American folk songs have an evergreen charm that still connects with people today. These songs tell stories about freedom, love, hard work, hope, and everyday American life in a simple but meaningful ...

Some tend to think that musicians need amplified, distorted guitars and driving beats to transform their anger into songs. That’s not the case, though. Songwriters have been turning their righteous ...

When grunge bands made the effortless transition from loud rock to acoustic ballads in the 1990s, it revealed an influence perhaps obscured by layers of distortion and angst. The popularity of MTV ...

Long before the Revolutionary War, numerous traditions of Indigenous music flourished in places later incorporated into the ...

Painted wings and giant's rings make way for other toys . . . Patrick Dupre Quigley admits that he gets "a little misty" whenever he hears those lines from "Puff The Magic Dragon," a song his mother ...

From folk music to abolition and women’s rights, Illinois helped shape American history and culture.

Nashville remains the beating heart of American country music, where tradition and innovation meet. Even as national divisions grow, the city proves that music speaks one language. Rooted in ...

Library of Congress archivist Joe Hickerson has died at 89. For decades, he worked to preserve America's collection of folk music and served as director of the library's American Folklife Center. Joe ...

After years of charming audiences with a cosmic country songbook, the singer releases his first record full of originals for hopeless romantics.