Blacklisted actor and tireless social activist Will Geer toured government work camps with Guthrie and Burl Ives long before Geer and Guthrie released this 1956 LP. They tell it like it is the songs... more

Hermes Nye's "sneaking fondness for the English things from Percy and Child" takes center stage on this collection of ballads. The singer's commentaries enliven the notes: For example, Nye writes,... more

Dubbed a "trio of insidious crusaders for 'old-timey' music" by Sing Out!'s Pete Welding, The New Lost City Ramblers helped bring old-time music to wider audiences through their performances as a... more

Versatile guitarist Rolf Cahn collected his music in Europe, the Caribbean, and Mexico, as well as in American folk music circles. This album portrays his passion for both flamenco and the blues, and... more

Joined on this recording by fiddler Tracy Schwarz, this album explores new musical territory "at least ten years in either direction," including unaccompanied ballad singing and bluegrass. Of... more

This selection of exciting tunes comes from old recordings and live musicians, and includes favorites "Bill Cheatham," "John Brown's Dream," and "Jenny on the Railroad." Extensive notes on... more

Malvina Reynolds writes, "Story telling and making rhymes have always been the thing with me.... Some years ago I got a guitar and was up to my neck in the folk songs rediscovered by the great... more

This album is Peter La Farge's tribute to women-the ones he's loved from afar and the ones he's loved from a-near, the ones who broke his heart and the ones who helped him fix it.

Horace Sprott, born around 1890, performs on Volumes 2, 3, and 4 of this series. Frederic Ramsey, Jr. writes, "There were many men like Sprott...[who] passed from one hard time to another, never... more

Inspired by the urban folk song revival in late-1940's Los Angeles, Guy Carawan began listening to field recordings of folk songs in the Library of Congress. With his developing interest in world... more

In the introductory notes to this album, ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax (1915-2002) explains that urban folk revival singers of the 1950s might have learned large song repertoires and fine instrumental... more

Dubbed a "trio of insidious crusaders for 'old-timey' music" by Sing Out!'s Pete Welding, The New Lost City Ramblers helped bring old-time music to wider audiences through their performances as a... more

Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard's first two albums for Folkways on one CD! These 1965 and 1973 releases broke through the bluegrass gender barrier with their harmonies, knowledgeable repertoire and... more

Dallas performer Bob Kirkpatrick plays classic blues on this 1973 Folkways album. Kirkpatrick began making a name for himself after a performance at the Newport Jazz Festival in 1971. He regularly... more

The Ramblers amble back to the days of the Great Depression and unearth these sorrowful songs: No Depression in Heaven; Breadline Blues; White House Blues; How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and... more

During Charlie Brown's (aka Charles Artman) travels he befriended mountain climbers in the Tetons of Wyoming. The Teton Tea Parties were initially led by Billy Briggs in the Jackson Hole area (later... more

Stretching across western New York State from Lake Erie to the Hudson River, the picturesque Catskills Mountains have a rich folk song tradition. Barbara Moncure, although an Ohio native, spent many... more

Loman D. Cansler returns to his roots and performs songs from his home state of Missouri most of which he learned as a child. He says: "all of these songs were passed down by word of mouth. They came... more

Sung by labor educator Joe Glazer, this album features songs by union organizer Joe Hill. Although these songs are rooted in their time, their messages are still relevant today, and this collection... more

Singer, activist, and founder of Paredon Records (now also under the stewardship of Smithsonian Folkways), Barbara Dane was born in 1929 and was still going strong last time we spoke with her. This... more

Calling all shingle-lifters and flat-footers! This collection of music is perfect for dancers of all levels. The Schwarz fiddle band plays tunes based on traditional mountain songs such as... more

The performers on this 1974 homegrown classic are two blind vocalists in their 20s and several teenage "groove masters" from Indiantown, Florida. Directed by Mr. Sandy Montgomery and known as The... more