Field Recordings Volume 1: Virginia 1936-1941

I have no idea where any of these musicians were from specifically, but it's possible that some were from the Roanoke Valley. I recommend this fascinating article on this compilation, from Record Fiend. Here is an excerpt:

"My educated guess is that the first 13 tracks - consisting of spirituals, songster material, and track-lining songs - were recorded at the State Penitentiary in Richmond in 1936. John Williams's "'Twas on a Monday," Willie Williams's "(The) New Burying Ground," and "Bitin' Spider" (a variant of "Take This Hammer"), and J. (James) Wilson's "Can't You Line 'Em" and "Laying Rail (1 & 2)" are the type of spellbinding a cappella group performances that sadly seemed to be collected only when blacks were incarcerated in the hellhole prisons of the South."

Genre: Blues, Leadbelly, Gospel, Folk, Minstrel Tunes