Songs of Struggle and Resistance from the Appalachian Coalfields

The songs presented in this set deal with the social and economic problems that have affected people’s lives for generations in the extractive region of the Central Appalachian Coalfields. These songs come from a wide variety of sources, both living and dead. Some are by people with roots in the mountains who now live elsewhere and some by visitors to the region. Some are by well-known singers and song writers and some are by community people who were moved by a specific situation to voice their feelings in a song. They have one thing in common - they saw a problem in their own community or workplace and tried to solve it through direct group action. The Harlan County War of the 1930s, the roving pickets of the early sixties, the anti-strip-mine movement, the development of grass-roots community organizations in the War on Poverty, the rise of welfare-rights groups, the reform battles of the UMWA, and anti-mountaintop removal movements have all left their mark upon the collective face of Appalachia. Old ballads and religious songs given new words and meanings. Songs long sung in mountain churches that have become anthems at community gathering around social issues. The stories told in these songs are true stories from the lives of exceptional people. I believe these to be extraordinarily valuable insights and feelings.