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See also: Smithsonian Folkways Recordings reissued series of American Favorite Ballads.

See also: Smithsonian Folkways Recordings reissued series of American Favorite Ballads.

This collection of ballads from the Kentucky mountains comes from the repertoire of Betty Garland, who learned them from her family. She writes, "I did my best to sing these songs the way I have always heard them so that the original and beautiful tunes of the mountain people won't be lost."

Created in 1931, the American Folk Song Festival helped Kentucky mountain singers share their music with the world. Perhaps more relevantly, it allowed the rest of the world to hear the music of these singers, including members of the Hatfield and McCoy families. This album was recorded in the 1950s, and features singers of all ages.