The Library of Congress is famous for its collection of American cultural treasures.

More than 10 million items, including books, manuscripts, and nearly 4 million pieces of

audio live there.

And each year, the National Recording Registry at the Library of Congress chooses just 25

pieces of audio to showcase the rich heritage of America's recorded sound.

Think of it like an audio hall of fame.

Those being conducted this year have just been announced and that marks our return of

the series, The Sounds of America.

Last year, that allowed us to spotlight inductees like Ricky Martin.

A real star can transform just a demo into a masterpiece.

An album from the band Tribe Called Quest.

And the song Reach Out Albe There, an memorable conversation with Duke Fakir from the Four

Tops.

This year's list is no less rich.

We're celebrating the return of our series The Sounds of America.

It's when we get to work with the National Recording Registry in the Library of Congress

to showcase some of the most important moments in American sound.

To kick off the series, I set down with librarian of Congress, Carla Hayden, to talk about

this year's picks and the registry.

We'll bring you that conversation after the break.

I'm Jen White.

You're listening to The One-A podcast where we get to the heart of the story.

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