Donate | NPR Shop | NPR Community | Login | Register
Songwriters, singers, and those whose lives have been changed by music are your guides to the story behind the song.
Public radio's favorite cowboy poet, philosopher and former large-animal veterinarian lost his father at an early age. But Black has a vivid memory of being regaled by a certain song about a young cowboy at bedtime.
()Produced in collaboration with the Western Folklife Center
American folk singer Connie Dover grew up in the Midwest but travels every summer to be a camp cook at dude ranches around Yellowstone National Park. She expresses a longing to be closer to nature in the song "I Am Going To The West."
()
Two dozen boys and girls between the ages of 7 and 11 are halfway through a yearlong tour, in which they'll perform more than 200 shows across the U.S. When they're done, they'll head back to some of the poorest countries in Africa — and a new life. The African Children's Choir aims to rescue poverty-stricken kids by harnessing the power of song.
()
Montana resident Stan Howe discusses his home state's Yellowstone River, what it means as a symbol to residents of the state and his childhood memories of it. His song recalls the river with pride.
()
Singer-songwriter Tom Russell lives in El Paso-Juarez, which sits right on the border between Texas and Mexico. When he heard about the new wall going up between the two countries, he realized that all cheap labor on the border is done by illegal immigrants. So he wrote a song that asks an obvious question.
()
Frank Newsome leads the congregation at the Little David Church in Haysi, Va. One of the songs he sings at services is the hymn "Beulah Land." He says the tone of his voice changes when he can feel the spirit of the Lord and singing becomes easy.
()
Singer Amber Collins got her start singing at church, but she found her calling in bluegrass. As part of our occasional series "What's in a Song," Collins explains what attracted her to the bluegrass classic "Ruby."
()
Montana resident Greg Keeler talks about the longstanding relationship between wild animals and man, and how he came to write his song Coyotes and Cowboys.
()Michael Martin Murphey's "Wildfire" was one of the biggest songs of the '70s, and remains his signature tune. Despite its popularity, Murphey says "Wildfire" remains something of a puzzle to listeners — and to him as well.
()For "What's in a Song," an occasional series from the Western Folklife Center, legendary Louisiana singer Michael Doucet talks about one of his Cajun favorites.
()In our occasional series "What's in a Song," produced by the Western Folklife Center, Alaska fisherman and songwriter John Palmes has Johann Pachelbel's "Canon in D" running through his head along with the noise of his motorboat.
()Songwriter Mike Beck's "Amanda Come Home" is the latest installment in "What's in a Song," the occasional series from the Western Folklife Center.
()Our occasional series, "What's in a Song" continues this week with the story of how Mariachi music is inspiring a group of high school immigrants from the Mexican state of Michoacan.
()For the latest edition in a continuing series about the story behind songs, Stephanie Davis of Reed Point, Mont., sings about the dangers of mid-winter browsing of seed catalogs.
()
"What's In a Song," the continuing series from the Western Folklife Center, takes a look at the origins of one of the hardiest of holiday perennials: "Silver Bells." It made its debut in a 1951 Bob Hope film, The Lemon Drop Kid.
()For this edition of the "What's in a Song" series, country music historian Bill C. Malone shares a childhood memory of how Rex Griffin's "The Last Letter" became a family favorite.
()For the "What's in a Song" series, producer Taki Telonidis explores the history of one of Latin America's most popular folk songs. "La Llorona" describes the legend of a woman who spends all of eternity mourning the death of her children by the banks of the river in which they drowned.
()Many of us can sing along to "Loch Lomond," the old Scottish tune. For the series "What's in a Song," pianist Leslie Howard notes that the lyrics were inspired by a dark chapter in Scottish history.
()
As part of our occasional series from the Western Folklife Center, we present a Father's Day segment: Dave Alvin talks about his song "The Man in the Bed." The series "What's In a Song" is produced by Taki Telonidis and Hal Cannon.
()
In the latest installment of "What's in a Song," our occasional series from the Western Folklife Center about one song and its story, we hear "Songs of the Humpback Chubb."
()
Navajo singer-songwriter Geraldine Barney left the reservation a few years ago to attend music school in Boston. Her trip inspired "Journey," topic of the latest edition of "What's in a Song," an occasional series from the Western Folklife Center. Each part of the series explores one song and its story.
()Rosalie Sorrels was prompted to write a song when she was inspired by a particular flower common throughout Ireland. The tune is part of our occasional series, "What's in a Song" which comes to us from the Western Folklife Center. The series explores different songs and their inspirations.
()
Curly Musgrave's "Escalante Adios" tells of the federal government taking grazing lands away from ranchers in southern Utah to make a new national park. With the help of the Western Folklife Center, we look at the story behind the music, as part of our occasional series, "What's in a Song."
()As part of our occasional series What's in a Song from the Western Folklife Center, folklorist Archie Green presents a ballad called "Factory Girl" — a tune that's endured over generations.
()As part of "What's in a Song," an occasional series from the Western Folklife Center, we hear from Alger Greyeyes. He lives on the Navajo reservation in Arizona, and he offers a reminder of the beauty of food and the meaning of a bounty from the earth.
()
