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The Youngbloods and Holy Modal Rounders covered songs from this 1964 Folkways LP, the debut by this Pennsylvania-born singer-songwriter (whose unconventional singing and songs made him a hero in '60s... more

You don't need to be a card-carrying member to get swept up by the message and music here. This 1955 Folkways LP collects generations of working-man's anthems: We Shall Not Be Moved; Casey Jones (The... more

Released in 1972, after many of it's artists had risen to international acclaim, Broadside Ballads, Vol. 6 contains previously unreleased songs that appeared in the folk publication Broadside... more

Recorded in 1940, and later reissued by Folkways Recordings in 1950, Guthrie's first album chronicles the American Dust Bowl through his prosaic style of talking blues. Using only guitar and vocals,... more

Banjo player and singer Ola Belle Reed created this album and it's accompanying notes as an autobiography, a document that describes her childhood in the mountains, her experiences, and her opinions... more

Banjo player Dock Boggs once said, "Lonesome songs always appealed to me." This collection features classic dark and lonely songs like "Pretty Polly" and "Oh Death." Meant as a companion album to... more

Named for the folk magazine Broadside, this 1963 LP (later reissued by Smithsonian Folkways) was recorded in Broadside's cramped NY apartment in decidedly intimate fashion. Along with "The Ballad of... 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

Born in Brooklyn in 1936, Dave Van Ronk was Bob Dylan's "first New York guru," writes Dylan's biographer Robert Shelton. "Dave Van Ronk was the musical mayor of MacDougal Street," Shelton continues,... more

After attracting attention with his live sets in NYC (where he often played in a duo with Dylan), Spoelstra signed to Folkways and got the chance to show off his inspired takes on folk classics and... more

Legendary Beat poet Allen Ginsberg explores the fusion of poetry and music in this rare 1970s recording. Called a "venerated bard of resistance" Ginsberg sought "how the raw mind actually works"... more

Malvina Reynolds, the well-known songwriter and activist for social justice and the environment, performs some of her most famous songs in the compilation of studio and live recordings fro mthe 1960s... 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

On this collection, Adelaide Van Wey juxtaposes the Anglo-American ballads of the Smoky Mountains of North Carolina with songs from French Creole Louisiana. As the title track enjoins, "Bring along... more

Sam Eskin, according to the album's original notes in 1951, "has been traveling across the United States for thirty-five years, learning songs from all sorts of people in all sorts of places." This... more

With a voice reminiscent of Joan Baez's, Liz Getz performs a wide range of songs on this album, including songs by Dave Macon, Pete Seeger, Stephen Foster, and others. She ably accompanies herself on... more

Recorded when Getz was twenty years old and working as a secretary at General Electric in Schenectady, New York, this album presents a selection of folk, popular, and original songs, including a... more

Recorded when he was 23, this album features traditional and original songs that deal with love, loss and, most strikingly, the American civil rights movement. McAdoo wrote "I'm Going to Walk and... more

This second volume presents Pete Seeger, Memphis Slim, and Willie Dixon live at the Village Gate, a folk club institution in New York City's scene. The trio sing favorites such as "The Jug of Punch,"... 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

Von Schmidt and Cahn's musical friendship grew out of ill-fated road trips, rebelliousness, and of course, a shared love for the blues. As Cahn writes, "What we had in common was a feeling about... more

Another classic recording from Memphis Slim and Willie Dixon finds the powerhouse blues duo playing a collection of fine songs. Pete Seeger joins the guys for two tracks on the album: "Stew ball" and... more

Greatly influenced by the music of the Carter Family, the Monroe Brothers, Uncle Dave Macon, and others of that era, Harry and Jeanie West are folk musicians who are always ready to incorporate new... more

Cisco Houston's smooth, spirited voice croons songs from the railways, mines, and the open range on this collection of his favorite ballads. In the tradition of composing songs to tell stories,... more

Born in Jefferson County, Kentucky in 1892, John Jacob Niles was one of the most prolific private collectors of Anglo-American folk songs. His work predates Cecil Sharp's by nearly a decade, and this... more