Robert Lester Folsom

Robert Lester Folsom released his first studio album, Music and Dreams, in 1976. Although it received some local attention upon its initial release, the record was circulated via private pressings and Folsom was unable to complete a follow-up. It wasn’t until 2010, when the album was reissued by Anthology Recordings, that Folsom’s music reached far beyond the realm of crate diggers and collectors who had long ago assigned Music and Dreams a left-field legend status. The same year, Anthology also launched their ongoing excavation and exploration of the Southern singer, songwriter, and psychedelic serviceman’s bountiful archives, welcoming a whole new generation of young listeners into the fold. Born and raised in Adel, Georgia, the young Folsom exhibited a precocious affinity for music early on. A children’s record player bought by his parents as a gift was traded to a friend for a stringless, disheveled guitar. As time passed, Folsom’s innate drive and field of vision broadened as he enlisted friends, classmates, and family members to fulfill his small-scale musical dreams. Decades later, after attaining legend status among collectors and curious alike, Anthology Recordings now presents Music and Dreams: 50th Anniversary Edition, a double LP that pairs a remastered treatment of the album alongside the original reel-to-reel demos, revealing new contour and color to music that continues to find an audience in its own time.