Jones, who produced Withersâ sublime âAinât No Sunshine,â was previously inducted as an artist with Booker T. & the M.G.âsâ 1967 album Green Onions.
Some albums are seen as crucial building blocks, even though they didnât make the Billboard 200. An eponymous album by J.D. Crowe & the New South (1975) was important in reviving interest in bluegrass. Croweâs musicians included Ricky Skaggs, Tony Rice and Jerry Douglas.
The oldest recording honored this year is âClarinet Marmalade,â a 1919 recording by Lt. James Reese Europeâs 369th US. Infantry Band. The all-Black band was comprised of soldiers who served in France during World War I.
The most recent release on this yearâs list is The Chicksâ RIAA Diamond-certified 1998 breakthrough album Wide Open Spaces.
Remarkably, three of the honored artists were killed. Lt. James Reese Europe died in May 1919 â just three months after returning home from service in World War I, after being stabbed in the neck by one his drummers. Jazz trumpeter Lee Morgan, whose 1964 album The Sidewinder was inducted, was shot to death in 1972. The Notorious B.I.G. was shot to death in 1997.
Under the terms of the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, the Librarian of Congress, with advice from the National Recording Preservation Board, selects 25 titles each year that are âculturally, historically, or aesthetically significantâ and are at least 10 years old. That board is chaired by Robbin Ahrold, president and CEO of Century Media Partners LLC in Washington D.C. and a former executive with BMI, the RCA Music Group and HBO.
A record 2,899 nominations were made by the general public this year. The public can submit nominations throughout the year on the Libraryâs web site. Nominations for next yearâs Registry will be accepted through Oct. 1.
Hereâs a complete list of the recordings selected for the 2024 National Recording Registry.
Lt. James Reese Europeâs 369th U.S. Infantry Band, âClarinet Marmaladeâ (1919)
Viola Turpeinen and John Rosendahl, âKauhavan Polkkaâ (1928)
Various Artists, Wisconsin Folksong Collection (1937-1946)
Benny Goodman Sextet with Charlie Christian, âRose Roomâ Â (1939)
Gene Autry, âRudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeerâ (1949)
Patti Page, âThe Tennessee Waltzâ (1950)
Jackie Brenston and His Delta Cats, âRocket â88ââ (1951)
Johnny Mathis, âChances Areâ (1957)
Perry Como, âCatch a Falling Starâ / âMagic Momentsâ (1957)
Lee Morgan, The Sidewinder (1964)
Jefferson Airplane, Surrealistic Pillow (1967)
Lily Tomlin, This is a Recording (1971)
Bill Withers, âAinât No Sunshineâ (1971)
J.D. Crowe & the New South, J.D. Crowe & the New South (1975)
ABBA, Arrival (1976)
HĂ©ctor Lavoe, âEl Cantanteâ (1978)
The Cars, The Cars (1978)
Blondie, Parallel Lines (1978)
Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick (MC Ricky D), âLa-Di-Da-Diâ (1985)
Bobby McFerrin, âDonât Worry, Be Happyâ (1988)
Juan Gabriel, âAmor Eternoâ (1990)
Kronos Quartet, Pieces of Africa (1992)
Green Day, Dookie (1994)
The Notorious B.I.G., Ready to Die (1994)
The Chicks, Wide Open Spaces (1998)
Recordings by Madonna, Daddy Yankee, Mariah Carey, John Lennon, Led Zeppelin, The Police and Queen Latifah are among 25 being added to the National Recording Registry, the Library of Congress announced Wednesday (April 12).
The inductions include some history-makers. Daddy Yankeeâs âGasolinaâ is the first reggaeton recording to be inducted; the Super Mario Bros. theme (composed by Koji Kondo) is the first theme from a video game to join the registry; Lennonâs âImagineâ is the first recording by a former Beatle to be honored. The Beatlesâ landmark 1967 album Sgt. Pepperâs Lonely Hearts Club Band was inducted in 2003.
This yearâs inductions include three albums that topped the Billboard 200 â Crosby, Stills, Nash and Youngâs DĂ©jĂ vu (1970), The Policeâs Synchronicity (1983) and Madonnaâs Like a Virgin (a 1984 release that topped the chart in 1985). Synchronicity was The Policeâs only No. 1 album, DĂ©jĂ vu was the first of three for CSNY, Like a Virgin was the first of nine for Madonna that made her the queen of pop.
This yearâs inductions include five songs that reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 â The Four Seasonsâ âSherryâ (1962), Bobbie Gentryâs âOde to Billie Joeâ (1967), Irene Caraâs âFlashdanceâŠWhat a Feelingâ (1983), Eurythmicsâ âSweet Dreams (Are Made of This)â (1983), and Careyâs âAll I Want for Christmas Is Youâ (a 1994 release that first topped the Hot 100 in 2019 and has returned to No. 1 every year since).
Four newly-inducted recordings reached the top 10 on the Hot 100, though they fell short of the top spot â Jackie DeShannonâs âWhat the World Needs Now Is Loveâ (No. 7 in 1965), John Denverâs âTake Me Home, Country Roadsâ (No. 2 in 1971), Lennonâs âImagineâ (No. 3 in 1971) and Jimmy Buffettâs âMargaritavilleâ (No. 8 in 1977).
These 25 recordings were deemed worthy of preservation âbased on their cultural, historical or aesthetic importance in the nationâs recorded sound heritage,â according to the Library of Congress. This brings the number of titles on the registry to 625. The latest selections were released between 1908 and 2012.
Several of these inductions are linked to creative figures who have recently died. Cara died on Nov. 25, followed by David Crosby of CSNY on Jan. 18; Burt Bacharach, the composer of âWhat the World Needs Now Is Love,â on Feb. 8; and Seymour Stein, who signed Madonna to his Sire Records imprint, on April 2. (Bacharach and lyricist Hal David received the Libraryâs Gershwin Prize for Popular Song award in 2012.)
The induction of âSweet Dreams (Are Made of This)â is the third major accolade for Eurythmics in the past year. In June 2022, Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. This year, they are scheduled to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The induction of the Super Mario Bros. theme is the latest sign of increased respect for video game music. The Recording Academy added a new category, best score soundtrack for video games and other interactive media, at the 65th annual Grammy Awards, which were presented on Feb. 5.
Four of these entries received Grammy nominations in marquee categories. DĂ©jĂ vu and  Synchronicity both vied for album of the year; âOde to Billie Joeâ for record and song of the year; Caraâs âFlashdanceâŠWhat a Feelinââ for record of the year. The latter smash also won an Oscar for best original song.
âAll I Want for Christmas Is Youâ joins a short list of holiday perennials in the Registry. Others include Associated Glee Clubs of Americaâs 1925 recording of âAdeste Fideles,â Bing Crosbyâs 1942 classic âWhite Christmas,â Eugene Ormandyâs 1959 album Messiah, Nat King Coleâs 1961 re-recording of The King Cole Trioâs 1946 classic âThe Christmas Song,â The Vince Guaraldi Trioâs 1965 TV soundtrack, A Charlie Brown Christmas.
Latifahâs All Hail the Queen is just the second album by a female rapper to join the Registry, following Lauryn Hillâs The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, which straddles the line between hip-hop and R&B.
All Hail the Queen was Latifahâs debut album. DĂ©jĂ vu was the first CSNY album. At the other extreme, Synchronicity was the final studio album by The Police before Sting left for a successful solo career.
Koko Taylorâs 1966 hit âWang Dang Doodleâ is the fifth recording by a female blues artist to be saluted, following Memphis Minnieâs âMe and My Chauffeur Blues,â Mamie Smithâs âCrazy Blues,â Bessie Smithâs âDown-Hearted Blues,â and Gertrude âMaâ Raineyâs âSee See Rider Blues.â
Led Zeppelinâs 1971 classic âStairway to Heavenâ became as famous as most No. 1 hits even though it was never released as a single. It was one of the first tracks to show the power of the album-oriented rock (AOR) format.
DĂ©jĂ vu showed the influence of Joni Mitchell, this yearâs recipient of the Libraryâs Gershwin Prize for Popular Song. Mitchell wrote âWoodstock,â which was the first and biggest hit from the album. Graham Nash, her live-in partner at the time, wrote âOur House,â a diary-like account of an average day at their home in California. Both songs became top 30 hits on the Hot 100.
âConcerto for Clarinet and Chamber Orchestraâ recorded by Northwest Chamber Orchestra, was released on CD in 2012, making it the most recently-released recording to make the Registry. The classical recording captures the shifting moods of Sept. 11, 2001, from the hustle and bustle of a normal working day in New York City to the violence, anger and sorrow that followed. WNYCâs radio broadcast for that historic day was inducted last year.
âThe National Recording Registry preserves our history through recorded sound andreflects our nationâs diverse culture,â Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden said in a statement. âThe national library is proud to help ensure these recordings are preserved for generations to come, and we welcome the publicâs input on what songs, speeches, podcasts or recorded sounds we should preserve next. We received more than 1,100 public nominations this year for recordings to add to the registry.â
Under the terms of the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, the Librarian ofCongress, with advice from the National Recording Preservation Board, selects 25 titleseach year that are âculturally, historically, or aesthetically significantâ and are at least 10years old. For more information about the registry, including a complete list of previous inductions and directions on how to nominate a recording, go here.
Hereâs a complete list of the 2023 selections for the National Recording Registry. They are listed in chronological order by release date.
The Very First Mariachi Recordings â Cuarteto Coculense (1908-1909)
âSt. Louis Bluesâ â [W.C.] Handyâs Memphis Blues Band (1922)
âSugar Foot Stompâ â Fletcher Henderson (1926)
Dorothy Thompson: Commentary and Analysis of the European Situation for NBC Radio (Aug. 23-Sept. 6, 1939)
âDonât Let Nobody Turn You Aroundâ â The Fairfield Four (1947)
âSherryâ â The Four Seasons (1962)
âWhat the World Needs Now is Loveâ â Jackie DeShannon (1965)
âWang Dang Doodleâ â Koko Taylor (1966)
âOde to Billie Joeâ â Bobbie Gentry (1967)
DĂ©jĂ Vu â Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young (1970)
âTake Me Home, Country Roadsâ â John Denver (1971)
âImagineâ â John Lennon (1971)
âStairway to Heavenâ â Led Zeppelin (1971)
âMargaritavilleâ â Jimmy Buffett (1977)
âFlashdanceâŠWhat a Feelingâ â Irene Cara (1983)
âSweet Dreams (Are Made of This)â â Eurythmics (1983)
Synchronicity â The Police (1983)
Like a Virgin â Madonna (1984)
Black Codes (From the Underground) â Wynton Marsalis (1985)
Super Mario Bros. theme â Koji Kondo, composer (1986)
All Hail the Queen â Queen Latifah (1989)
âAll I Want for Christmas is Youâ â Mariah Carey (1994)
âPale Blue Dotâ â Carl Sagan (1994)
âGasolinaâ â Daddy Yankee (2004)
âConcerto for Clarinet and Chamber Orchestraâ â Northwest Chamber Orchestra, Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, composer (2012)
In 1983, as the world transitioned away from the disco fever of the â70s and into the radical era of MTV in the U.S., one song gave top 40 a particular new injection of energy. That song was âFlashdanceâŠWhat a Feelingâ by Irene Cara (who recently passed away on November 25), the Billboard Hot 100-topping theme to unlikely blockbuster Flashdance, marking a defining moment for Gen Xâers and beyond.
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Caraâs classic dance cut is one of dozens of Latin music works nominated to the Library of Congressâ National Recording Registry for 2023. â[Nominating the 33 works was also] a chance for us to celebrate Latino artists whose Latinidad was not always known to the public, or were not always celebrated as Latinos,â says U.S. House of Representative congressman JoaquĂn Castro. Unbeknownst to many, the singer was born and raised in the Bronx to working class Puerto Rican and Cuban parents.
Last Monday (Dec. 1), the Congressional Hispanic Caucus announced 33 Latin music nominations to the Library of Congressâ National Recording Registry, in an effort to increase Latin representation in the United States, with Congressman Castro leading the way.Â
From the dozens of Latin works nominated, the list also includes Juan Gabrielâs ballad âAmor Eterno,â Jennifer Lopezâs album J.Lo, Chavela Vargasâ widely-covered âPaloma Negra,â HĂ©ctor Lavoeâs salsa banger âEl Cantante,â Rage Against the Machineâs eponymous debut (whose vocalist, Zack de la Rocha, is of Mexican origin), Daddy Yankeeâs explosive and pioneering reggaetĂłn banger âGasolina,â and many more bilingual classics.Â
Each year, the Library of Congress selects 25 recordings to the registry to preserve sound recordings that are âculturally, historically or aesthetically significantâ to American life. Despite Latinos/Latinas comprising of 20% of the U.S. population, and widely bilingual, only a staggering 4% of the 600-music catalog currently come from Latin artists.Â
In the nomination letter to the Library of Congress, the Hispanic Caucus members wrote: âThe National Recording Registryâs very existence speaks to the importance of music and broadcast in American culture and society [âŠ] Yet, Latino contributions in music have been insufficiently recognized. As an art, the diversity of the Latino sound can be heard in every measure and resonates with every beatâŠThese songs were selected with feedback from the public, and they reflect the diversity of Latino identities, histories, and geographies.â
In an interview with Billboard Español, Rep. Castro declares: âWe need to celebrate the contributions that our musical artists have made to our nation, so my hope is to highlight the brilliance of Latino musicians.â From his D.C. office, Rep. Castro, who is Tejano and a Latin music aficionado, speaks to us about the process of picking their 33 genre-and-generation-spanning bilingual picks.Â
Your tweet about nominating Latin songs and albums for the registry sparked an exciting conversation on Twitter. What was your reaction to reading your followersâ feedback?Â
It was a lot of fun. We got hundreds of suggestions through social media, and informally. I think people were excited figuring out which of their favorite musicians, songs or albums they would nominate. We had a hard time narrowing it down to 33.Â
A few years ago, I went through this process with Latino films and filmmakers for the National Film Registry. It was tougher there, because Latinos have been shut out of Hollywood for a long time, in large part. With music we have a lot more options, so we were excited to put the list together and send it in to the Library of Congress.
Rep. Joaquin Castro, Courtesy of the Office of Congressman Joaquin Castro.
A few years, we saw about one Latin artist per year (Cachao in 2012; Celia & Johnny in 2013; Santana in 2015; Gloria Estefan in 2017; Ritchie Valens in 2018; Selena in 2019) in the national list; and this year we saw three (Ricky Martin, Buena Vista Social Club, Linda Ronstadt). What are your expectations for 2023?Â
I hope to see more Latino and Latina artists included in the National Recording Registry. Itâs a prestigious recognition that acknowledges the importance of a piece of music to American culture. Right now only about 4% of the recordings in the registry are by Latino artists, and Latinos make up almost 20% of the country. We need to celebrate the contributions that our musical artists have made to our nation, so my hope is to highlight the brilliance of Latino musicians.
Latin music was blowing up Stateside when the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000 was established, with then-crossover acts like Shakira, Marc Anthony, Jennifer Lopez, and Ricky Martin. Why do you think Latin music was largely excluded from the Registry then, when it began inducting works in 2002?Â
If you remember the year 1999 in particular, Carlos Santana had the song âSmoothâ with Rob Thomas, Ricky Martin and J.Lo had a bunch of hits. Back then, I was in my mid 20s, I thought it was only going to explode more from there, and that our artists would continue to get more recognition and acknowledgement. That has happened to some extent, but not nearly enough. This is one way that I think we can honor the importance of this music to America.Â
The [nominated] songs are from different decades and generations of artists. Theyâre regionally diverse in terms of background, but also bilingual. I donât suspect that anybody has ever nominated this number of Spanish or foreign songs for the registry. Thatâs very important, because our Latinos listen to music often in both English and Spanish, and these nominations reflect that.
Chavelaâs âPaloma Negraâ and HĂ©ctor Lavoeâs âEl Cantanteâ are on your list, as well as the original Broadway recording In the Heights and Rage Against the Machineâs self-titled album. What were the criteria you had in mind when selecting the 33?
The registry says that itâs got to have an important cultural impact in the United States, but you can also have foreign performers or bands â the Beatles and the Rolling Stones are in [the registry], for example. We put out the word and reached out to different groups and folks who are in the music industry and asked for suggestions. Then we put it out on social media as well.Â
I wanted to make sure that it wasnât just one genre or style of music. Our community listens to a lot of different kinds of music, and our musicians have made impacts not just in Tejano music or salsa, but in rock and hip hop. We nominated Fat Joe and Cypress Hill, for example. Knowing that the Latino community is very diverse â and [going by] my experience as a Mexican-American Tejano and Generation X-er â I wanted to make sure that it wasnât just my playlist.Â
It was tough narrowing it down, because if any group of people pick their 33 songs, itâs probably not going to be identical. Thereâs a lot of great music and great artists who are not on the list, but we can come back next year and the year after that. I also encourage people to submit their own list to the Library of Congress because itâs an open submission process.
By the way, did any of Billboard Españolâs picks from our poll make it to your nominations? Also, any challenges?Â
We looked at everything. Iâll have to go back and see which ones, but I think weâre on the same page on some. Sometimes we had a challenge deciding if we want to nominate somebodyâs song or album. For example, Luis Miguel is a singer whose music has had an incredible impact in the United States, being all over radio stations everyday nationwide. We finally went with his album Romance. Or Irene Cara, who just passed away [on Nov. 25], she had two big hits, âFameâ and âFlashdanceâŠWhat a Feeling.â Deciding between those two was tough as well.Â
Then choosing between Chavelaâs foundational âPaloma Negraâ â which is the original version that became the source for so many covers â and âLa Lloronaâ [was challenging]. There were many struggles, but I give a lot of credit to [legislative counsel] Celeste Acevedo on my staff who really honed in on the listing.
Now that submissions are in, what are the next steps?
The board is going to meet in December and make selections. Theyâll make the announcements in the spring on whoâs been selected. We submitted our list, and I hope others have submitted theirs as well. Weâre hoping to continue to grow the representation of Latino artists in the registry. This is the Library of Congress, so itâs very prestigious. Itâs a record of the music that has made cultural difference and impact in the United States of America. Thatâs incredibly significant.
Anything else youâd like to add?Â
Absolutely. This was a chance for us to celebrate Latino artists whose Latinidad was not always known to the public, or were not always celebrated as Latinos, like Sammy Davis Jr. His mother was Cuban; I think a lot of people didnât realize during his heyday that he was Latino. Or Freddie Fender and Vicky Carr whose surnames are Latino, but their stage names were different â they were Anglicized. I donât want to put words in their mouth, but I suspect at some point they thought they might have a better chance at success [with those Anglicized names]. Thatâs also a statement about a bygone era in American entertainment, where your Latino last name may have hampered your ability to succeed in the industry, so we were very conscious of that as well.
For more info on how to nominate music to the Library of Congress, click here.
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