Lyrics and Legends; Labor and Modern

WHYY (Radio station : Philadelphia, Pa.) · 1963

The opening tease contains stock footage of workers rioting, outbreaks of racial violence, and scenes of migration due to crop failure and unemployment. Dr. Coffin and his guest Peter Seeger, discuss the position of labor songs in folklore today with particular emphasis on origins. The program deals with the protest songs of the 1900s, the changes they underwent in the 1930s because of the Depression and related political issues, and their revival in the 1960s as a form of peaceful protest. A rare film of Huddie Ledbetter, better known as "Leadbelly," is shown. ("Leadbelly" was a rough and tumble folksinger who spanned the recent history of the Negro secular song. He was born in the late nineteenth century in Louisiana and died in 1949 in New York City.) Mr. Seeger sings "No More Shall I Work in a Factory," "Pastures of Plenty," "Which Side Are You On," "Back of the Bus," and "We Shall Overcome." Members of the Philadelphia Chapter of CORE sing along with Seeger. The cameras then visit a typical coffeehouse near Bryn Mawr and Haverford Colleges on the Main Line where the sons and daughters of the well-to-do sing the old protest songs. (Description adapted from documents in the NET Microfiche) The intimate history of the life and thought of a people is found in its folks songs. Particularly fascinating are the folk songs of the United State, for these gathered from all corners of the world, reflect a variety of traditions yet remain close to the life and work of the new land. The fifteen half-hour episodes of LYRICS AND LEGENDS deal with the major sources and areas of folk material in this country. Ethnic, occupational, and regional songs and stories all receive attention. For some episodes, camera crews journey to areas where certain songs are sung. For other episodes, outstanding scholars and performers come into the studio to illustrate their specialties. Permanent host for the series is Dr. Tristram P. Coffin, who introduces guests and provides some of the authoritative historical background for the performers. LYRICS AND LEGENDS was produced in 1963 by WHYY-TV, Philadelphia, in association with the University of Pennsylvania and the American Folklore Society. (Description adapted from documents in the NET Microfiche)