A compelling account of contemporary Sacred Harp singing, "Traveling Home" describes how this vibrant musical tradition brings together Americans of widely divergent religious and political beliefs. Named after the most popular of the nineteenth-century shape-note tunebooks--which employed an innovative notation system to teach singers to read music--Sacred Harp singing has been part of rural Southern life for more than 150 years.In the wake of the folk revival of the 1950s and '60s, this participatory musical tradition attracted new singers from all over America. All-day "singings" from...

In the summer of 1972, a group of young people in Bloomington, Indiana, began a weekly gathering with the purpose of reviving traditional American old-time music and dance. In time, the group became a kind of accidental utopia, a community bound by celebration and deliberately void of structure and authority. In this joyful and engaging book, John Bealle tells the lively history of the Bloomington Old-Time Music and Dance Group--how it was formed, how it evolved its unique culture, and how it grew to shape and influence new waves of traditional music and dance. Broader questions about the...

Woody Guthrie was born in Oklahoma and traveled this whole country over--not by jet or motorcycle, but by boxcar, thumb, and foot. During the journey of discovery that was his life, he composed and sang words and music that have become a national heritage. His songs, however, are but part of his legacy. Behind him Woody Guthrie left a remarkable autobiography that vividly brings to life both his vibrant personality and a vision...

Of all the events in American history, perhaps none was reflected in song with such innocent vigor as the Civil War. This volume of 37 popular songs of the period gives a fully rounded picture of sentiments on the battle line and on the home front, both North and South.
The five important categories are all covered: Patriotic Songs ("Battle Hymn of the Republic," "Dixie," "The Southrons' Chaunt of Defiance"), The Soldiering Life ("Just Before the Battle, Mother," "Tramp Tramp Tramp ," "O I'm a Good Old Rebel"), Battlefield Deaths ("The Drummer Boy of Shiloh," "The Dying Volunteer"),...

From joyous gospel to deeply felt blues, this wonderful collection contains vintage songs sung and played through the years by black Americans -- at work, in church, and for pure entertainment. Included are spirituals, blues, work songs, and a variety of social and dance songs.
This important volume was originally compiled in 1940 by Dr. John W. Work, the noted musicologist affiliated with Fisk University and the celebrated Fisk Jubilee Singers. In it, he discusses the origins and history of black American folk music, the influence of slavery and African cultures, and the lyric...