Music - Genres & Styles - Folk & Traditional

"Randy Newman is our great master of American song and storytelling."--Bruce Springsteen "At last, the biography that Randy Newman has long deserved. The emotional precision, the humor and sweep, the truths and secrets behind his remarkable body of work . . . it's all...

Searching, propulsive, and deeply spiritual, Accordion Eulogies is an odyssey to repair a severed family lineage, told through the surprising history of a musical instrument Growing up in Yakima, Washington, Noé Álvarez never knew his grandfather. Stories swirled around this mythologized, larger-than-life figure: That...

Ruth Crawford Seeger (1901-1953), distinguished musician, noted music educator and authority on folk music has assembled a collection of songs from the old-time Christmas, before Santa Claus came to America and neatly trimmed fir trees bloomed with tinsel. These are the folk songs, the...

This most comprehensive, up-to-date work examination of the music of Bob Dylan ever published, included the stories behind the writing and recording of every song, every album, and every single ever released during his 60-year career. Bob Dylan: All the Songs focuses on Dylan's...

First published in 1943, this autobiography is also a superb portrait of America's Depression years, by the folk singer, activist, and man who saw it all. Woody Guthrie was born in Oklahoma and traveled this whole country over--not by jet or motorcycle, but by...

GET INTO THE HOLIDAY SPIRIT WITH '60 BEST CHRISTMAS SHEET MUSIC FOR PIANO'!This holiday season, bring the joy of Christmas into your home with this spectacular piano book that features 60 of the best-loved Christmas songs of all time. From traditional carols to modern...

Alice Gerrard, an award-winning and storied folk and bluegrass musician for over 50 years, is one of the notable few women in a heavily male genre. Custom Made Woman tells Gerrard's story through the music, the folk festivals, the kids, and the relationships--both personal...

The definitive story of the making and legacy of Graceland, Paul Simon's still-beloved, career-topping 1986 album, drawn from extensive research and exclusive interviews with nearly 100 participants and witnesses: musicians, producers, engineers, record executives and journalists from Africa, the US, and Europe. In 1984,...

Arthel "Doc" Watson (1923-2012) is arguably one of the most influential musicians Appalachia has ever produced. A musician's musician, Doc grew up on a subsistence farm in the North Carolina mountains during the Depression, soaking up traditional music and learning to play guitar even...

THE INSPIRATION FOR THE MAJOR MOTION PICTURE A COMPLETE UNKNOWN, nominated for 8 Oscars, including Best Picture Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Actor for Timothee Chalamet. On the evening of July 25, 1965, Bob Dylan took the stage at Newport Folk Festival, backed by...

Acclaimed cultural critic Greil Marcus tells the story of Bob Dylan through the lens of seven penetrating songs "The most interesting writer on Dylan over the years has been the cultural critic Greil Marcus. . . . No one alive knows the music that...

An effective and inspiring guide to songwriting by prolific, iconic singer-songwriter Dar Williams.How to Write a Song That Matters is an invaluable guide to writing music by a woman who knows how to do it and do it well: iconic singer-songwriter, Dar Williams. For...

There are storytellers, there are performers, and there are stand-up comedians. And then there's Todd Snider, who was all three in one, and something else entirely. Todd Snider was one of the most beloved country-folk singers in the United States, often compared to Bob...

The New York Times-bestselling, definitive biography of legendary artist Leonard Cohen, now with new afterword by the author "There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in." -- Leonard CohenThe genius behind such classic songs as Suzanne, Bird on a Wire,...

A RADICAL LABOR CLASSIC Undoubtedly the most popular book in American labor history, the I.W.W.'s Little Red Song Book has been a staple item on picket lines and at other workers' gatherings for generations, and has gone through numerous editions. As a result of...

Folk musician, Broadway composer, and disability advocate Gaelynn Lea's warm, funny, poignant memoir is a love letter to every kind of body, to music, and to making it work--inviting us to embrace all of life's experiences with heart and determination Gaelynn Lea was born...

With a new foreword by Will Johnson, this book presents a detailed account of the Rust Belt-born prolific and at times cantankerous singer-songwriter Jason Molina. As the first authorized account of this self-mythologizer, the book provides unparalleled insight into Molina's tormented life and the...

"Leonard Cohen is a literary masterpiece -- the seminal, comprehensive biography of a multitalented man who wrote more than his share of literary masterpieces himself." -- Foreword, Starred Review "With plenty of photographs, including of Cohen at his dapper best, this is a book...

In this unique, illustrated collection, Literary Witches co-creator Katy Horan unearths the true and fictional stories behind twenty traditional murder ballads, exploring the beauty and horror of the art form through stories, lyrics, and original illustrations. Murder Ballads is a guide to the origins...

Experience the definitive biography of one of the greatest singer-songwriters of the twentieth century with this eye-opening book featuring a foreword by Gabrielle Drake and over 75 photos, many rare or previously unseen. In 1968, Nick Drake had everything to live for. The product...