American Ballad Song 1/ Var - American Ballad Song 1 / Various

Developed as a teaching guide for junior high school social studies classes, this compilation features 57 songs, mainly about American history and culture. They are organized thematically, with topics including Colonial America, the Civil War, and frontier life. A section on "The World of Man" includes Buddhist, Hindu, and Muslim prayers as well as a Polish, Hungarian, and Zulu song. Most of the tracks originally appeared on other Folkways recordings. Artists include Pete Seeger, Peggy Seeger, Hermes Nye, Wallace House, Ed McCurdy, Woody Guthrie, and the Grail Singers. Liner notes offer song lyrics and lesson plan ideas.