Laura C. Boulton

Laura C. Boulton (1899–1980) was an American ethnomusicologist and field recordist who gathered recordings of traditional music across Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and the Americas from the 1930s through the 1950s, often on expeditions organised with the Smithsonian Institution and Columbia University. Her recordings were released on Folkways Records and are held in the Smithsonian archives. Working at a time when ethnomusicological field recording was in its formative stages, she captured material of lasting documentary value. Her archive remains a significant historical resource for scholars of world music.