Washington, DC is paradise to me! 51 albums of DC history by 
EyeKanFly 
Washington DC is home to some of the most powerful institutions and people on the planet, yet this is in stark contrast to the 700,000+ people who live within the District's borders: utterly powerless to change all but the most basic tenets of their local government.
These 51 albums encapsulate the artists, producers, venues, labels, and genres most important to the history and legacy of the District of Columbia. Some are by local DC artists, some are by artists who grew up in DC never to return in adulthood. Some are by foreigners who have made this city home, or maybe just passed through on a tour. Some are by artists who experienced DC at its best, and some are by artists who have experienced DC at its worst.
In addition to the 51 albums, here are a handful of honorable mentions, mostly songs or other recordings which don't fit into the "album" format. All however are important to the past, present, and future of Washington, DC:
- "A 1000 Times" - Hamilton Leithauser
- "Crew" - GoldLink
- "Embassy Row" - Pavement
- "Ghost of Old D.C." - J. B. Beverley & The Wayward Drifters
- "God Bless America" - Kate Smith
- "One Mint Julep" - The Clovers
- "Reunited" - Peaches & Herb
- "Summertime" - Billy Stewart
- "Swanee" - Al Jolson
- "The District Sleeps Alone Tonight" - The Postal Service
- "The Hustle" - Van McCoy
- "Ugly Man" - Danny Gatton
- "Washington D.C." - The Magnetic Fields
- "Washington D.C. Hospital Center Blues" - Skip James
- Library of Congress recordings - Jelly Roll Morton; Woody Guthrie
- Native American music of the Eastern Woodlands - Piscataway Conoy Tribal Nation musicians
- Chart updated: 04/22/2021 14:15
- (Created: 04/21/2021 18:09).
- Chart size: 51 albums.
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This chart is currently filtered to only show albums from the 1960s. (Remove this filter)
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Charlie Byrd lived in and around DC for most of his life. He owned a club in Adam's Morgan which is now known as Songbyrd in tribute. This album was recorded at All Soul's Church on 16th St, 2 blocks away from Byrd's club. This album also set the stage for Getz's later career, especially the more famous album Getz/Gilberto.
[First added to this chart: 04/22/2021]
Year of Release:
1962
Appears in:
Rank Score:
421
Rank in 1962:
Rank in 1960s:
Overall Rank:
Average Rating:
Comments:
3
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Before she "saw your face for the first time" or was "killed softly by his song", Roberta Flack grew up in DC, graduated from Howard University, and taught at various middle and high schools in DC. While teaching, Flack performed at DC-area nightclubs on weekends where she was discovered by jazz pianist Les McCann who helped jump-start her singing career.
[First added to this chart: 04/22/2021]
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The Bohemian Caverns was one of the greatest jazz venues not just in DC, but in the world. This is one of the greatest albums recorded there. Unfortunately the venue fell under hard times and closed in the late 2010s, but there are attempts at revitalizing it as a venue.
[First added to this chart: 04/22/2021]
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Another fantastic album recorded at Bohemian Caverns.
[First added to this chart: 04/22/2021]
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Lead Belly was invited to record in Washington, DC in 1937 for Alan Lomax (director of the Archive of American Folk Song and instrumental in recording early 20th century music for the Library of Congress). During Lead Belly's trip, he encountered racism and segregation everywhere. He was unable to find a hotel to stay at due to discrimination, and ended up staying with Lomax, while Lomax's landlord threatened to remove him for hosting a black man. Lead Belly wrote "The Bourgeois Blues" about this experience. This collection includes both this song as well as the 1937 Lomax recordings, along with many other recordings Lead Belly made for the Library of Congress.
[First added to this chart: 04/22/2021]
Total albums: 5. Page 1 of 1
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Washington, DC is paradise to me! 51 albums of DC history composition
| Decade | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
 |
 |
|
|
| 1930s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1940s | 0 | 0% | |
| 1950s | 1 | 2% | |
| 1960s | 5 | 10% | |
| 1970s | 9 | 18% | |
| 1980s | 10 | 20% | |
| 1990s | 7 | 14% | |
| 2000s | 7 | 14% | |
| 2010s | 12 | 24% | |
| 2020s | 0 | 0% |
| Artist | Albums | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
 |
|
|
| The Seldom Scene | 2 | 4% | |
| Tuscadero | 1 | 2% | |
| Fugazi | 1 | 2% | |
| Les McCann | 1 | 2% | |
| Thievery Corporation | 1 | 2% | |
| Ari Lennox | 1 | 2% | |
| Unrest | 1 | 2% | |
| Show all | |||
Washington, DC is paradise to me! 51 albums of DC history chart changes
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EyeKanFly (2024)Washington, DC is paradise to me! 51 albums of DC history ratings
89/100 (from 5 votes)
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Showing all 5 ratings for this chart.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Chart ratings | Avg. chart rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
75/100  | 06/30/2022 21:50 |  MadhattanJack | | 84/100 |
100/100 | 08/04/2021 19:51 |  travelful | | 99/100 |
100/100 | 05/27/2021 22:46 |  LedZep | | 84/100 |
100/100 | 05/06/2021 18:27 |  Hayden | | 100/100 |
100/100 | 04/23/2021 14:06 |  Patman360 | | 100/100 |
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100/100
From travelful 08/04/2021 19:52
travelful 08/04/2021 19:52
John Fahey Visits Washington DC...now that's something I need to hear!
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
100/100
From Hayden 05/06/2021 18:32
Hayden 05/06/2021 18:32
Appreciate it EyeKanFly. Was definitely a bit of fun to make. Always wanted to and never got around to it until this year. Not going to kid myself and say it's done, but I'll admit I've stopped digging around the twoonie bins for a sec.
Oddly, Canada just released a 'Canada-based playlist' for people to 'do our census to', and there's a lot of suspicious overlap. I'm assuming the government has stolen my idea (as usual).
(I kid of course, but just a coincidence).
Hoping people pluck a few records from the list, whether or not they like them. The 70s folk scene in particular was very strong, and I'd double down on the northern indigenous work.
Helpful? (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (1 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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