american favorite ballads

american favorite ballads
Pete Seeger began singing, playing the banjo, and collecting folk music in the mid-1930s
and has continued doing so into the 21st century. His life encompasses the social upheavals
and transformations of much of the 20th century, while his peace anthems and songs of
struggle and hope thread through our national soundtrack. They are as often sung by
schoolchildren as by activists at peace and environmental rallies. Even in his late eighties,
he inspires people across generations, cultures, and nations.
Moses Asch founded Folkways Records in 1948 to document folk music and other sounds
from around the world. Considering these to be educational as well as entertaining, yet
aware of their limited commercial appeal, he directed his sales towards libraries and
schools. Pete Seeger’s five-volume series American Favorite Ballads (recorded 1957–1962),
comprised of classic songs from the American experience that adults and children could
sing together, formed a cornerstone for Asch’s primary audience. Pete Seeger recorded 38
albums for Folkways between 1950 and 1964.
The Smithsonian Institution acquired Folkways from the Asch estate in 1987; Asch’s
emphasis on the educational nature of Folkways recordings comported perfectly with the
Institution’s mandate, the “increase and diffusion of knowledge.” The year 2008 marks
the 60th anniversary of Folkways and the 20th anniversary of Smithsonian Folkways
Recordings. We are pleased to honor Pete Seeger’s life and legacy through this reissue,
and continue our commitment to preserve and expand Asch’s “encyclopedia of sound,” thus
keeping it available for current and future generations of listeners.