Songs that reference US Historical Events or American Folklore

[ClifSpliffy]

more American folklore, i guess, but iffn you ever saw my older brother at breakfast, well, im not so sure...

 

[ClifSpliffy]

'the news was so bad, that i fell out of bed...' lol. hey clark! get changed already!

 

[Ozimoto]

Love Canal anyone?

 

[ClifSpliffy]

 

[Carnac]

And on a lighter note....

Damn Ozimoto, you beat me to it. This is the song I immediately thought of and was going to post. I remember hearing this song on the radio.

I also remember seeing news reports on TV about Johnny Horton being killed in an automobile accident in Milano Texas in 1960 at the tender age of 35.

 

[Zorro]

Another ear-eye-eee song from The Weavers.

 

[Bama fan]

folklore? idk, i never lived in chitown. either way, i don't want to meet him. let's hear ol' jamal's take.

Croce had a way with story telling in his songs. Living in Alabama, I often heard "Don't Mess Around With Jim" as it told the tale of a South Alabama country boy who bested the eponymous Big Jim Walker. And it had the fantastic line about driving an old "Drop top" Cadillac. But the actual toughest guy I ever heard of, and had the pleasure of knowing through my uncle and other Pittsburgh, Pa pugilist types, was a man named Joey Diven. Joey was a legend in Pittsburgh and was called The White Knight of Oakland in his heyday in the 40s, 50s, and early 60s. He was best friends with Billy Conn, and Greenfield Jimmy Smith, and Joe Louis and most often was just called "The Bear". He was 6'5" and weighed almost 300 pounds and back then that was ridiculous. Sports Illustrated named him the world's best street fighter, and the toughest man ever. He served as the bouncer periodically at the Ancient Order of Hibernians in Oakland, and threw more than his share of tough guys down the two flights of steps it took to get to the club. He once was approached by a group of the University of Pittsburgh football players in an Oakland bar, and he put most of them in the hospital. But he was a big hearted guy who visited kids in Children's hospital often accompanied by Billy Conn. On one such visit the old Green Bay Packers were in town, and Joey asked their toughest guy, Ray Nitschke to come along. Ray later sent a warm note to the parents of a little boy they met that day who died a few weeks later. Art Rooney of the Steelers had Joey accompany him around back when the neighborhood was rough. Joey raised his kids and a few others from the neighborhood. Everyone was afraid of Joey, unless they knew him. My uncle, who boxed against Billy Conn as Billy was rising to fame, said that Joey was the only man he ever met that he would not get in a fight with ever. I guess every town has their legends, but Joey was the real deal. He was stricken with diabetes and lost his leg in 70s I believe, but lived until 1997.

 

[Zorro]

 

[Carnac]

The Star Spangled Banner As You've Never Heard It

 

[RockyMTblue2]

 

[Bama fan]

Here is a clip of some old gandy dancer chants.

Railroad Songs and Gandy Dancers

Railroad songs were a genre created by laborers for the railroads in America. The origin of the genre is disputed and rather mysterious. We can all recall “I’ve been Working on the Rail…

pages.stolaf.edu

 

[Bama fan]

Irish railroad workers tune.

 

[Bama fan]

Another tale of old John Henry,the steel drivin' man

 

[Bama fan]

Pete Seeger's tale of the Homestead Massacre

 

[Bama fan]

Midnight Special by Harry Belafonte. BTW, the harmonica is played by a young Bob Dylan in his first recorded musical performance.

 

[Bama fan]

Disney's version of Ichabod Crane's very bad night

 

[Bama fan]

New Christy Minstrels tune about "mill hunkies" and tossing rails

 

[Ozimoto]

A synopsis of the birth of rock and roll by Carl Perkins.

 

[BoukofJames]

 

[RockyMTblue2]

 

[RockyMTblue2]

 

[Bama fan]

Damn Ozimoto, you beat me to it. This is the song I immediately thought of and was going to post. I remember hearing this song on the radio.

I also remember seeing news reports on TV about Johnny Horton being killed in an automobile accident in Milano Texas in 1960 at the tender age of 35.

Odd that Horton should show up in a basketball forum. He was apparently a very good hoopster with scholarship offers in his day. Further strangeness abounds, as Horton married Hank Williams wife after Hank died in his car. Then he played the same club in Austin that Hank played before he died. Horton apparently thought he was psychic and predicted he would die in a crash with a drunk driver. And then he did.

 

[EdSaid]

 

[Plebe]

This is a good bit of folklore, albeit heartbreaking, about the Lost Children of the Alleghenies — two young brothers who in 1856 wandered off from their cabin home in rural Pennsylvania.

Lost Children of the Alleghenies - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

The great Alison Krauss interpreted a haunting tribute titled "Jacob's Dream", written by John Pennell and Julie Lee:

 

[MilfordHusky]

"This Land Is Your Land" is one of the United States' most famous folk songs. Its lyrics were written by American folk singer Woody Guthrie

I've seen the handwritten lyrics. Tom Paxton received them as a gift and displayed them in his home.