The National Recording Registry has announced that Dr. Dre’s The Chronic, Tina Turner’s ‘Private Dancer’, Glen Campbell’s ‘Wichita Lineman’ and Whitney Houston’s No. 1 hit and cover of Dolly Parton’s ‘I Will Always Love You’ are among 25 recordings being inducted into the Library of Congress.
The Registry, which celebrates audio recordings for their cultural, historic and aesthetic importance to the nation’s heritage, inducted a total of 25 recordings for the year from Broadway musicals to radio broadcasts to chart-topping pop songs.
The Chronic, marked Dre’s first release as a solo artist. According to the National Recording Registry, it will be archived in the Library of Congress forever. The is due to its “cultural, historical and artistic significance to the nation’s recorded sound heritage.”
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Added today to the Library’s National Recording Registry is Dr. Dre’s groundbreaking solo debut hip-hop album “The Chronic” (1992). https://t.co/0LGjqeB8PC #NationalRecordingRegistry pic.twitter.com/BhL78oUc3U
— Library of Congress (@librarycongress) March 25, 2020
The landmark album which was released in 1992 on the infamous Death Row Records established Dr. Dre as one of the biggest artists of all-time, selling nearly six million records since its release. It launched the careers of up-and-coming rappers like Snoop Dogg, Warren G and Nate Dogg.
Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden explained that, “The National Recording Registry is the evolving playlist of the American soundscape. It reflects moments in history captured through the voices and sounds of the time… As genres and formats continue to expand, the Library of Congress is committed to working with our many partners to preserve the sounds that have touched our hearts and shaped our culture.”
With over 800 nominations, this year’s inductees also include:
- “Whispering” (single), Paul Whiteman and his Orchestra (1920)
- “Protesta per Sacco e Vanzetti,” Compagnia Columbia; “Sacco e Vanzetti,” Raoul Romito (1927)
- “La Chicharronera” (single), Narciso Martinez and Santiago Almeida (1936)
- “Arch Oboler’s Plays” episode “The Bathysphere.” (Nov. 18, 1939)
- “Me and My Chauffeur Blues” (single), Memphis Minnie (1941)
- The 1951 National League tiebreaker: New York Giants vs. Brooklyn Dodgers — Russ Hodges, announcer (Oct. 3, 1951)
- Puccini’s Tosca (album), Maria Callas, Giuseppe di Stefano, Angelo Mercuriali, Tito Gobbi, Melchiorre Luise, Dario Caselli, Victor de Sabata (1953)
- “Hello Muddah, Hello Fadduh” (single), Allan Sherman (1963)
- WGBH broadcast of the Boston Symphony on the day of the John F. Kennedy assassination, Boston Symphony Orchestra (1963)
- Fiddler on the Roof (album), original Broadway cast (1964)
- “Make the World Go Away” (single), Eddy Arnold (1965)
- Hiromi Lorraine Sakata Collection of Afghan Traditional Music (1966-67; 1971-73)
- “Wichita Lineman” (single), Glen Campbell (1968)
- Dusty in Memphis (album), Dusty Springfield (1969)
- Mister Rogers Sings 21 Favorite Songs From Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood (album), Fred Rogers (1973)
- Cheap Trick at Budokan (album), Cheap Trick (1978)
- Holst: Suite No. 1 in E-Flat, Suite No. 2 in F / Handel: Music for the Royal Fireworks / Bach: Fantasia in G (Special Edition Audiophile Pressing album), Frederick Fennell and the Cleveland Symphonic Winds (1978)
- “Y.M.C.A.” (single), Village People (1978)
- A Feather on the Breath of God (album), Gothic Voices; Christopher Page, conductor; Hildegard von Bingen, composer (1982)
- Private Dancer (album), Tina Turner (1984)
- Ven Conmigo (album), Selena (1990)
- The Chronic (album), Dr. Dre (1992)
- “I Will Always Love You” (single), Whitney Houston (1992)
- Concert in the Garden (album), Maria Schneider Orchestra (2004)
- Percussion Concerto (album), Colin Currie (2008)
