The National Recording Registry announced that Dr. Dre’s legendary debut album, The Chronic, will be archived in the Library of Congress.
Added today to the Library’s National Recording Registry is Dr. Dre’s groundbreaking solo debut hip-hop album “The Chronic” (1992). https://t.co/0LGjqeB8PC #NationalRecordingRegistry pic.twitter.com/BhL78oUc3U
— Library of Congress (@librarycongress) March 25, 2020
The landmark album is being archived due to its “cultural, historical and aesthetic importance to the nation’s recorded sound heritage.”
Released in 1992 on the infamous Death Row Records, The Chronic established Dr. Dre as one of the biggest artists of all-time, selling nearly six million records since its release.
It quickly launched the careers of other West Coast legends like Snoop Dogg, Warren G, Tha Dogg Pound, the Lady of Rage, and many others.
Whitney Houston’s signature cover of the Dolly Parton-penned ballad “I Will Always Love You” are also among an impressive list of inductees.
A hit for author Dolly Parton in 1974, Whitney Houston’s powerful performance of “I Will Always Love You” from the 1992 film “The Bodyguard” joins the Library’s #NationalRecordingRegistry of audio of cultural, historical & aesthetic importance. https://t.co/GC85JRcKUf pic.twitter.com/073NLZZyQJ
— Library of Congress (@librarycongress) March 25, 2020
The Librarian of Congress Carla Hayden today named these and 20 other recordings such as the disco hit “Y.M.C.A.” and Tina Turner’s 1984 album “Private Dancer.”
“The National Recording Registry is the evolving playlist of the American soundscape. It reflects moments in history captured through the voices and sounds of the time. We received over 800 nominations this year for culturally, historically or aesthetically significant recordings to add to the registry. As genres and formats continue to expand, the Library of Congress is committed to working with our many partners to preserve the sounds that have touched our hearts and shaped our culture.”