Classic Railroad Songs from Smithsonian Folkways (2006)

"As 19th-century America expanded, so too did the "ribbons of iron" that crisscrossed the vast landscape and sparked the imagination of music-makers. Work songs, ballads recounting riveting exploits, and instrumental echoes of the once familiar sounds of the steam locomotive have enshrined the railroad in our musical memory. Classic Railroad Songs mines the Smithsonian Folkways archives to create this tribute to a favorite American source of inspiration. 36-page booklet. 71 minutes."


Get it here: Classic Railroad Songs & Liner Notes (PDF)

Mississippi Records - I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore (1927-1948)

This record is immigrant music recorded in America that’s barely, if at all, touched or infected by American music. It opens with Marika Papagika’s Greek masterpiece “Zmirneikos Balos” (she was a singer who “died of disappointment” in New York in 1943). It also has a beautiful sad song by the Blue Sky Boys called “Will You Miss Me When I’m Gone” and a bunch of Hawaiian and French recordings.  - VICE Magazine

Listen Here:

 

 Get It Here: Mississippi Records - I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore

Joseph Spence - Happy All the Time (1964)

Get it here: Joseph Spence - Happy All the Time

Joseph Spence - The Complete Folkways Recordings (1958)

"Like many musicians whose playing is uniquely individual, Spence also felt himself as part of a long tradition of Bahaman folk. He was one of the rare musicians whose own abilities are so unusual that they, in turn, reshape the tradition from which they've come. It isn't possible to think of Bahaman music— and finger-picked acoustic guitar music— without thinking of Spence, and at the same time, there is no one like him. There isn't much more a musician can accomplish than this, but Spence, with his friendly laugh and his characteristic shake of his head when he was praised, certainly wouldn't think he'd done even that much." - Sam Charters

Just for the novelty:



Get it here: Joseph Spence - The Complete Folkways Recordings (1958)

Grayson & Whitter - Recordings (1928-30)

An extensive list of some of the most famous American folk tunes. These guys stayed true to the tradition of old-time stomps and ballads. In this set you'll find hits like 'Train 45', 'Tom Dooley', 'Short Life of Trouble', and 'Nobody's Darling'.

Get it Here: Grayson and Whitter - The Recordings