 So, contrary to earlier assumptions, Lomax figured out the folk music of the Midwest was just as rich and diverse as other regions of the country. In fact, there was enough music in the area to consume a folklorist for years. In all, he recorded about a thousand songs, and he urged the Library of Congress music director to send him back the following summer, writing, quote, In many ways, it is the most interesting country I have ever traveled in. But soon, World War II broke out, and his attention was diverted.