Artist's albums
The Voice of Langston Hughes
1995 · album
Simon Bore the Cross: III. The Trial
2023 · single
Sometimes: III. Lullaby (God to Hungry Child)
2021 · single
Let America Be America Again
2019 · single
Langston Hughes Reads Langston Hughes
2013 · album
Langston Hughes Recordings
2011 · album
Simply Heavenly (Original London Cast Recording)
2005 · album
Writers Of The Revolution
1970 · single
Sterling Brown and Langston Hughes
1952 · album
The Glory of Negro History
1955 · album
Rhythms of the World
1955 · single
The Weary Blues
1958 · album
Black Verse
1969 · album
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Biography
The recording career of this great American writer includes not only his own spoken word collections for Smithsonian-Folkways, but many instances where his texts are utilized by other artists, sometimes in direct collaboration with Hughes, and at other times after the fact. While heavily associated with Black jazz and blues, the writings of Hughes have not shown up exclusively in these genres. Rather, if there is a similarity in the type of performers incorporating Hughes' writing, it would be those expressing discontent with the racial and political status quo. The beatnik scene of the '50s and '60s was a topical time for Hughes, but the appearance of his writings as part of recording projects is hardly limited to these years. During the '70s, the Gary Bartz NTU Troop -- a modern jazz combo that didn't hesitate to take on political topics -- recorded a beautiful live version of "The Negro Speaks of Rivers," Hughes' first published poem, presenting the version with music under the name of "I've Known Rivers." Singer Big Miller tracked 11 blues tunes written specifically for him by Hughes on a late-'50s album Did You Ever Hear the Blues? The German Caspar Brötzmann used texts by Hughes on a 1993 recording, sonically a great contrast to better-known adaptations by performers such as Joan Baez and Harry Belafonte. Hughes began writing poetry in the eighth grade and, despite the acceptance of his efforts from classmates and teachers, was pushed in the direction of an engineering degree by his parents. Hughes did well in the latter studies at Columbia University, nonetheless dropping out to follow the writing muse. He would eventually publish over 16 books of poems, two novels, three collections of short stories, four volumes of essays, 20 plays, a collection of children's poetry, several musicals and operas, three autobiographies, and many radio and television scripts and magazine articles. His house at 20 East 127th Street in Harlem was given landmark status by the New York City Preservation Commission following his death from cancer in the '60s. The block itself is now called Langston Hughes Place. ~ Eugene Chadbourne, Rovi