Robert Lester Folsom

Robert Lester Folsom released his first studio album, Music and Dreams, in 1976. Although it received some local attention upon its initial release, the record was circulated via private pressings and Folsom was unable to complete a follow-up. It wasn’t until 2010, when the album was reissued by Anthology Recordings, that Folsom’s music reached far beyond the realm of crate diggers and collectors who had long ago assigned Music and Dreams a left-field legend status. Born and raised in Adel, Georgia, the young Folsom exhibited a precocious affinity for music early on. Using a Sears 3440 two-track reel-to-reel tape recorder, Folsom served as the de facto producer and arranger for any and all scrappy garage bands or aspiring singer-songwriters in the radius of Adel. This period also produced the bounty of Folsom’s self-penned compositions that make up the three archival collections of his music released by Anthology, Ode to a Rainy Day, Sunshine Only Sometimes, and the latest chapter, If You Wanna Laugh, You Gotta Cry Sometimes. If You Wanna Laugh, You Gotta Cry Sometimes out March 20 2026 adds its own weight and weft to the rich tapestry of Folsom’s earliest experiments, featuring scuffed-shoe folk love ballads, slacker anthems, slow burning crooners, and a handful of bluegrass instrumentals, all of which are set alight by Folsom’s characteristic downhome warmth, wit, and charisma.