i have 16 discs of the collection, it isn't just american stuff--there are carribean islanders, irish and english singers
the american stuff is interesting--church songs, prisoners and chain gang stuff, songs imported and passed down through immigrants
another interesting couple that recorded common people was the warners, anne and frank--they were contemporaries of alan lomax, and recorded mountain people and other simple folk
from them you get gilgarra mountain (aka whiskey in a jar) tom dooley, and many other folk standards made famous in the 60's
they aren't as famous as the lomaxes, but they are almost as important (i have them too)