Help us revive this important oral tradition!

Ballads are story songs, and they are a vital part of Appalachian culture. As some of Appalachia's first and premier cultural exports in the early 20th century, ballads played an important role in defining how the world views Appalachia.

Until the early 20th century Appalachian balladry was a living, oral tradition. The era of recorded music changed that. It froze ballads as recorded songs, which were copyrightable and saleable. Consequently, most listeners, whether they live in Appalachia or beyond, do not encounter ballads as a living tradition. They see ballads as a product, and not a process.

With your support, Appalachia Book Company is developing a podcast to disrupt this notion. We're bringing together our region's finest scholars, playwrights, and performers to tell the stories of these ballads in Appalachian voices. Each podcast episode will include original radio play adaptations of ballads along with archival and new music performances. We want listeners to hear that the songs they think they know have a long and complicated Appalachian history.

Your gift will help us complete the research and writing portion of this project. We thank you for your support.

Image: Cecil Sharp and Maud Karpeles collecting songs from Lucindy Pratt in Hindman, Knott County, Kentucky 1916. Heritage Image Partnership Ltd. / Alamy Stock Photo

Reclaim Appalachian Balladry!

By Appalachia Book Company

Reclaim Appalachian Balladry!

Join our podcast project to share this music and storytelling tradition with new audiences.