July 4, 2026 marks the 250th birthday of the United States. To celebrate, our sister station - the Colorado Sound - is airing a countdown with a patriotic twist.
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On Independence Day, the Colorado Sound brings you the top 250 recordings from the National Recording Registry, based on listener votes.
Margot Chobanian, Program Director of the Colorado Sound, joined us for a preview.
The following is a transcript with light edits for clarity.
Nikole Robinson Carroll: First off, for anyone who doesn't know, what is the National Recording Registry, and can you give some examples of what's in it?
Margot Chobanian: The National Recording Registry is actually what it sounds like. It is a list of sound recordings that are considered – and this is a quote – “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant, and inform or reflect life in the United States.” Now, that doesn't mean everything needs to be from the United States that's in the National Recording Registry, but it does reflect our experiences as a nation. It was started in the year 2000 when the Librarian of Congress at that time thought we really should catalog these sound recordings. In the National Recording Registry, the sound recordings run the gamut. It’s a wonderful resource of American history. And since we are a radio station, audio is the way to go.
NRC: The Colorado Sound has done several music countdowns over the years. What gave you the idea to expand into other audio?
MC: I was at a radio convention in May, and I was talking to a [Texas-based] fellow program director who said, “Oh, we're gonna count down the top Texas songs.” And I thought, “Well, that's a great idea, but we kind of do that on Colorado Day on August 1 here. So, how can we put a Colorado Sound spin on it?” And then I thought about the National Recording Registry, because I do Music 101, which also airs on KUNC, and I've highlighted the National Recording Registry on a Music 101 episode.
NRC: What time range do these recordings cover?
MC: The earliest audio in the National Recording Registry dates back to 1853. Before recording became what we know it [as] today, the earliest way to record sound was known as a phonautogram, which basically transcribes sound waves traced on blackened paper or glass… and yes, it does sound terrible, but it's very historic.
MC: Did you know the National Recording Registry holds slave narratives? They were recorded in the 1930s, but they are from people who experienced slavery. They are horrible and fascinating looks into our history. There's also radio broadcasts of famous sports events, Neil Armstrong and his very famous "That's one small step for a man, [one giant leap for mankind” broadcast].
MC: There's a lot of great music in there, and it isn't just songs, it's also albums. The most recent recording in the National Recording Registry dates to 2014 and that is Taylor Swift's album 1989, which was put into the National Recording Registry this year. That’s pretty cool.
MC: Also from Broadway, like Over the Rainbow from The Wizard of Oz – Judy Garland singing it, and it's amazing to know that there's also a cover of Over the Rainbow in the National Recording Registry, the one done by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole, and that's the ukulele one.
NRC: What do the nominations and votes tell you about how our Northern Colorado neighbors feel about being American in 2026?
MC: I don't know if I'm qualified to answer how they feel about being American, but I can tell you that when we went on the air and we said, “Hey, we want you to go to the National Recording Registry and give us the recordings you think are the most significant,” they didn't go, “Oh my God, Margot, why are you giving us such a heavy lift?” They went and they explored the registry, and they came back with things that were amazing, like “The Pale Blue Dot” by Carl Sagan, and early jazz recordings, and modern hip hop recordings, and also old radio broadcasts. I don't want to give too much away, but the very famous Day of Infamy broadcast that President Delano Roosevelt gave on December 8, 1941, is in the countdown.
Listen to The Colorado Sound on July 4, 2026, at 105.5 FM or ColoradoSound.org for the Independence Day countdown of the top 250 pieces in the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry.
