These 25 songs cover an amazing hundred years of American history and reflect the struggles, loves, laughs, tragedies, trials and, on occasion, prejudices of a huge number of Americans. Over the years, these tunes have been the inspiration behind much of the contemporary popular music in advertising, film, folk song, blues, jazz and rock. The guitar was a popular instrument in the nineteenth century and was played across America with many forms of popular music. Its comparative rugged simplicity meant it could be carried on a mule, a horse or a wagon, accompanying prospectors, cowboys,...