In 2010 the musician and archivist Nathan Salsburg stumbled upon what may be his biggest find yet: piles and piles of rare, early 20th century 78 records left in a dumpster. Those recordings been collected into a 42-song set, Work Hard, Play Hard, Pray Hard: Hard Time, Good Time & End Time Music, 1923-1936.

Salsburg, curator at the Alan Lomax Archive, describes how he came upon the treasure trove -- and what he learned about its mysterious collector.

Plus, he explains what this rare collection tells us about Depression and Prohibition-era music and culture and shares a few tracks, including a strange gem he calls "one of the first psychedelic freak-outs ever put to record."