Songs of Our Native Daughters gathers together kindred musicians Rhiannon Giddens, Amythyst Kiah, Leyla McCalla, and Allison Russell in song and sisterhood to communicate with their forebears.... more

Barbara forged her own path, singing for peace and justice and refusing to recognize music-biz boundaries between folk, jazz and blues. The 40-page booklet and 150 minutes of music here take us... more

A mentor to everyone from Bob Dylan to Suzanne Vega, "The Mayor of MacDougal Street" was a treasured figure in the Greenwich Village scene for four decades. His autobiography and its portrait of the... more

Over 50 years after its original 1952 vinyl release, this is still the best American roots music collection around! Musicologist Harry Smith assembled the anthology from 78 rpm discs issued between... more

Woody recorded for a variety of labels, but the real meat of his repertoire rests in the 300 or so songs he recorded for Mo Asch's Folkways label. And now that classic material is finally coming out... more

Lucinda Williams, whose musical style defies easy categorization, recorded her first album of original songs in 1980, supported by a six-member band. Her songs are a mix of traditional and... more

Elizabeth "Libba" Cotten (1896-1987) wrote her well-known song "Freight Train" at the age of 11 and sang it for nearly 80 years. Through her songwriting, her quietly commanding personality, and her... more

24 more of the historic recordings Woody made for Mo Asch's Folkways label, including such classics as Hard Travelin'; So Long It's Been Good to Know You; Mean Talking Blues; Talking Columbia, and I... more

One of the famed "Singing Ritchies of Kentucky," Jean is a national treasure, one of our best traditional singers. Now a new generation can discover her; this reissue of her landmark Folkways... more

Who could chronicle the history of this great American art form—the train song—better than Smithsonian Folkways? A 36-page booklet rides along with Jay Gould's Daughter Pete Seeger; Wabash Cannonball... more

Two dozen cuts tap the traditions of Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee. These banjo/fiddle workouts, bluegrass gems and ballads include Sugar Baby Dock Boggs; Southbound Doc & Merle Watson;... more

This is the 4th volume in the collection of Woody Guthrie's recordings of the 1940's. Featuring original compositions and traditional songs about Cowboys, Outlaws and other Western themes this is an... more

Concerts, jam sessions, festival workshops…27 unreleased performances by Bill Monroe & the Bluegrass Boys! Rare pix and copious notes join 75 minutes of precious music: "Roanoke," "Kentucky Waltz,"... more

It's more than an instrument—it's a symbol of the American South. Here are 30 prime examples of banjo artistry from more than 300 LPs (44-page booklet, too): "Bright Sunny South" Dock Boggs; "Johnson... more

This award-winning compilation (2011's Independent Music Awards prize for best reissue) collects eleven tracks culled from Ola Belle's two Folkways albums along with eight previously unreleased live... more

The first, and certainly the most prominent of the old timey revival bands! This outstanding collection includes 26 cuts from 12 albums by the original band, which included Mike Seeger, John Cohen... more

Train wrecks, hurricanes, the Titanic, Tom Dooley, Jesse James, Billy the Kid…these are the tales and tragedies sung here. A 40-page booklet joins "Billy the Kid" Woody Guthrie; "Young Charlotte"... more

Are there still previously unknown Woody Guthrie treasures to be found? As it turns out, Smithsonian Folkways had some real pastures of plenty in store for us in the year of Guthrie's centenary. For,... more

22 songs favored by leaders of antiwar, civil rights, industrial labor, farm worker, and other struggles throughout American history. "Jesus Christ" Woody Guthrie, "Blowin' In The Wind," New World... more

Smithsonian Folkways expands on one of their earliest releases with six bonus tracks, natty new packaging and new notes! These 26 historic tracks include Leadbelly's "Cotton Fields," "Rock Island... more

Part two in Folkways' painstaking release of Woody's fabled recordings for the label! Includes 27 songs, mostly folk standards including Wreck of the Old 97; Take a Whiff on Me; Stackolee; Worried... more

Guitarist Norman Blake is one of the great unsung heroes of 20th century folk music. With nine GRAMMY nominations and several dozen albums under his own name and with his wife Nancy Blake, his long... more

He might have set out just to be a folk singer, but Seeger emerged as a beloved rebel, a voice of the people, one that would endure and only rise in stature decade after decade. This new... more