CCMusic.com

From parties to protests to prayer, music is a powerful catalyst for celebration, for change, and for a sense of community. Through making music together, we become bigger than ourselves. Whether... 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

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

Here are 27 unforgettable songs that demanded a fair shake: 1913 Massacre Woody Guthrie; Joe Hill Paul Robeson; Casey Jones Pete Seeger; Talking Union Almanac Singers; Black Lung Hazel Dickens; Too... more

Some of these 32 folk songs seem as old as the sea, and all originate from those who were drawn to the pull of the ocean: Haul Away Joe Leadbelly; The Dreadnaught Tom Sullivan; Homeward Bound Stuart... more

The first bluegrass LP ever released, expanded by 16 tracks—43 in all! This banjo classic includes Pig in a Pen; Train 45; Shortening Bread; Chicken Reel; Cripple Creek; Cumberland Gap; Careless... 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

These largely unheard recordings were made in '62 in Greenwich Village. Doc's father-in-law, fiddler Gaither Carlton, rarely played outside North Carolina; you can hear the remarkable chemistry and... more

DESCRIPTION::On What Will We Do, Lula Wiles channel infectious energy and bold insight into music that strikes with purpose. The band fosters contradiction, embracing the spirit of traditional... more

This Boston folk trio have made waves in the Americana scene, and are set to expand their acclaim with this new album on Smithsonian Folkways. Even as they sing love songs and tunes that sound like... 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

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

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

The music is traditional, their voices are utterly distinctive—this is Bill Monroe and Doc Watson, and these are 17 unreleased duets: Foggy Mountain Top; Kentucky Mandolin; Soldier's Joy; Chicken... more

This one is as influential as it is essential. Woody is accompanied here by Lead Belly, Cisco Houston, Sonny Terry and others. "Hard Travelin'," "Oregon Trail," "The House of the Rising Sun," "John... more

There's nothing like a healthy does of bluegrass music, much like the 23 songs on this terrific compilation. With the Pike County Boys, Smiley Hobbs and a whole host of other talent, you'll hear some... more

"Broadside" was an early-'60s magazine devoted to publishing topical songs, and who else but Phil Ochs would be its #1 contributor? These tapes were recorded privately for "Broadside" to transcribe... more

It was a revival of the folk revival when Pete Seeger lit up the Sanders Theater in Cambridge, Massachusetts with this inspiring live performance—clocking in at almost two hours! The beloved folk... more

Before this Greenwich Village folk doyen recorded for Prestige, he made a splash with his Smithsonian Folkways LPs. He came to be revered for these kinds of new spins on old blues and jazz classics:... 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