Sounds of America Marks 250th Episode as Library of Congress Continues Series After Leadership Change

The National Recording Registry’s “Sounds of America” series celebrated its 250th episode by reviewing the 2026 class of inductees. Each spring the Registry adds 25 recordings—songs, speeches, and other audio to the Library of Congress collection. The 2026 lineup featured the Charlie Daniels Band’s song The Devil Went Down to Georgia, The Go-Go’s track Beauty and the Beat, and the historic radio broadcast of The Fight of the Century between Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier.

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The series began as an annual collaboration between the Library of Congress and public-media partners to explain the cultural significance of each selected sound. For nine years, the 14th Librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden, supervised the project, shaping its format and outreach. The series has highlighted a wide range of American audio, from civil-rights speeches to video-game theme music.

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• Carla Hayden – 14th Librarian of Congress, overseer of the series until 2025.

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• President Donald Trump – Issued the 2025 dismissal of Hayden.

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• Rachael Stoeltje – Head of the National Audio-Visual Conservation Center in Culpeper, Virginia, which houses the Registry’s artifacts.

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• Jennie Cataldo – Producer of the “Sounds of America” series for Accompany Studios.

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• Charlie Daniels Band, The Go-Go’s, Muhammad Ali, Joe Frazier – Artists whose works were highlighted in the 2026 episode.

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• Annual quota: 25 recordings added each year.

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• Milestone: 250 episodes aired since the series’ inception.

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• 2026 highlights: *The Devil Went Down to Georgia*, *Beauty and the Beat*, and the broadcast of *The Fight of the Century*.

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• Public involvement: Listeners may nominate additional recordings through the Library of Congress website.

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The White House explained Hayden’s removal by citing her focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion as the official reason. Despite the leadership change, the Library of Congress affirmed that the “Sounds of America” series will continue, emphasizing its role in preserving a diverse audio heritage and encouraging public nominations for future selections.

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• “pursuit of DEI” — White House (official statement)

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• “The Devil Went Down to Georgia,” — Charlie Daniels Band (song title)

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• “Beauty and the Beat” — The Go-Go’s (song title)

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• “The Fight of the Century” — Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier (radio broadcast title)

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The Library of Congress invites the public to submit nominations for the 2027 class of recordings. Production of the next “Sounds of America” episode is scheduled for spring 2027, maintaining the series’ annual cadence.

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