Ian Nagoski drew examples of rare early recordings from his recent digital release "Ecstatic & Wingless: Bird-Imitation on Four Continents, ca. 1910-44" to explore this forgotten art form and illuminate the world of vaudevillians and bird-fanciers, of canaries, nightingales, finches, and the people who studied them, poeticized them, and tried to be them. Humans have always been fascinated by birds and charmed by their songs. Caged songbirds and human imitations of birdsong date back millennia. In the early 20th century, the fledgling recording industry began to release records featuring birdsongs: both actual recordings of caged birds and humans imitating birds in styles that ranged from straightforward birdcalls to vaudeville-style schlock to virtuoso performances. During the 1910s and 1920s, the art and performance of bird-imitations produced amazing and eccentric celebrities; by 1925, commercial recordings of bird imitators had been released on six continents. Speaker Biography: Ian Nagoski is founder and director of Baltimore's Canary Records. For transcript and more information, visit www.loc.gov/today/cyberlc/feature_wdesc.php?rec=7734

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