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Bury Me Beneath The Willow
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzA68Ohwke4[/youtube]
Tony Rice, Alison Krauss, David Grisman, J.D. Crowe, and Mark Schatz at Rounder Record's 20th Anniversary
The origin of Bury Me Beneath The Willow has yet to be established, though it is thought to be a parlor song from the mid 1800s. There are similar themes, like Stephen Foster’s Under The...
Read More Turn, Turn, Turn
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DejUPN4SksU[/youtube]
Judy Collins and Pete Seeger in the '60s.
Turn Turn Turn was written by American folk artist Pete Seeger in 1959. Inspired by the message of Ecclesiastes 3:1 from the King James version of the Bible, Seeger set King Solomon’s moving words to music adding only the final line; The Byrds...
Read More Angel Band
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n53hYPmFVvU[/youtube]
Emmylou Harris nails Angel Band in concert.
Angel Band started out as a poem titled My Latest Sun Is Sinking Fast written by William Batchelder Bradbury and set to music by Jefferson Hascall as published in Bradbury’s Golden Shower of S.S. Melodies in 1862. The song was widely sung in the...
Read More Are You Tired Of Me, My Darling?
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C_xrghp_G30[/youtube]
Nanci Griffith, Iris DeMint and Emmylou Harris bring down the house.
The Carter Family recorded Are You Tired of Me, My Darling? in 1934 for Victor Records. A.P. Carter is attributed on the album with authorship, but the song was actually written in 1877 (words by P.G. Cook, music by Ralph...
Read More The Blackest Crow
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6jh1vqNvMs[/youtube]
Bruce Molsky and Julie Fowlis sing the old-timey way.
The origin of The Blackest Crow is hard to pin down. It has the air and feel of an Irish ballad but there are no reports of it having been played there until modern times. The tune was widely heard in both...
Read More The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnS9M03F-fA[/youtube]
Joan Baez sings The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down
Written by Canadian musician Robbie Robertson in 1969, The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down first appeared on The Band’s self-titled second album. It’s been recorded by many including Joan Baez, John Denver and The Grateful Dead.
The lyrics speak of the...
Read More Orphan Girl
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wUUTReVLg0g[/youtube]
Gillian Welch and David Rawlings at the Austin City Limits Festival 2008
Gillian Welch is one of America’s most popular contemporary singer/songwriters. Though she mostly performs in the Americana or Bluegrass spotlight, many of her tunes have a particularly Old Time simplicity. Other tunes are bluesy and dark. Welch is tuned...
Read More What A Friend We Have In Jesus
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JaTTm2F57pc[/youtube]
Odetta and Tennessee Ernie Ford perform What A Friend We Have In Jesus
What A Friend We Have In Jesus started out as a poem written by Joseph M. Scriven in 1855 to comfort his dying mother in Ireland. Scriven published the poem anonymously and Charles Crozat Converse set it to...
Read More Hobo’s Meditation
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IFRI4MflwrA[/youtube]
Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt sang from their hit CD Trio on The Tonight Show in 1987.
Hobo’s Meditation is a classic Jimmie Rodgers tune first recorded in September 1932. It was included in the wildly successful Trio album recorded by Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris and Linda Ronstadt in...
Read More You Are My Sunshine
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDNDELFF1ok[/youtube]
The singer in this clip is Jimmy Wakely with the Sunshine Girls
Often considered a traditional folk tune, You Are My Sunshine actually carries a copyright from 1940 (Peer International). Authorship credits go to Jimmie Davis, a country singer-songwriter who would later become governor of Louisiana, and Charles Mitchell, though the...
Read More Softly and Tenderly
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VLNRgVwgnwY[/youtube]
This lovely Gospel standard has been popular with Christians since it was first published in 1880. The song is about growing old and dying, a call to get your spiritual house in order and a reminder that Jesus welcomes all. Softly and Tenderly been recorded by many famous names including...
Read More Coat of Many Colors
Nothing defines Dolly Parton as a FOLKSLINGER quite as well as her song Coat of Many Colors. While its memorable tune can be a little difficult to learn — there's a full step modulation smack in the middle of it — this one is definitely worth the effort to master. People of...
Read More Amazing Grace
Everyone seems to know at least a verse or two of Amazing Grace. It was written in 1772 by Englishman John Newton, a reformed slave trader. It is heard often in connection with the American Civil Rights movement, its lyrics a testimony of freedom. Most contemporary versions leave out the...
Read More Hard Times, Come Again No More
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5OiMfM3txk[/youtube]
Kate McGarrigle and Anna McGarrigle sing "Hard Times Come Again No More" with Sylvan, Lily and Dane Lanken, Martha Wainwright, Rufus Wainwright, and Joel Zifkin.
From "Songs of the Civil War" directed by Jim Brown.
Stephen Foster is one of America’s most well known songwriters. Even though he was from Pittsburgh, he...
Read More I Still Miss Someone
Written by Johnny Cash and his uncle Roy Cash in the mid 50's, I Still Miss Someone has become a standard in bluegrass, country and folk circles. Almost every singer knows the chorus and harmony will abound. It's simple to play and can be performed slow or lively.
RIGHT-CLICK TO DOWNLOAD...
Read More Keep on the Sunny Side
Keep on the Sunny Side is an American Old Time song often heard in Bluegrass circles today. It enjoyed a new popularity when it appeared in the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou? That version was performed by The Whites.
RIGHT-CLICK TO DOWNLOAD LYRICS WITH CHORD CHART in the chord family...
Read More Catch the Wind
Catch the Windis a delightful song written by folkster Donovan at the end of the folk era. It was recorded in multiple genres, a hit song in every way. It does not require any bass notes and can be played with straight strumming.
RIGHT-CLICK TO DOWNLOAD LYRICS WITH CHORD CHART in...
Read More Beautiful Brown Eyes
You'll easily memorize the melody to Beautiful Brown Eyes. The most well-known early recording of this Old Time classic is by The Carter Family, but it's been recorded by scores of Country Music and Folk artists throughout the years.
Use a CAPO to find your perfect SINGING KEY. Try putting your...
Read More Louise
Paul Seibel wrote and recorded Louise in 1970, but it gained national attention through cuts by Linda Ronstadt and Bonnie Raitt. You can blues this one up, sing it real slow or at a clip, any way you sing, it tells a simple, sad story.
Use your capo to locate the...
Read More Paradise
Often referred to as "Muhlenburg County" -- a region in Kentucky devastated by strip mining practices -- Paradise is John Prine's signature song from his 1971 debut album. A well-rounded Folkslinger should make it a point to learn several of his tunes. Most all other musicians know this tune and like...
Read More Leaning On The Everlasting Arms
Leaning On The Everlasting Arms is another Gospel singalong that will bring out the harmony singers in the crowd. This old standard has been around forever and while the feel of the tune shifts from performer to performer, the lyrics don't change much.
RIGHT-CLICK THIS LINK TO DOWNLOAD LYRIC SHEET .PDF WITH...
Read More Old Paint
Old Paint is an American folksong from the Old West. Linda Ronstadt gave us girls a sweet and brief arrangement; it only requires two chords so this is easy to pull off. It's also a great harmony number with a sister singer.
The song has been recorded by many and there...
Read More Don’t This Road Look Rough and Rocky
Don't This Road Look Rough and Rocky is an American Old Time song often heard in Bluegrass circles today. It has been recorded often in contemporary music history and is always welcome in a jam. Be mindful to hold tightly to the melody if there happens to be a lot...
Read More Precious Memories
Precious Memories is a favorite American Gospel song often used in quartets and other harmony groups. You'll hear it in bluegrass, country and folk circles, and of course, you can sing it at your church picnic.
RIGHT-CLICK TO DOWNLOAD LYRICS WITH CHORD CHART in the chord family of A
Emmylou Harristwisted up...
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