The Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem from Ireland sing traditional and contemporary Irish songs, including "Butcher's Boy." Pete Seeger joins Tom Paxton, a singer/songwriter, on his song "Ramblin' Boy."
This is a solo performance by Pete Seeger, in which he sings some of the songs composed by the black folksinger Huddie Ledbetter, aka Leadbelly. Rare films of Leadbelly are included.
Seeger and Elizabeth Cotten sing "Freight Train" and she demonstrates her left-handed guitar playing. Valentin and Martinez sing songs from their native Puerto Rico, including "Los Pobres de la Tierra (The Poor of the Earth)."
Ruth Rubin, a collector of Yiddish folk music and the translator of countless Yiddish songs, performs several well-known Yiddish songs including "Chanuke O Chanuke" and "Tumbalalayka."
Jean Ritchie, long-time collector of Cumberland Mountain songs, sings from her extensive repertoire and plays the dulcimer. She also displays several folk toys. Bernice Reagon sings gospel and freedom songs a cappella.
Pete Seeger hosts Malvina Reynolds and performs her famous composition, "Little Boxes." Jack Elliott, a protege of Woody Guthrie, sings some of Guthrie's songs including "Talking Dust Bowl" and "Talking Sailor Blues."
Bessie Jones and the children of the Downtown Community School sing and dance children's songs such as "Thread and Needle" and "Drawing a Bucket of Water." Pete Seeger sings Bob Dylan's "A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall" and children's songs.
The New Lost City Ramblers (Mike Seeger, John Cohen, and Tracy Schwartz) play fiddle, guitar, banjo, mandolin and autoharp on such songs as "Maid of Constant Sorrow" and "Arkansas Sheik". Mike shows films of a Japanese Fiddle Band.
Robert Beers, Evelyne Beers, and Martha Beers sing in their hauntingly beautiful traditional American Folk style, including their own "Dumbarton's Drums." Robert Beers plays the Psaltry, an ancient instrument that is plucked with feathers.
South African singer, dancer, and songwriter Herbert Manana sings and dances several African songs including "Zula", "Wimoweh" and "Tinasizsw" (We Africans).
German-born Martha Schlamme, accompanied by Abraham Stockman on piano, sings several songs in German including "Bilboa Moon" and "Pirate Jenny" and joins Pete Seeger in the World War II concentration camp song "Peat Bog Soldiers."
Three legendary figures of country, folk, and bluegrass music join Pete Seeger with their guitars and fiddle in a long list of traditional songs, including "Old Dan Tucker" and "My Mother Chose My Husband".
Scholar Norman Studer talks about the folklore of upstate New York and introduces musician/quarry worker Grant Rogers. Rogers and Pete Seeger trade songs, including "Down by the Glenside," "Bessie the Heifer" and "My Dirty Stream".
Pete Seeger traces the history of political songs from the early days of the U.S and depicts with cartoons and other documents. He sings "John Browns Body,", "Casey Jones," "We Shall Overcome" and his anti-Vietnam War song "King Henry."
Lino Manocchia, Ralph Marino, and Federico Picciano, accompanying themselves on guitars and accordion, sing songs from both northern and southern Italy, including "Vola Colomba" and "Calabresella Mia." Seeger sings "D-Day Dodgers."
This program was taped a short time before Richard Farina's death and contains songs he wrote, including "Celebration for a Grey Day," "Bold Marauder," and "Pack Up Your Sorrows." Richard plays harmonica and dulcimer and Mimi plays guitar.
Appalachian musician Roscoe Holcomb sings "John Hardy" and "Birdie, Pretty Birdie." Scottish singer Jean Redpath sings "The Beggar Laddie", "The Sky Fisher's Song", "I Lost Ma Love" and "The Branca's Gotten Loose and Eaten all the Corn."
The Clinch Mountain Boys, who include the Stanley Brothers, sing "Worried Man Blues", "The Clinch Mountain Backstep" and "I'm Thinking Tonight of My True Love". Cousin Emmy plays "Turkey in the Straw" and "You Are My Sunshine."
French folk singer Sonia Malkine sings "Baylero", accompanying herself on a 6-string lute. She also provides a French rendition of Pete Seeger's "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" and Seeger counters with a German translation.
Pete Seeger sings some of the hundreds of songs composed by Woody Guthrie, including "Roll on Columbia" and "Put Your Finger in the Air." Rare film footage and photos of Woody are included.
A combination of recent and traditional songs, including Pat Sky's "Separation Blues" and Pete Seeger's "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" The Pennywhistlers perform songs from Bulgaria, Russia and South Africa in the original languages.
Pete Seeger and Len Chandler trade songs that they have written, including Chandler's "Keep on Keeping On," "Beans in My Ears," and "Move on Over" and Seeger's "Walking Down Death Row."
Scottish musician Donovan sings, accompanied on the sitar by Shawn Phillips, who also demonstrates the Indian instrument in detail. Rev. Gary Davis plays his guitar and sings "I'm Feeling More Like Shouting" and "Oh Glory, How Happy I Am."
The Mamou Cajun Band sing a number of songs in Cajun French including "I Passed Your Door and Didn't See Any Light" and "While Your Mother's Not Here Let's Dance Real Close." Pete Seeger sings "Skip to My Lou", "Big Mammoo" and "Colinda."
Pete Seeger and American folklorist Frank Warner sing songs of the Adirondack Mountains and reminisce about Yankee John and Appalachian banjoist Frank Proffit. Proffit is seen in a film as he performed at the Newport Folk Festival.
Dancer Paul Draper improvises to music played by his accompanist Coleridge Perkinson and to songs played by Pete Seeger. Films of schoolchildren in Samoa, Indonesia and Africa show the importance of dance to a country's musical life.
Pete Seeger sings "Down by the Riverside" after a film of prisoners singing is shown. His sister Penny Seeger Cohen sings lullabies to her daughter, Sonya Cohen, including "Hush Little Baby", "By and By" and "All the Pretty Little Horses."
Israeli and Arabic music and poetry are presented in their original languages and in translation. Seeger on banjo and Bikel on guitar join together on the Israeli song popularized in the United States by the Weavers, "Tzena, Tzena."
American folksingers Steve Addiss and Bill Crofut, together with Vietnamese folk singer Phan Duy, explore the Vietnamese musical traditions. They also sing the well-known American song "Clementine" in Vietnamese.
Pete Seeger joins bluegrass artist the Greenbriar Boys with his 12- string guitar to perform "Wabash Cannonball," "The Midnight Special," "Danville Girl," "Dinks Song," and the Mexican song "La Feria Das Flores" (The Flower Fair).
Pete Seeger shares three parables and then trades songs with singer Judy Collins, including "Daddy You've Been on My Mind," Bob Dylan's "Farewell," "Wild Mountain Thyme," "Tim Evans," and Seeger's "Turn. Turn. Turn!"
The Garlands describe life in Kentucky during the Harlan County War. Jim Garland sings "I Don't Want Your Millions Mister" and performs with Pete Seeger on "Turkey in the Straw." Seeger sings "Which Side are You On?"
American Piedmont blues and folk musicians Sonny Terry, the blind harmonica player, and Brownie McGhee, on guitar, trade songs with Pete Seeger, including "Rock Island Line", "I'm a Burnt Child", and "Down by the Riverside."
Children from the Downtown Community School sing and dance with Seeger playing "Skip to My Lou," "Beans in Your Ears," "Cumberland Mountain Bear Chase," and "This Land is Your Land."
Blues musician Mississippi John Hurt, a singer who was rediscovered in his eighties after having faded from public view, sings "Lonesome Valley", "John Henry" and "Goodnight Irene." Irish singer Paul Cadwell plays "Georgia Camp Meeting."
Playing their steel drums, the Hi-Landers sing songs of their native Trinidad, mostly in the Calypso tradition. Songs include "Mary Ann", "Love", "Love Alone", "Yellow Bird", "Walk Around" and "When the Saints Go Marching In".
American singer-songwriter and social activist Buffy Sainte-Marie shares Native American feelings of love of country. Buffy demonstrates the mouthbow and sings "My Country 'Tis of Thy People You're Dying" and "Little Wheel Spin and Spin."
June and Johnny talk about the Carter Family and Johnny and Pete talk about Native American singer/songwriter Peter La Farge. The three of them sing "It Takes a Worried Man", and June sings "I'm Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes."