Bess Lomax Hawes, 1921-2009

Almanac singersWe were saddened to hear of the recent passing of singer, songwriter, and folklorist Bess Lomax Hawes. The former member of the Almanac Singers and director of the Folk Arts Program at the National Endowment for the Arts was 88 years old. During her tenure at the NEA (1976-1992), Hawes developed the very successful National Heritage Fellowship program, among other major accomplishments.
You can watch the full version of Beth Lomax Hawes’ 1968 film on African-American girl’s singing games, Pizza Pizza Daddy-O, at the always recommended Folkstreams.net.