Hard Hitting Songs for Hard-Hit People (University of Nebraska Press)

Twenty-seven years in the making (1940a"67) this tapestry of nearly two hundred American popular and protest songs was created aby three giants of performance and musical research: Alan Lomax indefatigable collector and preserver; Woody Guthrie performer and prolific balladeer; and Pete Seeger entertainer and educator who has introduced three generations of Americans to their musical heritage.In his afterword Pete Seeger recounts the long history of collecting and publishing this anthology of Depression-era union-hopeful and New Deal melodies.

With characteristic modesty he tells us whata's missing and whata's wrong with the collection. But more important he tells us whata's right and why it still matters noting songs that have become famous the world over: ai??Union Maidai?? ai??Which Side Are You On?ai?? ai??Worried Man Bluesai?? ai??Midnight Specialai?? and ai??Tom Joad.ai??ai??Now at the turn of the century the millennium whata's the future of these songs?ai?? he asks.

ai??Music is one of the things that will save us. Future songwriters can learn from the honesty the courage the simplicity and the frankness of these hard-hitting songs. And not just songwriters.We can all learn.ai?? In addition to 123 photographs and 195 songs this edition features an introductory note aby Nora Guthrie the daughter of Woody Guthrie and overseer of the Woody Guthrie Foundation.