Folk pioneer Alan Lomax dies

American folk music pioneer and song collector Alan Lomax has died aged 87.

Lomax continued the work of his father John, taking field trips across America and Europe to collect folk and blues songs in the '30s, '40s and '50s.

The songs became the staple diet of the later folk song revival.

His trips provided the Library of Congress with an expansive history of music from America and other parts of the world.

They also brought to fame many of the great musicians of the era, including Muddy Waters, Jelly Roll Morton, Bukka White and Leadbelly - who he first met when he was serving time for murder in prison in Louisiana.

He produced many landmark collections of folk music and became a consultant for various festivals, including the famous Newport Folk Festival.

He also worked for both Decca and Columbia.

His 10-disc series for Caedmon in the '50s provided most of the material used to launch the UK folk revival.