Skip to main content

Anthology of American Folk Music®

Various Artists
Anthology of American Folk Music®

The Anthology of American Folk Music, edited by Harry Smith (1923–1991), is one of the most influential releases in the history of recorded sound. Originally issued by Folkways Records in 1952, the Anthology brought virtually unknown parts of America's musical landscape recorded in the late 1920s and early 1930s to the public's attention. For more than half a century, the collection has profoundly influenced fans, ethnomusicologists, music historians, and cultural critics; it has inspired generations of popular musicians, including Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Jerry Garcia, and countless others. Many of the songs included in the Anthology have now become classics, as has Harry Smith’s unique "scientific/aesthetic handbook" of song notes and drawings. Reissued by Smithsonian Folkways Recordings in 1997, this deluxe 6-CD collector's boxed set contains a 96-page book featuring Harry Smith's original liner notes and essays by Greil Marcus and other noted writers, musicians, and scholars.

“[The] Anthology was our bible…. We all knew every word of every song on it, including the ones we hated. They say that in the 19th-century British Parliament, when a member would begin to quote a classical author in Latin the entire House would rise in a body and finish the quote along with him. It was like that.” – Dave Van Ronk

“Had he never done anything with his life but this Anthology, Harry Smith would still have borne the mark of genius across his forehead. I'd match the Anthology up against any other single compendium of important information ever assembled. Dead Sea Scrolls? Nah. I'll take the Anthology.” – John Fahey

“First hearing the Harry Smith Anthology of American FoIk Music is like discovering the secret script of so many familiar musical dramas. Many of these actually turn out to be cousins two or three times removed, some of whom were probably created in ignorance of these original riches. It also occurred to me that as we are listening at a greater distance in time to a man or woman singing of their fairly recent past of the 1880s, we are fortunate that someone collected these performances of such wildness, straightforward beauty, and humanity." – Elvis Costello

Track Listing

icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
101
Henry Lee Dick Justice 03:28  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
102
Fatal Flower Garden Nelstone's Hawaiians 02:58  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
103
The House Carpenter Clarence Ashley 03:16  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
104
Drunkard's Special Coley Jones 03:16  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
105
Old Lady and the Devil Bill and Belle Reed 03:05  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
106
The Butcher's Boy Buell Kazee 03:05  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
107
The Wagoner's Lad Buell Kazee 03:05  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
108
King Kong Kitchie Kitchie Ki-me-o Chubby Parker 03:09  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
109
Old Shoes and Leggins Uncle Eck Dunford 03:01  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
110
Willie Moore Richard Burnett and Leonard Rutherford 03:16  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
111
A Lazy Farmer Boy Buster Carter and Preston Young 03:00  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
112
Peg and Awl The Carolina Tar Heels 02:59  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
113
Ommie Wise G. B. Grayson 03:12  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
114
My Name Is John Johanna Kelly Harrell 03:13  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
201
Bandit Cole Younger Edward L. Crain 02:57  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
202
Charles Giteau Kelly Harrell 03:05  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
203
John Hardy Was a Desperate Little Man The Carter Family 02:57  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
204
Gonna Die With My Hammer in My Hand The Williamson Brothers and Curry 03:26  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
205
Stackalee Frank Hutchison 03:01  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
206
White House Blues Charlie Poole and the North Carolina Ramblers 03:31  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
207
Frankie Mississippi John Hurt 03:28  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
208
When that Great Ship Went Down William and Versey Smith 02:58  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
209
Engine 143 The Carter Family 03:19  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
210
Kassie Jones, Pt. 1 and 2 Furry Lewis 06:16  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
211
Down on Penny's Farm The Bently Boys 02:50  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
212
Mississippi Boweavil (Boll Weevil) Blues The Masked Marvel 03:09  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
213
Got the Farm Land Blues The Carolina Tar Heels 03:17  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
301
Sail Away Lady Uncle Bunt Stephens 02:58  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
302
The Wild Wagoner Jilson Setters 03:17  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
303
Wake up Jacob Prince Albert Hunt's Texas Ramblers 02:55  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
304
La Danseuse Delma Lachney and Blind Uncle Gaspard 02:56  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
305
Georgia Stomp Andrew and Jim Baxter 02:47  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
306
Brilliancy Medley Eck Robertson and Family 03:01  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
307
Indian War Whoop Hoyt Ming and the Pep Steppers 03:13  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
308
Old Country Stomp Henry Thomas 02:55  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
309
Old Dog Blue Jim Jackson 03:04  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
310
Saut Crapaud Columbus Fruge 02:49  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
311
Acadian One-Step Joseph Falcon 03:00  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
312
Home Sweet Home The Breaux Freres 03:00  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
313
The Newport Blues The Cincinnati Jug Band 02:58  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
314
Moonshiner's Dance, Pt. 1 Frank Cloutier and the Victoria Cafe Orchestra 02:40  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
401
Must Be Born Again Rev. J. M. Gates 01:31  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
402
Oh Death Where Is Thy Sting Rev. J. M. Gates 01:29  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
403
Rocky Road Alabama Sacred Harp Singers 02:45  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
404
Present Joys Alabama Sacred Harp Singers 02:53  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
405
This Song of Love Middle Georgia Singing Convention No. 1 02:58  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
406
Judgement Rev. Sister Mary Nelson 02:25  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
407
He Got Better Things For You Memphis Sanctified Singers 02:54  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
408
Since I Laid My Burden Down The Elders McIntorsh and Edwards' Sanctified Singers 03:19  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
409
John the Baptist Rev. Moses Mason 03:05  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
410
Dry Bones Bascom Lamar Lunsford 03:00  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
411
John the Revelator Blind Willie Johnson 03:21  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
412
Little Moses The Carter Family 03:14  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
413
Shine on Me Ernest Phipps and His Holiness Singers 03:03  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
414
Fifty Miles of Elbow Room Rev. F. M. McGee 02:43  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
415
I’m in the Battlefield for My Lord Rev. D. C. Rice and His Sanctified Congregation 03:20  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
501
The Coo Coo Bird Clarence Ashley 02:56  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
502
East Virginia Buell Kazee 03:01  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
503
Minglewood Blues Cannon's Jug Stompers with Noah Lewis 03:44  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
504
I Woke up One Morning in May Didier Hébert 03:04  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
505
James Alley Blues Richard "Rabbit" Brown 03:07  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
506
Sugar Baby Dock Boggs 02:58  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
507
I Wish I Was a Mole in the Ground Bascom Lamar Lunsford 03:21  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
508
The Mountaineer's Courtship Ernest and Hattie Stoneman 02:44  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
509
The Spanish Merchant's Daughter The Stoneman Family 03:18  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
510
Bob Lee Junior Blues The Memphis Jug Band 03:11  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
511
Single Girl, Married Girl The Carter Family 02:47  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
512
Le Vieux Soulard et Sa Femme Cleoma Breaux and Joseph Falcon 03:10  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
513
Rabbit Foot Blues Blind Lemon Jefferson 02:57  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
514
Expressman Blues Sleepy John Estes and Yank Rachell 03:02  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
601
Poor Boy Blues Ramblin' Thomas 02:24  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
602
Feather Bed Cannon's Jug Stompers 03:16  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
603
Country Blues Dock Boggs 02:59  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
604
99 Year Blues Julius Daniels 03:07  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
605
Prison Cell Blues Blind Lemon Jefferson 02:47  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
606
See That My Grave Is Kept Clean Blind Lemon Jefferson 02:55  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
607
C'est Si Triste Sans Lui Cleoma Breaux and Joseph Falcon 03:01  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
608
Way Down the Old Plank Road Uncle Dave Macon 03:01  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
609
Buddy Won't You Roll Down the Line Uncle Dave Macon 03:15  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
610
Spike Driver Blues Mississippi John Hurt 03:17  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
611
K.C. Moan The Memphis Jug Band 02:33  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
612
Train on the Island J. P. Nestor 03:00  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
613
The Lone Star Trail Ken Maynard 03:15  
icon-circle-play svg-new-pause-button
614
Fishing Blues Henry Thomas 02:45