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Folk Music U.S.A.: Vol. 1

Various Artists
Folk Music U.S.A.: Vol. 1

This wide-ranging anthology of American folk music was compiled by noted folklorist Harold Courlander from recordings, many of them field recordings, made in the 1940s and ’50s. Almost all the performers on the collection—who include Cisco Houston, Elizabeth Cotten, and Snooks Eaglin—learned their music from oral tradition. Selections represent a broad spectrum of American folk music, from Puerto Rico to the north coast of Alaska.

Extensive liner notes, written by Charles Edward Smith, delve into the characteristics of American folk music and provide detailed information, with lyrics, for each of the 25 selections.

Track Listing

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101
John Henry Virgil Perkins and Jack Sims 04:10
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102
Grizzly Bear: Negro Prison Camp Worksong n/a 03:31
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103
Blowing the Train Percy Randolph 02:52
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104
Six Thousand Miles from Nowhere Snooks Eaglin 03:06
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105
Dark Was the Night Blind Willie Johnson 03:24
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106
Amasee: Children's Ring Game Song n/a 01:34
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201
Spooky Drums Baby Dodds 02:19
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202
Black Jack Davy Mary Jo Davis 03:09
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203
Drunken Sailor: Dulcimer Medley n/a 01:19
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204
Ellen Smith Pete Steele 01:38
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205
Run, Run Elizabeth Cotten 00:57
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206
Mole in the Ground Bascom Lamar Lunsford 02:49
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207
Rolling River: Country Dance Murph Gribble, John Lusk, and Albert York 02:45
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301
Allons Danser Colinda: Cajun Dance Roy Brulé 01:51
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302
Sourwood Mountain: Square Dance Tune Hobart Smith 01:22
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303
Diamond Joe: Cowboy Song Cisco Houston 02:24
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304
Siete Leguas: Corrido Peter Hurd 02:24
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305
Matachines Dance n/a 01:33
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306
Moonlight Song: Taos Indian Serenade n/a 02:08
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401
War Dance Song n/a 01:28
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402
Esta Navidad: Puerto Rican Christmas Song n/a 03:06
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403
Aguinaldo Cagueño: Puerto Rican Song The Trobador De La Montana and the Puerto Rican Quartet 04:17
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404
Rocky Road: Shape-Note Singing Alabama Sacred Harp Singers 02:43
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405
If We Never Meet Again n/a 00:55
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406
Inviting-In Dance Song Otis Ahkivigak 01:05