SingAnAmericanStory

Sing an American Story explores American folksongs and the stories they portray about historical events from a 'common folk' perspective. Each of the songs we present originated with someone, somewhere, as a personal response to their world. We think of folksongs as the original social media long before radio, television, and the internet - only better.

What is a folksong?

Simply, it is a song that has emerged organically from a person or group of people to comment on events affecting their lives. They are passed along from one singer to another or from one generation to the next. Often the song evolves as events and perspectives change so that more than one version of the song exists. Geographic, political, economic and real life contexts can shape perspectives.