National Recording Registry
The National Recording Registry is a list of sound recordings that "are culturally, historically, or aesthetically important, and/or inform or reflect life in the United States." The registry was established by the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, which created the National Recording Preservation Board, whose members are appointed by the Librarian of Congress. The recordings preserved in the United States National Recording Registry form a registry of recordings selected yearly by the National Recording Preservation Board for preservation in the Library of Congress.
The National Recording Preservation Act of 2000 established a national program to guard America's sound recording heritage. The Act created the National Recording Registry, The National Recording Preservation Board and a fund-raising foundation. The purpose of the Registry is to maintain and preserve sound recordings and collections of sound recordings that are culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant. Beginning in 2002, the National Recording Preservation Board has selected recordings nominated each year to be preserved.
The first four yearly lists each had 50 selections. Since 2006, 25 recordings have been selected annually., a total of 550 recordings have been preserved in the Registry. Each calendar year, public nominations are accepted for inclusion in that year's list of selections, which are announced the following spring.
Each yearly list typically includes a few recordings that have also been selected for inclusion in the holdings of the National Archives' audiovisual collection. Recordings on the National Recording Registry that are of a political nature tend to overlap with the audiovisual collection of the National Archives. The list shows overlapping items and whether the National Archives has an original or a copy of the recording.
Selection criteria
The criteria for selection are:- Recordings selected for the National Recording Registry are "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant", and/or inform or reflect culture in the United States.
- Recordings will not be considered for inclusion in the National Recording Registry if no copy of the recording exists.
- No recording is eligible for inclusion in the National Recording Registry until ten years after the recording's creation.
Inductees
2002
On January 27, 2003, the following 50 selections were announced by the National Recording Preservation Board.were the earliest recordings added in 2002.
" was the first release by blues legend Bessie Smith.
was one of American music's most important figures. The preserved sessions, and his solos in particular, set a standard musicians still strive to equal in their beauty and innovation.
", a protest song against lynching black people, was originally sung by one of jazz's essential vocalists Billie Holiday.
's "Fireside Chats" "redefined the relationship between the president and the American people."
, pioneer of folk rock after the controversial 1965 performance at Newport, was the first musician to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature.
| Recording or collection | Performer or agent | Year | National Archives |
Edison exhibition recordings :
| Thomas Edison | 1888–1889 | |
| Passamaquoddy Indians field recordings | Recorded by Jesse Walter Fewkes | 1890 | |
| "Stars and Stripes Forever" Berliner Gramophone disc recording | Military Band | 1897 | |
| Metropolitan Opera cylinder recordings | Lionel Mapleson and the Metropolitan Opera | 1900–1903 | |
| Ragtime compositions piano rolls | Scott Joplin | 1900s | |
| 1895 Atlanta Exposition speech | Booker T. Washington | 1906 recreation | copy |
| "Casey at the Bat" | DeWolf Hopper | 1906 | |
| "Vesti la giubba" from Pagliacci | Enrico Caruso | 1907 | |
| "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot" | Fisk Jubilee Singers | 1909 | |
| Lovey's Trinidad String Band recordings for Columbia Records | Lovey's Trinidad String Band | 1912 | |
| "Tiger Rag" | Original Dixieland Jazz Band | 1918 | |
| "Arkansas Traveler" and "Sallie Gooden" | Eck Robertson | 1922 | |
| "Downhearted Blues" | Bessie Smith | 1923 | |
| Rhapsody in Blue | George Gershwin, piano; Paul Whiteman Orchestra | 1924 | |
| Louis Armstrong's Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings | Louis Armstrong's Hot Five and Hot Seven | 1925–1928 | |
| Victor Talking Machine Company sessions in Bristol, Tennessee | Carter Family, Jimmie Rodgers, Ernest Stoneman, and others | 1927 | |
| Highlander Center Field Recordings Collection | Rosa Parks, Esau Jenkins and others | 1930s–1980s | |
| Bell Laboratories experimental stereo recordings | Philadelphia Orchestra; Leopold Stokowski, conductor | 1931–1932 | |
| "Fireside Chats" radio broadcasts | Franklin D. Roosevelt | 1933–1944 | original |
| Harvard Vocarium record series | T. S. Eliot, W. H. Auden and others | 1933–1956 | |
| "New Music Quarterly" recordings series | Henry Cowell, producer | 1934–1949 | |
| Description of the crash of the Hindenburg | Herbert Morrison | May 6, 1937 | original |
| The Cradle Will Rock | Original cast | 1938 | |
| "Who's on First?" Earliest existing radio broadcast version | Abbott and Costello | October 6, 1938 | |
| The War of the Worlds | Orson Welles and The Mercury Theatre on the Air | October 30, 1938 | copy |
| "God Bless America" Radio broadcast premiere | Kate Smith | November 11, 1938 | |
| The John and Ruby Lomax Southern States Recording Trip | John and Ruby Lomax | 1939 | |
| "Strange Fruit" | Billie Holiday | 1939 | |
| Grand Ole Opry First network radio broadcast | Uncle Dave Macon, Roy Acuff, and others | October 14, 1939 | |
| Béla Bartók and Joseph Szigeti in Concert at the Library of Congress | Béla Bartók, piano; Joseph Szigeti, violin | 1940 | |
| The Rite of Spring | Igor Stravinsky conducting the New York Philharmonic | 1940 | |
| Blanton-Webster era recordings | Duke Ellington Orchestra | 1940–1942 | |
| "White Christmas" original 1942 single | Bing Crosby | 1942 | |
| "This Land is Your Land" | Woody Guthrie | 1944 | |
| D-Day radio address to the Allied Nations | Dwight D. Eisenhower | June 6, 1944 | original |
| "Ko Ko" | Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, and others | 1945 | |
| "Blue Moon of Kentucky" | Bill Monroe and the Blue Grass Boys | 1947 | |
| "How High the Moon" | Les Paul and Mary Ford | 1951 | |
| Songs for Young Lovers | Frank Sinatra | 1954 | |
| Sun Records sessions | Elvis Presley | 1954–1955 | |
| Dance Mania | Tito Puente | 1958 | |
| Kind of Blue | Miles Davis | 1959 | |
| "What'd I Say", Parts 1 and 2 | Ray Charles | 1959 | |
| The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan | Bob Dylan | 1963 | |
| "I Have a Dream" speech | Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. | August 28, 1963 | copy |
| "Respect" | Aretha Franklin | 1967 | |
| Philomel: For Soprano | Bethany Beardslee, recorded soprano, and synthesized sound | 1971 | |
| Thomas A. Dorsey, Marion Williams, and others | 1973 | ||
| Crescent City Living Legends Collection | 1973–1990 | ||
| "The Message" | Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five | 1982 |
2003
In March 2004, the following 50 selections were made by the National Recording Preservation Board.'s favorite spirituals, and she often performed it at the conclusion of her recitals.
's many anthologies involving the Great American Songbook earning the nickname "First Lady of Song".
, widely considered to have "laid the groundwork for not only a rock and roll sound but a rock and roll stance".
's recordings of the sounds produced by a variety of locomotive models capture "the unique and now-lost sounds of the engines which united the United States."
' album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band is arguably one of the most important albums in popular music.
icon Marvin Gaye has been covered by various artists from The Who to Alicia Keys.
| Recording or collection | Performer or agent | Year | National Archives |
| "The Lord's Prayer" and "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" | Emile Berliner | c. 1890 | |
| "Honolulu Cake Walk" | Vess Ossman | 1898 | |
| Victor Releases | Bert Williams and George Walker | 1901 | |
| "You're a Grand Old Flag|You're a Grand Old Rag " | Billy Murray | 1906 | |
| Chippewa/Ojibwe Cylinder Collection | Frances Densmore | 1907–1910 | |
| The Bubble Book | 1917 | ||
| Cylinder recordings of African-American music | Guy B. Johnson | 1920s | |
| "Cross of Gold" speech Speech re-enactment | William Jennings Bryan | 1921 | |
| "The OKeh Laughing Record" | Lucie Bernardo and Otto Rathke | 1922 | |
| "Adeste Fideles" | Associated Glee Clubs of America | 1925 | |
| Cajun-Creole Columbia releases | Amédé Ardoin and Dennis McGee | 1929 | |
| "Goodnight, Irene" | Lead Belly | 1933 | |
| "Every Man a King" speech | Huey P. Long | February 23, 1935 | copy |
| "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands" | Marian Anderson | 1936 | |
| The Complete Recordings | Robert Johnson | 1936–1937 | |
| Interviews conducted by Alan Lomax | Jelly Roll Morton, Alan Lomax | 1938 | |
| Carnegie Hall Jazz Concert | Benny Goodman | 1938 | |
| Complete day of radio broadcasting, WJSV | WJSV, Washington, D.C. | September 21, 1939 | original |
| "New San Antonio Rose" | Bob Wills and His Texas Playboys | 1940 | |
| Porgy and Bess | Original cast | 1940, 1942 | |
| Beethoven String Quartets | Budapest Quartet | 1940–1950 | |
| World Series-Game Four | New York Yankees vs. Brooklyn Dodgers | October 5, 1941 | |
| Oklahoma! | Original cast | 1943 | |
| Othello | Paul Robeson, Uta Hagen, José Ferrer, and others | 1943 | |
| Bach B-Minor Mass | Robert Shaw Chorale | 1947 | |
| The Four Seasons | Louis Kaufman and the Concert Hall String Orchestra | 1947 | |
| Piano Sonata No. 2, "Concord" | John Kirkpatrick | 1948 | |
| Pictures at an Exhibition | Rafael Kubelík conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra | 1951 | |
| "Problems of the American Home" | Billy Graham | 1954 | |
| Goldberg Variations | Glenn Gould | 1955 | |
| Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book | Ella Fitzgerald | 1956 | |
| "Roll Over Beethoven" | Chuck Berry | 1956 | |
| Brilliant Corners | Thelonious Monk | 1956 | |
| Steam locomotive recordings, 6 vol. | O. Winston Link | 1957–1977 | |
| Complete Ring Cycle | Georg Solti and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra | 1958–1965 | |
| Winds in Hi-Fi | Eastman Wind Ensemble with Frederick Fennell | 1958 | |
| Mingus Ah Um | Charles Mingus | 1959 | |
| New York Taxi Driver | Tony Schwartz | 1959 | |
| Ali Akbar College of Music, Archive Selections | 1960s–1970s | ||
| "Crazy" | Patsy Cline | 1961 | |
| Kennedy Inauguration Ceremony | John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Robert Frost, and others | January 20, 1961 | original |
| Judy at Carnegie Hall | Judy Garland | 1961 | |
| "I've Been Loving You Too Long " | Otis Redding | 1965 | |
| Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band | The Beatles | 1967 | |
| At Folsom Prison | Johnny Cash | 1968 | |
| What's Going On | Marvin Gaye | 1971 | |
| Tapestry | Carole King | 1971 | |
| A Prairie Home Companion First broadcast | Garrison Keillor | July 6, 1974 | |
| Born to Run | Bruce Springsteen | 1975 | |
| Live at Yankee Stadium | Fania All-Stars | 1975 |
2004
In April 2005, the following 50 selections were made by the National Recording Preservation Board.in Washington was an important achievement with reporters at three locations in the city.
worked with multiple actors on his popular radio show including Mel Blanc, the original voice of Bugs Bunny.
revolutionized the sound of bebop.
pioneer Hank Williams died in an untimely 1953 car crash.
| Recording or collection | Performer or agent | Year | National Archives |
| "Gypsy Love Song" | Eugene Cowles | 1898 | |
| "Some of These Days" | Sophie Tucker | 1911 | |
| "The Castles in Europe One-Step " | Europe's Society Orchestra | 1914 | |
| "Swanee" | Al Jolson | 1920 | |
| Armistice Day radio broadcast | Woodrow Wilson | November 10, 1923 | original |
| "See See Rider" | Gertrude "Ma" Rainey | 1923 | |
| "Charleston" | Golden Gate Orchestra | 1925 | |
| "Fascinating Rhythm" | Fred and Adele Astaire; George Gershwin, piano | 1926 | |
| NBC radio coverage of Charles A. Lindbergh's arrival and reception in Washington, D.C. | June 11, 1927 | copy | |
| "Stardust" | Hoagy Carmichael | 1927 | |
| "Blue Yodel " | Jimmie Rodgers | 1927 | |
| "Ain't Misbehavin'" | Thomas "Fats" Waller | 1929 | |
| "Gregorio Cortez" | Trovadores Regionales | 1929 | |
| Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor | Sergei Rachmaninoff, piano; Leopold Stokowski, conductor; Philadelphia Orchestra | 1929 | |
| "The Suncook Town Tragedy" | Mabel Wilson Tatro | July 1930 | |
| Oral narrative from the Lorenzo D. Turner Collection | Rosina Cohen | 1932 | |
| "Stormy Weather" | Ethel Waters | 1933 | |
| "Body and Soul" | Coleman Hawkins | 1939 | |
| Peter and the Wolf | Serge Koussevitzky, conductor; Richard Hale, narrator; Boston Symphony Orchestra | 1939 | |
| "In the Mood" | Glenn Miller and His Orchestra | 1939 | |
| Broadcasts from London | Edward R. Murrow | 1940 | copy |
| We Hold These Truths | December 15, 1941 | original | |
| Piano Concerto No. 1, op. 23, Bb minor | Vladimir Horowitz, piano; Arturo Toscanini, conductor; NBC Symphony Orchestra | 1943 | |
| "Down by the Riverside" | Sister Rosetta Tharpe | 1944 | |
| U.S. Highball | Harry Partch, Gate 5 Ensemble | 1946 | |
| Four Saints in Three Acts | Original cast | 1947 | |
| "Manteca" | Dizzy Gillespie Big Band with Chano Pozo | 1947 | |
| The Jack Benny Program | Jack Benny | March 28, 1948 | |
| "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" | Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs | 1949 | |
| "Lovesick Blues" | Hank Williams | 1949 | |
| Guys & Dolls | Original cast | 1950 | |
| "Old Soldiers Never Die" | General Douglas MacArthur | April 19, 1951 | copy |
| Songs by Tom Lehrer | Tom Lehrer | 1953 | |
| "Hoochie Coochie Man" | Muddy Waters | 1954 | |
| "Earth Angel " | The Penguins | 1954 | |
| Tuskegee Institute Choir Sings Spirituals | Tuskegee Institute Choir, directed by William L. Dawson | 1955 | |
| Messiah | Eugene Ormandy, conductor; Richard P. Condie, choir director; Mormon Tabernacle Choir; Philadelphia Orchestra | 1958 | |
| Giant Steps | John Coltrane | 1959 | |
| Drums of Passion | Michael Babatunde Olatunji | 1960 | |
| Peace Be Still | James Cleveland | 1962 | |
| "The Girl from Ipanema" | Stan Getz, João Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Astrud Gilberto | 1963 | |
| Live at the Apollo | James Brown and The Famous Flames | 1963 | |
| Pet Sounds | The Beach Boys | 1966 | |
| King James version of the Bible | Alexander Scourby | 1966 | |
| Remarks broadcast from the moon | Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong | July 21, 1969 | original |
| At Fillmore East | The Allman Brothers Band | 1971 | |
| Star Wars | John Williams | 1977 | |
| Recordings of Asian elephants | Katharine B. Payne | 1984 | |
| Fear of a Black Planet | Public Enemy | 1990 | |
| Nevermind | Nirvana | 1991 |
2005
In April 2006, the following 50 selections were made by the National Recording Preservation Board.used his diverse talents to pave a successful career as a performer and become active in sociopolitical affairs amidst controversy.
, prominent band leader during the big band era, was known for such swing music standards like "One O'Clock Jump" and "April in Paris".
handed Joe Louis his first loss.
pianist Dave Brubeck experimented with what were then unusual time signatures in his classic 1959 album Time Out.
, one of the most well-known modern blues musicians in the last half of the 20th century, and his guitar Lucille.
superstar Stevie Wonder is known for his Grammy-winning masterpiece album Songs in the Key of Life.
| Recording or collection | Performer or agent | Year | National Archives |
| "Canzone del Porter" from Martha by von Flotow | Edouard de Reszke | 1903 | |
| "Listen to the Lambs" | Hampton Quartette; recorded by Natalie Curtis Burlin | 1917 | |
| "Over There" | Nora Bayes | 1917 | |
| "Crazy Blues" | Mamie Smith | 1920 | |
| "My Man" and "Second Hand Rose" | Fanny Brice | 1921 | |
| "Ory's Creole Trombone" | Kid Ory | June 1922 | |
| Second inauguration of Calvin Coolidge | Calvin Coolidge | March 4, 1925 | |
| "Tanec Pid Werbamy " | Pawlo Humeniuk | 1926 | |
| "Singin' the Blues" | Frankie Trumbauer and His Orchestra with Bix Beiderbecke | 1927 | |
| First official transatlantic telephone conversation | W.S. Gifford and Sir Evelyn P. Murray | January 7, 1927 | original |
| "El Manisero " | Rita Montaner, vocal with orchestra; Don Azpiazú and His Havana Casino orchestra | 1927; 1930 | |
| Light's Golden Jubilee Celebration | Graham McNamee, host; speeches by Herbert Hoover, Marie Curie, Henry Ford, Albert Einstein | October 21, 1929 | copy |
| Beethoven's Egmont Overture, Op. 84 | Modesto High School Band | 1930 | |
| Show Boat | Helen Morgan, Paul Robeson, James Melton and others; Victor Young, conductor; Louis Alter, piano | 1932 | |
| "Wabash Cannonball" | Roy Acuff | 1936 | |
| "One O'Clock Jump" | Count Basie and His Orchestra | 1937 | |
| The Fall of the City | Orson Welles, narrator; Burgess Meredith, Paul Stewart | April 11, 1937 | copy |
| The Adventures of Robin Hood radio broadcast | Erich Wolfgang Korngold, composer; Basil Rathbone, narrator | May 11, 1938 | |
| Joe Louis-Max Schmeling fight | Clem McCarthy, announcer | June 22, 1938 | |
| "John the Revelator" | Golden Gate Quartet | 1938 | |
| "Adagio for Strings" | Arturo Toscanini, conductor; NBC Symphony | November 5, 1938 | |
| Command Performance, show No. 21 | Bob Hope, master of ceremonies; Lena Horne; Ginny Simms; Les Baxter & His Orchestra; Rosalind Russell | July 7, 1942 | copy |
| "Straighten Up and Fly Right" | Nat "King" Cole | 1943 | |
| The Fred Allen Show debut of Senator Claghorn | Fred Allen, Kenny Delmar | October 7, 1945 | |
| "Jole Blon " | Harry Choates | 1946 | |
| Tubby the Tuba | Victor Jory & Leon Barzin | 1946 | |
| "Move On Up a Little Higher" | Mahalia Jackson | 1948 | |
| Anthology of American Folk Music | Edited by Harry Smith | 1952 | |
| Damnation of Faust | Boston Symphony Orchestra with the Harvard Glee Club and Radcliffe Choral Society | 1954 | |
| "Blueberry Hill" | Fats Domino | 1956 | |
| Variations for Orchestra by Elliott Carter Louisville Orchestra First Edition Recordings series | Louisville Orchestra; Robert S. Whitney, conductor | 1956 | |
| "Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On" | Jerry Lee Lewis | 1957 | |
| "That'll Be the Day" | Buddy Holly and The Crickets | 1957 | |
| Poeme Electronique | Edgard Varèse | 1958 | |
| Time Out | The Dave Brubeck Quartet | 1959 | |
| "Schooner Bradley" and/or "Clifton's Crew" | Pat Bonner | 1960 | |
| Studs Terkel interview with James Baldwin Representative of the Studs Terkel Collection at the Chicago History Museum | Studs Terkel, James Baldwin | September 29, 1962 | |
| United States Military Academy address | William Faulkner | April 19–20, 1962 | |
| "Dancing in the Street" | Martha and the Vandellas | 1964 | |
| Live at the Regal | B.B. King | 1965 | |
| Are You Experienced | The Jimi Hendrix Experience | 1967 | |
| We're Only in It for the Money | Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention | 1968 | |
| Switched-On Bach | Wendy Carlos | 1968 | |
| "Oh Happy Day" | Edwin Hawkins Singers | 1969 | |
| Don't Crush That Dwarf, Hand Me the Pliers | Firesign Theatre | 1970 | |
| "The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" | Gil Scott-Heron | 1970 | |
| Will the Circle Be Unbroken | Nitty Gritty Dirt Band | 1972 | |
| The old foghorn, Kewaunee, Wisconsin | Recorded by James A. Lipsky | 1972 | |
| Songs in the Key of Life | Stevie Wonder | 1976 | |
| Daydream Nation | Sonic Youth | 1988 |
2006
On March 6, 2007, the following 25 selections were made by the National Recording Preservation Board.Cal Stewart, a prolific and popular recording artist for the first 20 years of commercial recording.
, an early pioneer of jazz music.
adapted a gospel song, "I Shall Overcome" by changing to "We", and it became a civil rights standard.
| Recording or collection | Performer or agent | Year | National Archives |
| "Uncle Josh and the Insurance Agent" | Cal Stewart | 1904 | |
| "Il Mio Tesoro" | John McCormack; orchestra conducted by Walter Rogers | 1916 | |
| National Defense Test | General John J. Pershing | copy | |
| "Black Bottom Stomp" | Jelly Roll Morton's Red Hot Peppers | 1926 | |
| "Wildwood Flower" | Carter Family | 1928 | |
| "Pony Blues" | Charley Patton | 1929 | |
| "You're the Top" | Cole Porter | 1934 | |
| The Lone Ranger Episode: "The Osage Bank Robbery" | Earle Graser, John Todd | ||
| "Day of Infamy" speech to Congress | Franklin D. Roosevelt | copy | |
| Native Brazilian music recorded under the supervision of Leopold Stokowski | Pixinguinha, Donga, Cartola, Jararaca, Ratinho and José Espinguela | 1942 | |
| "Peace in the Valley" | Red Foley and the Sunshine Boys | 1951 | |
| "Polonaise in A Major", Op. 40, No. 1, by Frédéric Chopin | Artur Rubinstein | 1952 | |
| "Blue Suede Shoes" | Carl Perkins | 1955 | |
| Interviews with William "Billy" Bell | Recorded by Edward D. "Sandy" Ives | 1956 | |
| Howl | Allen Ginsberg | 1959 | |
| The Button-Down Mind of Bob Newhart | Bob Newhart | 1960 | |
| "Be My Baby" | The Ronettes | 1963 | |
| We Shall Overcome | Pete Seeger | 1963 | |
| "A Change Is Gonna Come" | Sam Cooke | 1964 | |
| " Satisfaction" | The Rolling Stones | 1965 | |
| The Velvet Underground & Nico | The Velvet Underground and Nico | 1967 | |
| The Eighty-Six Years of Eubie Blake | Eubie Blake | 1969 | |
| Burnin' | Bob Marley and The Wailers | 1973 | |
| Live in Japan | Sarah Vaughan | 1973 | |
| Graceland | Paul Simon | 1986 |
2007
On May 14, 2008, the following 25 selections were made by the National Recording Preservation Board..
read the comics on WNYC radio during the 1945 newspaper delivery strike.
on Voyager I and Voyager II.
| Recording or collection | Performer or agent | Year | National Archives |
| The first transatlantic broadcast | |||
| "Allons a Lafayette" | Joe Falcon | 1928 | |
| "Casta Diva" from Bellini's Norma | Rosa Ponselle and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus, conducted by Giulio Setti | December 31, 1928 and January 30, 1929 | |
| "If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again" | Thomas A. Dorsey | 1934 | |
| "Sweet Lorraine" | Art Tatum | 1940 | |
| Fibber McGee and Molly Fibber's closet opens for the first time | Jim Jordan, Marian Jordan | ||
| Wings Over Jordan | |||
| Fiorello H. La Guardia reading the comics | Fiorello H. La Guardia | 1945 | |
| "Call It Stormy Monday " | T-Bone Walker | 1947 | |
| Speech at the 1948 Democratic National Convention | Harry S. Truman | ||
| The Jazz Scene | Various artists, produced by Norman Granz | 1949 | |
| "It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels" | Kitty Wells | 1952 | |
| My Fair Lady | Original cast | 1956 | |
| Navajo Shootingway Ceremony Field Recordings | Recorded by David McAllester | 1957–1958 | |
| Elizabeth Cotten | 1959 | ||
| United States Marine Band Recordings for the National Cultural Center | 1963 | ||
| "Oh, Pretty Woman" | Roy Orbison | 1964 | |
| "The Tracks of My Tears" | Smokey Robinson and the Miracles | 1965 | |
| You'll Sing a Song and I'll Sing a Song | Ella Jenkins | 1966 | |
| Music from the Morning of the World | Various artists, recorded by David Lewiston | 1966 | |
| For the Roses | Joni Mitchell | 1972 | |
| Head Hunters | Herbie Hancock | 1973 | |
| Ronald Reagan radio broadcasts | Ronald Reagan | 1976–79 | |
| Murmurs of Earth Disc prepared for the Voyager spacecraft | compilation produced by Carl Sagan | 1977 | |
| Thriller | Michael Jackson | 1982 |
2008
On June 10, 2009, the following 25 selections were made by the National Recording Preservation Board., known for her own composition Zodiac Suite.
" address originated the term "Iron Curtain."
popularized the power chord.
| Recording or collection | Performer or agent | Year | National Archives |
| "No News, or What Killed the Dog" | Nat M. Wills | 1908 | |
| Acoustic recordings for Victor Talking Machine Company | Jascha Heifetz | 1917–1924 | |
| "Night Life" | Mary Lou Williams | 1930 | |
| Sounds of the ivory-billed woodpecker | Recorded by Arthur Allen and Peter Paul Kellogg | 1935 | |
| Gang Busters | 1935–1957 | ||
| "Bei Mir Bist Du Schoen" | The Andrews Sisters | 1938 | |
| "O Que É Que A Baiana Tem?" | Carmen Miranda | 1939 | |
| NBC Radio coverage of Marian Anderson's recital at the Lincoln Memorial | Marian Anderson | ||
| "Tom Dooley" | Frank Proffitt | 1940 | |
| Mary Margaret McBride | Mary Margaret McBride and Zora Neale Hurston | ||
| "Uncle Sam Blues" | Oran "Hot Lips" Page, accompanied by Eddie Condon's Jazz Band | 1944 | |
| "Sinews of Peace" Speech at Westminster College, Fulton, Missouri | Winston Churchill | ||
| The Churkendoose | Ray Bolger | 1947 | |
| "Boogie Chillen'" | John Lee Hooker | 1948 | |
| A Child's Christmas in Wales | Dylan Thomas | 1952 | |
| A Festival of Lessons and Carols as Sung on Christmas Eve in King's College Chapel, Cambridge. | King's College Choir; Boris Ord, director | 1954 | |
| West Side Story | Original cast | 1957 | |
| "Tom Dooley" | The Kingston Trio | 1958 | |
| "Rumble" | Link Wray | 1958 | |
| The Play of Daniel: A Twelfth-Century Drama | New York Pro Musica under the direction of Noah Greenberg | 1958 | |
| "Rank Stranger" | The Stanley Brothers | 1960 | |
| "At Last" | Etta James | 1961 | |
| 2000 Years with Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks | Carl Reiner and Mel Brooks | 1961 | |
| The Who Sings My Generation | The Who | 1966 | |
| "He Stopped Loving Her Today" | George Jones | 1980 |
2009
On June 23, 2010, the following 25 selections were made by the National Recording Preservation Board., one of the many rediscovered blues musicians during the 1960s folk music revival.
was one of punk rock's poetic pioneers.
with bandleader Michael Stipe popularized alternative rock during the 1980s-1990s.
| Recording or collection | Performer or agent | Year | National Archives |
| "Fon der Choope " | Abe Elenkrig's Yidishe Orchestra | ||
| "Canal Street Blues" | King Oliver's Creole Jazz Band | ||
| Tristan und Isolde, NBC broadcast | Metropolitan Opera, featuring Kirsten Flagstad and Lauritz Melchior | ||
| "When You Wish Upon a Star" | Cliff Edwards | 1938 / 1940 | |
| America's Town Meeting of the Air: "Should Our Ships Convoy Materials to England?" | George V. Denny, Jr. ; Reinhold Niebuhr, John Flynn | ||
| The Library of Congress Marine Corps Combat Field Recording Collection, Second Battle of Guam. | 1944 | ||
| "Evangeline Special" and "Love Bridge Waltz" | Iry LeJeune | 1948 | |
| The Little Engine that Could | Paul Wing, narrator | 1949 | |
| Leon Metcalf Collection of recordings of the First People of western Washington State | Leon Metcalf | 1950–1954 | |
| "Tutti Frutti" | Little Richard | 1955 | |
| "Smokestack Lightning" | Howlin' Wolf | 1956 | |
| Gypsy | Original cast recording | 1959 | |
| "Daisy Bell " | Max Mathews | 1961 | |
| The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings | Bill Evans Trio | ||
| I Started Out as a Child | Bill Cosby | 1964 | |
| Azucar Pa' Ti | Eddie Palmieri | 1965 | |
| Today! | Mississippi John Hurt | 1966 | |
| Silver Apples of the Moon | Morton Subotnick | 1967 | |
| Soul Folk in Action | The Staple Singers | 1968 | |
| The Band | The Band | 1969 | |
| "Coal Miner's Daughter" | Loretta Lynn | 1970 | |
| Red Headed Stranger | Willie Nelson | 1975 | |
| Horses | Patti Smith | 1975 | |
| "Radio Free Europe" original Hib-Tone single | R.E.M. | 1981 | |
| "Dear Mama" | 2Pac | 1995 |
2010
On April 6, 2011, the following 25 selections were announced., last surviving member of the Yahi tribe in California
, broadcaster with the Voice of America
duo Steely Dan became critical favorites among audiophiles and were sampled by De La Soul.
| Recording or collection | Performer or agent | Year | National Archives |
| Phonautograms | Édouard-Léon Scott de Martinville | ca. 1853–1861 | |
| "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" | Edward Meeker, accompanied by the Edison Orchestra | 1908 | |
| Yahi language cylinder recordings | Ishi, last surviving member of the Yahi tribe | 1911–1914 | |
| "Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground" | Blind Willie Johnson | 1927 | |
| "It's the Girl" | The Boswell Sisters with the Dorsey Brothers Orchestra | 1931 | |
| "Mal Hombre" | Lydia Mendoza | 1934 | |
| "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" | The Sons of the Pioneers | 1934 | |
| Talking Union | The Almanac Singers | 1941 | |
| Jazz at the Philharmonic | Nat "King" Cole, Les Paul, Buddy Rich, others | ||
| Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina's "Pope Marcellus Mass" | Roger Wagner Chorale | 1951 | |
| "The Eagle Stirreth Her Nest" | Reverend C. L. Franklin | 1953 | |
| "Tipitina" | Professor Longhair | 1953 | |
| At Sunset | Mort Sahl | 1955 | |
| Interviews with jazz musicians for the Voice of America | Willis Conover | 1956 | |
| The Music from Peter Gunn | Henry Mancini | 1958 | |
| United Sacred Harp Musical Convention in Fyffe, Alabama | field recordings by Alan Lomax and Shirley Collins | 1959 | |
| Blind Joe Death | John Fahey | 1959, 1964, 1967 | |
| "Stand by Your Man" | Tammy Wynette | 1968 | |
| Trout Mask Replica | Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band | 1969 | |
| Songs of the Humpback Whale | Frank Watlington, Roger Payne, and others | 1970 | |
| "Let's Stay Together" | Al Green | 1971 | |
| "Black Angels " | New York Strings Quartet | 1972 | |
| Aja | Steely Dan | 1977 | |
| GOPAC Strategy and Instructional Tapes | Newt Gingrich, others | 1986–1994 | |
| 3 Feet High and Rising | De La Soul | 1989 |
2011
On May 23, 2012, the following 25 selections were made by the National Recording Preservation Board.bridged together classical and popular music in West Side Story and On the Town.
went on a solo career after breaking up with Porter Waggoner.
are also known for their fandom known as "Deadheads".
| Recording or collection | Performer or agent | Year | National Archives |
| Edison Talking Doll cylinder | |||
| "Come Down Ma Evenin' Star" | Lillian Russell | 1912 | |
| "Ten Cents A Dance" | Ruth Etting | 1930 | |
| Voices from the Days of Slavery | Various | 1932–1975 | |
| "I Want to Be a Cowboy's Sweetheart" | Patsy Montana | 1935 | |
| "Fascinating Rhythm" | Sol Hoʻopiʻi | 1938 | |
| "Artistry In Rhythm" | Stan Kenton | 1943 | |
| New York Philharmonic debut of Leonard Bernstein | Leonard Bernstein | ||
| Hottest Women's Band of the 1940s | International Sweethearts of Rhythm | 1944–1946 | |
| "Hula Medley" | Gabby Pahinui | 1947 | |
| Indians for Indians | Don Whistler | ||
| I Can Hear It Now: 1933-1945 | Edward R. Murrow and Fred W. Friendly | 1948 | |
| "Let's Go Out to the Programs" | The Dixie Hummingbirds | 1953 | |
| Also Sprach Zarathustra | Fritz Reiner and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra | 1954, 1958 | |
| "Bo Diddley"/ "I'm a Man" | Bo Diddley | 1955 | |
| "Green Onions" | Booker T. & The M.G.'s | 1962 | |
| A Charlie Brown Christmas | Vince Guaraldi Trio | 1965 | |
| Forever Changes | Love | 1967 | |
| The Continental Harmony: The Gregg Smith Singers Perform Music of William Billings | The Gregg Smith Singers | 1969 | |
| "Coat of Many Colors" | Dolly Parton | 1971 | |
| Mothership Connection | Parliament | 1975 | |
| Barton Hall Concert at Cornell University | Grateful Dead | 1977 | |
| "I Feel Love" | Donna Summer | 1977 | |
| "Rapper's Delight" | Sugarhill Gang | 1979 | |
| Purple Rain | Prince and The Revolution | 1984 |
2012
On March 21, 2013, the following 25 selections were announced., innovator of free jazz
, American punk rock pioneers, were influenced by 1950s-60s rock music.
popularized disco music thanks to the soundtrack for the film Saturday Night Fever.
| Recording or collection | Performer or agent | Year | National Archives |
| "After You've Gone" | Marion Harris | 1918 | |
| "Bacon, Beans and Limousines" | Will Rogers | ||
| "Begin the Beguine" | Artie Shaw | 1938 | |
| "You Are My Sunshine" | Jimmie Davis | 1940 | |
| D-Day Radio Broadcast | George Hicks | June 5–6, 1944 | |
| "Just Because" | Frank Yankovic & His Yanks | 1947 | |
| South Pacific Original Cast Recording | Original Cast | 1949 | |
| Descargas: Cuban Jam Sessions in Miniature | Cachao | 1957 | |
| Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 | Van Cliburn | ||
| President's Message Relayed from Atlas Satellite | Dwight D. Eisenhower | ||
| A Program of Song | Leontyne Price | 1959 | |
| The Shape of Jazz to Come | Ornette Coleman | 1959 | |
| "Crossing Chilly Jordan" | Blackwood Brothers | 1960 | |
| "The Twist" | Chubby Checker | 1960 | |
| Old Time Music at Clarence Ashley's | Clarence Ashley, Doc Watson, others | 1960–1962 | |
| Hoodoo Man Blues | Junior Wells' Chicago Blues Band feat. Buddy Guy | 1965 | |
| Sounds of Silence | Simon & Garfunkel | 1966 | |
| Cheap Thrills | Big Brother and the Holding Company | 1968 | |
| The Dark Side of the Moon | Pink Floyd | 1973 | |
| Music Time In Africa | Leo Sarkisian | ||
| The Wild Tchoupitoulas | The Wild Tchoupitoulas | 1976 | |
| Ramones | Ramones | 1976 | |
| Saturday Night Fever Soundtrack | The Bee Gees, et al. | 1977 | |
| Einstein On The Beach | Philip Glass and Robert Wilson | 1979 | |
| The Audience With Betty Carter | Betty Carter | 1980 |
2013
On April 2, 2014, the following 25 selections were announced., innovator of jump blues
won an Oscar for the soundtrack to the 1971 blacksploitation film Shaft.
pioneer Larry Norman
| Recording or collection | Performer or agent | Year | National Archives |
| "The Laughing Song" | George W. Johnson | c.1896 | |
| "They Didn’t Believe Me" | Harry Macdonough and Alice Green | 1915 | |
| "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" | Bing Crosby and Rudy Vallee | 1932 | |
| Recordings of Kwakwaka’wakw Chief Dan Cranmer | Franz Boas and George Herzog | 1938 | |
| "Were You There" | Roland Hayes | 1940 | |
| "Sammy Goes to the Army" | The Goldbergs | ||
| "Caldonia" | Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five | 1945 | |
| "Dust My Broom" | Elmore James | 1951 | |
| A Night at Birdland | Art Blakey | 1954 | |
| "When I Stop Dreaming" | The Louvin Brothers | 1955 | |
| "Cathy's Clown" | The Everly Brothers | 1960 | |
| Texas Sharecropper and Songster | Mance Lipscomb | 1960 | |
| The First Family | Vaughn Meader | 1962 | |
| Lawrence Ritter's Interviews with Baseball Pioneers of the Late 19th and Early 20th Century | Lawrence Ritter | 1962-1966 | |
| Presidential Recordings of Lyndon B. Johnson | Lyndon B. Johnson | 1963-1969 | |
| Carnegie Hall Concert with Buck Owens and His Buckaroos | Buck Owens and His Buckaroos | 1966 | |
| "Fortunate Son" | Creedence Clearwater Revival | 1969 | |
| Shaft | Isaac Hayes | 1971 | |
| Only Visiting This Planet | Larry Norman | 1972 | |
| Celia & Johnny | Celia Cruz and Johnny Pacheco | 1974 | |
| Copland Conducts Copland: Appalachian Spring | Aaron Copland | 1974 | |
| Heart Like a Wheel | Linda Ronstadt | 1974 | |
Original Cast Recording | Original Cast | 1979 | |
| The Joshua Tree | U2 | 1987 | |
| "Hallelujah" | Jeff Buckley | 1994 |
2014
On March 25, 2015, the following 25 selections were announced., one of the many songwriters of The Great American Songbook
group The Doors with controversial bandleader Jim Morrison who was also known as "The Lizard King".
went on a Grammy-winning R&B solo career after leaving the popular rap group The Fugees.
| Recording or collection | Performer or agent | Year | National Archives |
| The at University of California, Santa Barbara Library | University of California, Santa Barbara | 1890-1910 | |
| The Benjamin Ives Gilman Collection, recorded at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition at Chicago | Benjamin Ives Gilman | 1893 | |
| "The Boys of the Lough"/"The Humours of Ennistymon" | Michael Coleman | 1922 | |
| "That Black Snake Moan"/ "Matchbox Blues" | Blind Lemon Jefferson | 1928 | |
| "Sorry, Wrong Number" | Suspense | ||
| "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive" | Johnny Mercer | 1944 | |
| Radio Coverage of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's Funeral | Arthur Godfrey, et al. | ||
| Kiss Me, Kate Original Cast Recording | Original Cast | 1949 | |
| John Brown's Body | Tyrone Power, Judith Anderson, and Raymond Massey; directed by Charles Laughton | 1953 | |
| "My Funny Valentine" | The Gerry Mulligan Quartet featuring Chet Baker | 1953 | |
| "Sixteen Tons" | Tennessee Ernie Ford | 1955 | |
| "Mary Don't You Weep" | The Swan Silvertones | 1959 | |
| Joan Baez | Joan Baez | 1960 | |
| "Stand By Me" | Ben E. King | 1961 | |
| New Orleans’ Sweet Emma Barrett and her Preservation Hall Jazz Band | Sweet Emma Barrett and her Preservation Hall Jazz Band | 1964 | |
| "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'" | The Righteous Brothers | 1964 | |
| The Doors | The Doors | 1967 | |
| Lincoln Mayorga and Distinguished Colleagues | Lincoln Mayorga | 1968 | |
| Stand! | Sly and the Family Stone | 1969 | |
| A Wild and Crazy Guy | Steve Martin | 1978 | |
| Sesame Street: Platinum All-Time Favorites | Various | 1995 | |
| OK Computer | Radiohead | 1997 | |
| Songs of the Old Regular Baptists | Various | 1997 | |
| The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill | Lauryn Hill | 1998 | |
| Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman | Colorado Symphony Orchestra, Marin Alsop, conductor; Joan Tower, composer | 1999 |
2015
On March 23, 2016, the following 25 selections were announced.was voted as one of the greatest players ever to played the game of basketball.
was known for his controversial "Dirty Words You Couldn't Say on Television".
won the only Grammy Award ever presented to disco music.
| Recording or collection | Performer or agent | Year | National Archives |
| "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" | Peerless Quartet | 1911 | |
| "Wild Cat Blues" | Clarence Williams' Blue Five | 1923 | |
| "Statesboro Blues" | Blind Willie McTell | 1928 | |
| "Bonaparte's Retreat" | W.H. Stepp | 1937 | |
| "Decoration Day Parade" | Vic and Sade | ||
| Mahler: Symphony No. 9 | Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra; Bruno Walter, conductor | 1938 | |
| Carousel of American Music | George M. Cohan, Irving Berlin, Johnny Mercer, Arthur Freed, Shelton Brooks, Hoagy Carmichael, others | ||
| The Marshall Plan Speech | George C. Marshall | copy | |
| "A Garage in Gainesville" and "Execution Awaited" | Destination Freedom | September 25 and October 2, 1949 | |
| A Streetcar Named Desire soundtrack | Alex North | 1951 | |
| "Cry Me a River" | Julie London | 1955 | |
| "Mack the Knife" | Louis Armstrong and Bobby Darin | 1956 and 1959 | |
| Fourth-quarter radio coverage of Wilt Chamberlain's 100-point game | Bill Campbell, announcer | ||
| A Love Supreme | John Coltrane | 1964 | |
| It's My Way! | Buffy Sainte-Marie | 1964 | |
| "Where Did Our Love Go" | The Supremes | 1964 | |
| "People Get Ready" | The Impressions | 1965 | |
| "Mama Tried" | Merle Haggard | 1968 | |
| Abraxas | Santana | 1970 | |
| Class Clown | George Carlin | 1972 | |
| Robert and Clara Schumann Complete Piano Trios | Beaux Arts Trio | 1972 | |
| "Piano Man" | Billy Joel | 1973 | |
| Bogalusa Boogie | Clifton Chenier | 1976 | |
| "I Will Survive" | Gloria Gaynor | 1978 | |
| Master of Puppets | Metallica | 1986 |
2016
On March 29, 2017, the following 25 selections were announced., longtime broadcaster of both the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers
popularized glam rock with his alter ego Ziggy Stardust.
was one of New wave music's innovative bands thanks to their blend of funk, worldbeat and punk.
| Recording or collection | Performer or agent | Year | National Archives |
| 1888 London cylinder recordings of Col. George Gouraud | George Gouraud | 1888 | |
| "Lift Every Voice and Sing" | Manhattan Harmony Four and Melba Moore & Friends | 1923 and 1990 | |
| "Puttin' On the Ritz" | Harry Richman | 1929 | |
| "Over the Rainbow" | Judy Garland | 1939 | |
| "I'll Fly Away" | The Chuck Wagon Gang | 1948 | |
| "Hound Dog" | Big Mama Thornton | 1952 | |
| Saxophone Colossus | Sonny Rollins | 1956 | |
| New York Giants vs. Brooklyn Dodgers final game commentary | Vin Scully | ||
| Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs | Marty Robbins | 1959 | |
| The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery | Wes Montgomery | 1960 | |
| People | Barbra Streisand | 1964 | |
| "In the Midnight Hour" | Wilson Pickett | 1965 | |
| "Amazing Grace" | Judy Collins | 1970 | |
| All Things Considered first episode | National Public Radio | ||
| "American Pie" | Don McLean | ||
| The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars | David Bowie | 1972 | |
| The Wiz Original Cast Recording | Original Broadway Cast | 1975 | |
| Their Greatest Hits | Eagles | 1976 | |
| Scott Joplin's Treemonisha | Gunther Schuller, arr. | 1976 | |
| Richard Pryor | 1978 | ||
| "We Are Family" | Sister Sledge | 1979 | |
| Remain in Light | Talking Heads | 1980 | |
| Straight Outta Compton | N.W.A | 1988 | |
| Rachmaninoff’s Vespers | The Robert Shaw Festival Singers | 1990 | |
| Signatures | Renée Fleming | 1997 |
2017
On March 21, 2018, the following 25 selections were announced., a popular African-American vocal jazz group during the 1930s-1940s
brought a Cuban flavor to the top on the charts during the 1980s with her band Miami Sound Machine.
, an acclaimed Grammy Award-winning celloist, performed works by composers Tan Dun and Astor Piazzolla.
| Recording or collection | Performer or agent | Year | National Archives |
| “Dream Melody Intermezzo: Naughty Marietta" | Victor Herbert and his Orchestra | 1911 | |
| Standing Rock Preservation Recordings | George Herzog and Members of the Yanktoni Tribe | 1928 | |
| "Lamento Borincano" | written by Rafael Hernández Marín performed by Canario y Su Grupo | 1930 | |
| "Sitting on Top of the World" | Mississippi Sheiks | 1930 | |
| The Complete Beethoven Piano Sonatas | Artur Schnabel | 1932-1935 | |
| "If I Didn't Care" | The Ink Spots | 1939 | |
| Proceedings of the United Nations Conference on International Organization | 1945 | ||
| Folk Songs of the Hills | Merle Travis | 1946 | |
| "How I Got Over" | Clara Ward and the Ward Singers | 1950 | |
| " Rock Around the Clock" | Bill Haley & His Comets | 1954 | |
| Calypso | Harry Belafonte | 1956 | |
| "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" | Tony Bennett | 1962 | |
| "My Girl" | The Temptations | 1964 | |
| King Biscuit Time | Sonny Boy Williamson II and others | 1965 | |
| The Sound of Music soundtrack | Various | 1965 | |
| "Alice's Restaurant Massacree" | Arlo Guthrie | 1967 | |
| New Sounds in Electronic Music | Steve Reich, Richard Maxfield, Pauline Oliveros | 1967 | |
| An Evening with Groucho | Groucho Marx | 1972 | |
| Rumours | Fleetwood Mac | 1977 | |
| "The Gambler" | Kenny Rogers | 1978 | |
| "Le Freak" | Chic | 1978 | |
| "Footloose" | Kenny Loggins | 1984 | |
| Raising Hell | Run-DMC | 1986 | |
| "Rhythm Is Gonna Get You" | Gloria Estefan and Miami Sound Machine | 1987 | |
| Yo-Yo Ma Premieres: Concertos for Violoncello and Orchestra | Yo-Yo Ma & the Philadelphia Orchestra performing Christopher Rouse, Leon Kirchner, and Richard Danielpour | 1996 |
2018
On March 20, 2019, the following 25 selections were announced., popular swing-era bandleader who also appeared on the animated films of The Fleischer Brothers.
worked with voice actors June Foray, Paul Frees and Daws Butler during Hollywood's golden age of animation.
was the subject of a 2015 Oscar-nominated documentary film.
| Recording or collection | Performer or agent | Year | National Archives |
| Yiddish Cylinders from the Standard Phonograph Company of New York and the Thomas Lambert Company | c.1901-1905 | ||
| "The Memphis Blues" | Victor Military Band | 1914 | |
| Melville Jacobs Collection of Native Americans of the American Northwest | Melville Jacobs | 1929-1939 | |
| "Minnie the Moocher" | Cab Calloway | 1931 | |
| Bach Six Cello Suites | Pablo Casals | c. 1939 | |
| "They Look Like Men of War" | Deep River Boys | 1941 | |
| Gunsmoke Episode: "The Cabin" | |||
| Complete Recorded Monologues | Ruth Draper | 1954-1956 | |
| "La Bamba" | Ritchie Valens | 1958 | |
| "Long Black Veil" | Lefty Frizzell | 1959 | |
| Stan Freberg | 1961 | ||
| Go | Dexter Gordon | 1962 | |
| War Requiem | Benjamin Britten | 1963 | |
| "Mississippi Goddam" | Nina Simone | 1964 | |
| "Soul Man" | Sam & Dave | 1967 | |
| Hair Original Broadway cast recording | Original Broadway Cast | 1968 | |
| Robert F. Kennedy's speech on the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. | Robert F. Kennedy | ||
| "Sweet Caroline" | Neil Diamond | 1969 | |
| Super Fly | Curtis Mayfield | 1972 | |
| Ola Belle Reed | Ola Belle Reed | 1973 | |
| "September" | Earth, Wind & Fire | 1978 | |
| "You Make Me Feel " | Sylvester | 1978 | |
| She's So Unusual | Cyndi Lauper | 1983 | |
| Schoolhouse Rock!: The Box Set | Various | 1996 | |
| The Blueprint | Jay-Z | 2001 |
2019
On March 25, 2020, the following 25 selections were announced.won a Grammy for the novelty song "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah" to the tune of Ponchielli's Dance of the Hours.
group Cheap Trick were more popular in Japan than in the United States thus their 1978 Budokan concert album.
singer Tina Turner finally went solo later in her career after splitting with ex-husband Ike Turner and became a legend in her own right.
| Recording or collection | Performer or agent | Year | National Archives |
| "Whispering" | Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra | 1920 | |
| "Protesta per Sacco e Vanzetti"/"Sacco e Vanzetti" | Compagnia Columbia; Raoul Romito | 1927 | |
| "La Chicharronera" | Narciso Martínez and Santiago Almeida | 1936 | |
| Arch Oboler's Plays Episode: "The Bathysphere" | Nov. 18, 1939 | ||
| "Me and My Chauffeur Blues" | Memphis Minnie | 1941 | |
| The 1951 National League Tiebreaker: New York Giants vs. Brooklyn Dodgers | Russ Hodges, announcer | Oct. 3, 1951 | |
| Tosca | Victor de Sabata, conductor, with Maria Callas, Giuseppe Di Stefano and others | 1953 | |
| "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah" | Allan Sherman | 1963 | |
| WGBH broadcast of the Boston Symphony on the day of the John F. Kennedy assassination | Boston Symphony Orchestra | Nov. 22, 1963 | |
| Fiddler on the Roof | Original Broadway cast | 1964 | |
| "Make the World Go Away" | Eddy Arnold | 1965 | |
| Hiromi Lorraine Sakata collection of Afghan traditional music | Recorded by Hiromi Lorraine Sakata | 1966–67, 1971–73 | |
| "Wichita Lineman" | Glen Campbell | 1968 | |
| Dusty in Memphis | Dusty Springfield | 1969 | |
| Mister Rogers Sings 21 Favorite Songs from "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" | Fred Rogers | 1973 | |
| Cheap Trick at Budokan | Cheap Trick | 1978 | |
| Suite No. 1 in E flat, Suite No. 2 in F / Music for the Royal Fireworks / Fantasia in G Special edition audiophile pressing | Frederick Fennell and the Cleveland Symphonic Winds | 1978 | |
| "Y.M.C.A." | Village People | 1978 | |
| A Feather on the Breath of God | Gothic Voices; Christopher Page, conductor; Hildegard von Bingen, composer | 1981/2 | |
| Private Dancer | Tina Turner | 1984 | |
| Ven Conmigo | Selena | 1990 | |
| The Chronic | Dr. Dre | 1992 | |
| "I Will Always Love You" | Whitney Houston | 1992 | |
| Concert in the Garden | Maria Schneider Orchestra | 2004 | |
| Percussion Concerto | Colin Currie | 2008 |
Statistics
, the oldest recording on the list is Edouard-Leon Scott de Martinville's Phonautograms which date back to the 1850s. The most recent is Colin Currie's 2008 recording of Jennifer Higdon's Percussion Concerto.Selections vary widely in duration. Both the early Edison recordings and the instrumental "Rumble" by Link Wray, as well as "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley and His Comets clock in at under three minutes; the Edison Talking Doll cylinder is only 17 seconds long and some of Scott de Martinville's Photoautograms are just as brief. Meanwhile, Georg Solti's recording of Wagner's complete Ring Cycle is approximately 15 hours in duration and Alexander Scourby's recitation of the King James Bible is over 80 hours in length.
People with multiple entries on the Registry
- Marvin Gaye: What's Going On, "Dancing in the Street" and Cornell 5/8/77
- Tito Puente: Dance Mania and Abraxas
- Al Green: "Let's Stay Together" and Private Dancer
- Merle Haggard: "Mama Tried" and Cornell 5/8/77
- Carole King: Tapestry and Dusty in Memphis
- George Frideric Handel: Messiah, Concerto Grosso in B flat major and Music for the Royal Fireworks
- Marian Alsop: Fanfare for the Uncomon Woman and Percussion Concerto
- Fats Domino: "Blueberry Hill" and Cheap Trick at Budokan
- Peter Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No.1 and Signatures
- Dave Brubeck: Time Out and The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery
- Frederick Fennell: Winds in Hi-Fi and Suite No. 1 in E flat, Suite No. 2 in F / Music for the Royal Fireworks / Fantasia in G
- Benjamin Britten: War Requiem and Signatures
- Richard Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra, Winds in Hi-Fi, A Program of Song and Signatures
- Dolly Parton: "I Will Always Love You" and "Coat of Many Colors"
- Isaac Hayes: Shaft and The Chronic
- Gil Scott-Heron:"The Revolution Will Not Be Televised" and The Chronic
- George Clinton: Mothership Connection and The Chronic
- Blind Willie McTell: "Statesboro Blues" and At Fillmore East
- T-Bone Walker: "Stormy Monday" and At Fillmore East
- Dr. Dre: Straight Outta Compton and The Chronic
- Stevie Wonder: "Lift Every Voice and Sing" and Songs in the Key of Life
- John Coltrane: Kind of Blue, Giant Steps, and A Love Supreme
- Bill Evans: Kind of Blue and The Complete Village Vanguard Recordings, 1961
- Scott Joplin: Ragtime piano rolls and Treemonisha
- Orson Welles: War of the Worlds and The Fall of the City
- Chuck Berry: "Roll Over, Beethoven" and Murmurs of Earth
- Curtis Mayfield: "People Get Ready" and Super Fly
- Louis Armstrong: Hot Five and Hot Seven recordings, Canal Street Blues and "Mack The Knife"
- Joe Falcon: "Allons à Lafayette" and Anthology of American Folk Music
- Paul Robeson: Show Boat and Othello
- Bing Crosby: "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" and "White Christmas"
- Miles Davis: "Ko-Ko" and Kind of Blue
- Paul Simon: Sounds of Silence and Graceland
- Dizzy Gillespie: "Ko-Ko" and Manteca
- George Gershwin: "Rhapsody in Blue", Porgy and Bess, Cheap Thrills, "Swanee" and "Fascinating Rhythm"
- James Brown: Fear of the Black Planet, The Chronic, My Generation and Live at the Apollo
- Otis Redding: "Respect", 3 Feet High and Rising and "I've Been Loving You Too Long "
- Professor Longhair: "Tipatina" and Crescent City Living Legends Collection
- Clifton Chenier: Crescent City Living Legends Collection and Bogalusa Boogie
- Herbie Hancock: Songs in the Key of Life and Head Hunters
- Paul McCartney: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, Private Dancer and Thriller
- Johnny Mercer: Carousel of American Music and "Ac-Cent-Tchu-Ate the Positive"
- The Carter Family: "Wildwood Flower", Anthology of American Folk Music and Bristol sessions
- Mother Maybelle Carter: "Wildwood Flower", Anthology of American Folk Music, Bristol sessions, and Will The Circle Be Unbroken
- Jimmie Rodgers: "Blue Yodel " and Bristol sessions
- Nat King Cole: "Straighten Up and Fly Right" and Jazz at the Philharmonic
- Judy Garland: Judy at Carnegie Hall and "Over the Rainbow"
- Thomas A. Dorsey: Precious Lord: New Recordings of the Great Gospel Songs of Thomas A. Dorsey and "If I Could Hear My Mother Pray Again"
- Leonard Bernstein: West Side Story, and New York Philharmonic debut
- Edward R. Murrow: I Can Hear It Now: 1933-1945 and 1941 broadcasts from London
- Roy Acuff: Grand Ole Opry debut, "Wabash Cannonball", and Will The Circle Be Unbroken
- Carol Kaye: Pet Sounds, "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin'", and Forever Changes
- Cole Porter: "You're the Top", Kiss Me, Kate, Go and Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Cole Porter Song Book
- Stephen Sondheim: West Side Story, Gypsy and
- Rodgers and Hammerstein: South Pacific, People, Oklahoma! and The Sound of Music
- Brian Eno: Remain in Light and The Joshua Tree
- Irving Berlin: "God Bless America", "Puttin' on the Ritz", People and Carousel of American Music
- Hoagy Carmichael: "Stardust" and Carousel of American Music
- Jelly Roll Morton: Alan Lomax interviews and Black Bottom Stomp
- Marian Anderson: 1939 recital at the Lincoln Memorial and "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands"
- Clarence Ashley: Anthology of American Folk Music and Old Time Music's At Clarence Ashley's
- Bo Diddley: "I'm a Man" and My Generation
- Mississippi John Hurt: Anthology of American Folk Music and Today!
- Arturo Toscanini: Piano Concerto No. 1 and "Adagio for Strings"
- Alan Lomax: Jelly Roll Morton interviews and United Sacred Harp Musical Convention in Fyffe, Alabama
- Leopold Stokowski: 1942 recording of Native Brazilian music and Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor
- Robert Shaw: Mass in B minor and All-Night Vigil
- Sergei Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor and All-Night Virgil
- J.S. Bach: Mass in B minor, Switched-On Bach, Fantasia in G, Cello Suites and Goldberg Variations
- Johnny Cash: At Folsom Prison and 3 Feet High and Rising
- Steely Dan: Aja and 3 Feet High and Rising
- Michael Jackson: Thriller and The Blueprint
- Jim Morrison: The Doors and The Blueprint
- Al Green: "Let's Stay Together" and The Blueprint
- David Bowie: The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust, Private Dancer and The Blueprint
- Blind Willie Johnson: Anthology of American Folk Music, "Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground" and Murmurs of Earth
- Harold Arlen: '"Over the Rainbow" and People
- Kurt Weill: "Mack the Knife" and Saxophone Colossus
- Blind Lemon Jefferson: "That Black Snake Moan/Matchbox Blues" and Anthology of American Folk Music
- Bob Dorough: 3 Feet High and Rising and Schoolhouse Rock! Soundtrack
- The Everly Brothers: Graceland and "Cathy's Clown"
- Linda Ronstadt: Graceland and Heart Like a Wheel
- Uncle Dave Macon: Anthology of American Folk Music and Grand Ole Opry debut
- Bertolt Brecht: "Mack the Knive" and Saxophone Colossus
- Julie Andrews: The Sound of Music and My Fair Lady
- Frank Zappa: We're Only in It for the Money and Trout Mask Replica
- Sammy Cahn: People and Go
- Jerry Bock: People and Fiddler on the Roof
- Sheldon Harnick: People and Fiddler on the Roof
- Marty Robbins: Gunfighter Ballads and Trail Songs and Cornell 5/8/77
- Jule Styne: Gypsy, People and Go
- Sonny Rollins: Brilliant Corners, The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery and Saxophone Colossus
- Celia Cruz: Celia & Johnny and Fania All-Stars Live At Yankee Stadium
- Johnny Pacheco: Celia & Johnny and Fania All-Stars Live At Yankee Stadium
- Ismael Quintana: Azúcar Pa' Ti, Fania All-Stars Live At Yankee Stadium, and Celia & Johnny
- Paul Whiteman: Rhapsody in Blue and "Whispering"
- Ludwig van Beethoven: Kreutzer Sonata, Complete String Quartets, Egmont Overture, Complete Piano Sonatas and Marcia Funebre
- John Lennon: Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band and Private Dancer
- Phil Spector: "Be My Baby" and "You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin"