African Head Charge is a dub reggae ensemble founded in 1980 by percussionist Bonjo I (Bonjo Iyanbinghi Noah) as a purely studio 'band' and featuring a revolving cast of members, including, at times, Prisoner, Crocodile, Junior Moses, Sunny Akpan, Skip McDonald, and Jah Wobble.

Tracing its cultural origins from African and Amerindian slaves of Colombia and its birth to the early 1900s, the popular folk music and dance styles of vallenato and cumbia are considered the representative music of the South American nation of Colombia.

Millvina Dean, the last survivor of the 1912 sinking of the RMS Titanic died last week at 97. She was nine weeks old when the liner sank after hitting an iceberg in the early hours of 15 April 1912. The disaster killed 1,517 people in the north Atlantic while 706 others, including Dean, survived.

Banco de Gaia is the pseudonym of Englishman Toby Marks. Named after a secret Italian masonic order dedicated to the irradication of 'wires on sticks' (i.e telephone poles), Marks began using the moniker in 1991.

"Douduk: The Sound of Armenia" was released on Jun 15, 2004 on the Naxos World label.

From the liner notes:

"Armenian folk-music has come down to us from ancient times, continually influenced by and influencing the musical cultures of other Middle Eastern peoples...

Excerpted from the liner notes to the 2002 MCA compilation of the 1965 Chess release "The Real Folk Blues" (tracks recorded 1947-1964) and the 1967 Chess release "More Real Folk Blues" (tracks recorded Jun 1950-Dec 1953)---

The rap trio Whodini, comprised of Jalil Hutchins (“Jalil”), John Fletcher (“Ecstasy”—the one in the Zorro hat), and DJ Drew Carter (“Grandmaster Dee”), were formed in 1981 in Brooklyn, NY. True innovators of the golden area of hip hop, the group is notable in music history for their list of firsts:

* The first rap act to add straight R&B sounds to their music

The Kinks, formed in Muswell Hill, London in 1963, were part of the original lineup of British Invasion bands that became popular in the United States and Canada from roughly 1964 to 1967.

Rooted as it is in both the folk music of Europe and Western cowboy, railroad and gold rush songs, “Country & Western” is a term that has embraced many diverse musical styles over the years. The arrival of the gramophone in the early years of the century did much to spread the popularity of country music and was at least partially responsible for its standardization and commercialization.

Without doubt the French-Canadian born Louisiana emigre' Daniel Lanois is one of the most distinctive and celebrated producers of all time.

The EMI Hemisphere label was founded in 1993 and was one of the first international labels to extensively compile recordings of many different music styles and musicians around the world. The label ceased activity in 2000 after producing a whomping 76 titles, many of which have become indispensible for world music fans.

The Atlanta-based lo-fi/rockabilly/punk band the Black Lips got a reputation early for staging out-of-control live shows. For their first album on Vice (released Feb 20, 2007) they brought their own brand of debauchery to Tijuana, Mexico for the live set "Los Valientes del Mundo Nuevo".

From "Stylus" magazine, here's Tal Rosenberg's take on the album:

Manchester's New Order was formed in the wake of the demise of their previous band, Joy Division following the suicide of singer Ian Curtis. Their second album, "Power, Corruption & Lies" was released by the Qwest label in May of 1983 and garnered the band more widespread popularity than any of their previous work including that as Joy Division.

Puerto Rican-born musican, DJ and poet Carlos Mena's alternative rap album "Hip Hop Meditations" was released by Bomb Hip Hop on May 18, 2004. Jeff Chang, American Book Award-winning author of the seminal "Can't Stop Won't Stop: A History of the Hip-Hop Generation" wrote the following review of the album for The Guardian:

Breakbeats Catch Religion

The Preservation Hall Jazz Band derives its name from Preservation Hall, the venerable music venue located in the heart of New Orleans’ French Quarter.

Many, many years ago, two holy brothers of the Land
Went deep into the woods to foresee life
To hunt
To remember stories
To be with the Land.

Nightfall came...
Stars twinkled songs for cool rivers
Smoky trails hung heavy on fir trees
To listen
To the story of Land
Told by the older brother...

From 2006: The Iron Stone

Robin Williamson is a Scottish musician, singer/songwriter, storyteller and founding member of the British psychedelic folk group The Incredible String Band.

...A solitary fisherman paddles out to the reef and casts his net...

Ok, first off: Shuggie Otis is the guy who wrote "Strawberry Letter 23". I picked up a copy of his "Inspiration Information", which has been remarketed as Volume 2 of Luaka Bop's "World Psychedelic Classics" (classification: 'California Soul'). The Luaka Bop edition was released in 2001, but the original album came out in October 1974 with Shuggie playing all of the instruments on the album.

Next up: Hedningarna's "Karelia Visa" (1999)

I discovered these folks after watching one of their videos a LinkTV "World Music" program....

Allmusic review--