Recordings from Amy Winehouse, Celine Dion, Elton John & Others Chosen for National Recording Registry: Complete List

Among the 25 new entries in this year’s National Recording Registry are works by Celine Dion, Elton John, Mary J. Blige, Tracy Chapman, and Amy Winehouse. The selections cover a period of 102 years, starting from a 1913 recording of “Aloha ‘Oe” by the Hawaiian Quintette up to 2015 with the cast album of the Broadway hit Hamilton: An American Musical.

Included in the list are three tracks that reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100: “I Am Woman” by Helen Reddy (1972), which became a theme song for the women’s rights movement; “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” from Freddy Fender (1975); and Dion’s Oscar and Grammy-winning “My Heart Will Go On” from Titanic (1997).

Two albums that reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 also made the list – John’s celebrated double album Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973) and Chapman’s self-titled debut (1988). This year, John and his longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin received the Gershwin Prize for Popular Song, also awarded by the Library of Congress.

The album Tracy Chapman, featuring the iconic hit “Fast Car” (revived by Luke Combs in 2024), was one of three debut albums honored this year. The other two are Don Rickles’ comedy record Hello Dummy! (1968) and Chicago’s acclaimed double album Chicago Transit Authority (1969).

Winehouse’s Back to Black, her sophomore (and sadly final) album, was also recognized. The 2006 record featured the hit “Rehab,” which won Grammys for both record of the year and song of the year.

Two double-disc jazz albums received honors: Miles Davis’ Bitches Brew (1970) and Keith Jarrett’s The Kӧln Concert (1975). On the pioneering album Bitches Brew, Davis and notable musicians like Wayne Shorter and Chick Corea merged jazz with rock influences. Davis now claims a second entry in the Registry, following his 1959 masterpiece Kind of Blue, making him the only artist to receive a second career induction this year.

Inducted for his 1971 classic “Kiss an Angel Good Mornin’,” Charley Pride holds the distinction of being the first Black superstar in country music. Fender’s aforementioned “Before the Next Teardrop Falls” held the top spot on the country chart for two weeks.

Blige’s 1994 album My Life, which dominated Billboard’s Top R&B Albums chart for eight weeks, was also inducted. The deeply personal album features songs reflecting on issues like clinical depression, struggles with substance abuse, and experiences in abusive relationships.

Recognition also went to The Steve Miller Band for their 1976 release Fly Like an Eagle, which produced three top 20 hits, including the No. 1 song “Rock’n Me.”

For their 1952 hit “Happy Trails,” Roy Rogers and Dale Evans were recognized. Rogers is notably the only artist to have been inducted twice into the Country Music Hall of Fame – first in 1980 as a member of the Sons of the Pioneers and again as a solo artist in 1988.

Hamilton (2015) marks the first Broadway cast album selected since Sweeney Todd in 1979.

Joining the Latin recordings in the Registry is Vicente Fernández’s timeless ranchera classic “El Rey” (1973). To view the complete listing, click here.

With the induction of the album by Rickles this year, it marks the second consecutive year that a comedy album has been included. Last year, Lily Tomlin’s This Is a Recording was recognized. You can find a full list of the 14 comedy albums in the Registry.

Two unconventional entries include Microsoft’s Windows reboot chime (1995), created by Brian Eno, and David Rosenfeld’s Minecraft: Volume Alpha (2011). Microsoft sought a brief startup tone for Windows 95, which Eno composed to convey a sense of “welcome, hopefulness and progress.” Minecraft is the second video game soundtrack recognized in the Registry, following Koji Kondo’s theme from Super Mario Bros., inducted in 2023.

The album I’ve Got the Music in Me by Thelma Houston & Pressure Cooker from 1975 is among this year’s surprising inductees. Recognized likely for its unique recording method—live to master disc—Pressure Cooker was made up of top-tier session musicians including Michael Omartian, Larry Carlton, Tom Scott, and Larry Knechtel. The title track previously achieved significant success in 1974 with The Kiki Dee Band. Houston would later top the Hot 100 in 1977 with “Don’t Leave Me This Way.”

Inducted this year is the radio transmission of the decisive Game 7 of the 1960 World Series, where the Pittsburgh Pirates triumphed over the New York Yankees. Additionally, Brother Bones & His Shadows’ 1948 rendition of the 1925 classic “Sweet Georgia Brown” was recognized. This recording became an unexpected hit in 1949 and was later adopted as the theme song for the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team.

Chanticleer’s album Our American Journey (2002) showcases the renowned a cappella choir taking audiences on a diverse musical exploration across America, engaging with its history and various genres.

Other noteworthy additions this year include the Harry Urata Field Recordings (1960-1980) and the Nimrod Workman Collection (1973-1994). Musician and educator Harry Urata, confined to an internment camp post-Pearl Harbor, recorded songs from Japanese-American workers who had been processing sugar cane overlay since the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His work aims to highlight the cultural significance of these songs, featuring 20 tapes recorded throughout Hawaii’s islands across the 1960s to 1980s.

Nimrod Workman, born in Inez, Kentucky, in 1895, was a folk singer, coal miner, and labor activist. He began his mining career in West Virginia at age 14 and continued for 42 years. Post-retirement, he recorded traditional ballads, songs of his creation, and oral histories. Workman received the 1986 National Heritage Fellowship, the highest award in folk arts from the U.S. government, before his death in 1994.

Over 2,600 nominations were submitted by the public this year. Chicago Transit Authority topped the public nominations list. Other selected entries that ranked in the top 10 include “Happy Trails,” Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, and My Life.

According to the National Recording Preservation Act of 2000, the Librarian of
Congress, with input from the National Recording Preservation Board, chooses 25 titles annually that are deemed “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.” Works become eligible for the Registry a decade after their release, compared to the 25 years required for the Grammy Hall of Fame. (This indicates that the Hamilton cast album will not qualify there for another 15 years.)

“These recordings represent the sounds of America—our diverse history and culture,” stated Carla Hayden, Librarian of Congress. “The Library of Congress is both proud and privileged to select these audio treasures for preservation.”

Robbin Ahrold, an industry veteran, heads the National Recording Preservation Board. “This year’s National Recording Registry roster is a commendation of extraordinary American popular music that showcases the extensive repertoire of our nation,” he expressed in a statement.

The induction of these 25 recordings increases the total number of titles in the Registry to 675, which is just a small portion of the Library’s expansive collection of nearly four million recorded sound items.

NPR’s “1A” will highlight selections from this year’s inductees in its series “The Sounds of America,” featuring interviews with Hayden and several of the artists recognized.

Here is the complete chronological list of the 2025 inductees into the National Recording Registry.

• Source: NEWHD MEDIA