2004
In April 2005, the following 50 selections were made by the National Recording Preservation Board.
| Recording or collection | Performer or agent | Year | National Archives |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Gypsy Love Song" | Eugene Cowles | 1898 | |
| "Some of These Days" | Sophie Tucker | 1911 | |
| "The Castles in Europe One-Step (Castle House Rag)" |
Europe's Society Orchestra | 1914 | |
| "Swanee" | Al Jolson | 1920 | |
| Armistice Day radio broadcast | Woodrow Wilson | November 10, 1923 | original |
| "See See Rider" | Gertrude "Ma" Rainey | 1923 | |
| "Charleston" | Golden Gate Orchestra | 1925 | |
| "Fascinating Rhythm" |
Fred and Adele Astaire; George Gershwin, piano |
1926 | |
| NBC radio coverage of Charles A. Lindbergh's arrival and reception in Washington, D.C. |
June 11, 1927 | copy | |
| "Stardust" | Hoagy Carmichael | 1927 | |
| "Blue Yodel (T for Texas)" | Jimmie Rodgers | 1927 | |
| "Ain't Misbehavin'" | Thomas "Fats" Waller | 1929 | |
| "Gregorio Cortez" | Trovadores Regionales | 1929 | |
| Piano Concerto No. 2 in C minor | Sergei Rachmaninoff, piano; Leopold Stokowski, conductor; Philadelphia Orchestra |
1929 | |
| "The Suncook Town Tragedy" | Mabel Wilson Tatro |
July 1930 | |
| Oral narrative from the Lorenzo D. Turner Collection |
Rosina Cohen | 1932 | |
| "Stormy Weather" | Ethel Waters | 1933 | |
| "Body and Soul" | Coleman Hawkins | 1939 | |
| Peter and the Wolf (Sergey Prokofiev) |
Serge Koussevitzky, conductor; Richard Hale, narrator; Boston Symphony Orchestra |
1939 | |
| "In the Mood" | Glenn Miller and His Orchestra | 1939 | |
| Broadcasts from London | Edward R. Murrow | 1940 | copy |
| We Hold These Truths (Norman Corwin) |
December 15, 1941 | original | |
| Piano Concerto No. 1, op. 23, Bb minor (Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky) |
Vladimir Horowitz, piano; Arturo Toscanini, conductor; NBC Symphony Orchestra |
1943 | |
| "Down by the Riverside" | Sister Rosetta Tharpe | 1944 | |
| U.S. Highball (A Musical Account of a Transcontinental Hobo Trip) |
Harry Partch, Gate 5 Ensemble | 1946 | |
| Four Saints in Three Acts (Virgil Thomson) | Original cast | 1947 | |
| "Manteca" | Dizzy Gillespie Big Band with Chano Pozo |
1947 | |
| The Jack Benny Program | Jack Benny | March 28, 1948 | |
| "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" | Lester Flatt and Earl Scruggs | 1949 | |
| "Lovesick Blues" | Hank Williams | 1949 | |
| Guys & Dolls | Original cast | 1950 | |
| "Old Soldiers Never Die" |
General Douglas MacArthur | April 19, 1951 | copy |
| Songs by Tom Lehrer | Tom Lehrer | 1953 | |
| "Hoochie Coochie Man" | Muddy Waters | 1954 | |
| "Earth Angel (Will You Be Mine)" | The Penguins | 1954 | |
| Tuskegee Institute Choir Sings Spirituals | Tuskegee Institute Choir, directed by William L. Dawson |
1955 | |
| Messiah | Eugene Ormandy, conductor; Richard P. Condie, choir director; Mormon Tabernacle Choir; Philadelphia Orchestra |
1958 | |
| Giant Steps | John Coltrane | 1959 | |
| Drums of Passion | Michael Babatunde Olatunji | 1960 | |
| Peace Be Still | James Cleveland | 1962 | |
| "The Girl from Ipanema" (Garota de Ipanema) |
Stan Getz, João Gilberto, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Astrud Gilberto |
1963 | |
| Live at the Apollo | James Brown | 1963 | |
| Pet Sounds | The Beach Boys | 1966 | |
| King James version of the Bible | Alexander Scourby | 1966 | |
| Remarks broadcast from the moon | Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong | July 21, 1969 | original |
| At Fillmore East | The Allman Brothers Band | 1971 | |
| Star Wars (Soundtrack) | John Williams | 1977 | |
| Recordings of Asian elephants | Katharine B. Payne | 1984 | |
| Fear of a Black Planet | Public Enemy | 1990 | |
| Nevermind | Nirvana | 1991 |
Read more about this topic: National Recording Registry