Political, Southern, Leftist FOLK!

Joy! There is a wonderful leftist tradition in traditional American folk! Music has always been a key part of the struggle for justice in America, both as a way to articulate a shared experience in a powerful or even uplifting way, and as a rallying cry. Folk has played a part in the civil rights movement(s), unionization, class struggles, anti-war activism and has been used as a form of critique in between the big pushes. 

Dissent is universal, but a particularly robust form springs forth from the people of the mountains across the world. The people who dwell in the inaccessible hills are often less touched by the state-making process, or perhaps even live there specifically to “get away.” My introduction to participating in music was actually through the ancient Appalachian tunes and folk songs about struggle, sung in a Quaker commune located in Western NC. Following, I cultivated my interest in political/Appalachian folk beyond “This Land is Your Land,” and have curated some of the most delightful tidbits into a playlist for ya.

My favorite folk musician Blaze Foley leads the list with “Oval Room,” a tune critiquing the corruption in American democracy that seems like it was written specifically about Trump, though the song came out in 2004. Martina McBride and Lucinda Williams contribute anthems against domestic violence while Utah Phillips, Hazel Dickens and others appeal to the would-be union members of the late ‘80s. The Roots render a civil rights movement classic, and Gil Scott-Heron investigates the intersection of racism and the threat of nuclear material.

Enjoy quippy critiques of capitalism and swinging country beats in “Take This Job and Shove It” by Johnny Paycheck and “Stuck on the Corner” by Todd Snider. I have also included a couple stylistic essentials that aren’t explicitly political, like “Where Did You Sleep Last Night” by Lead Belly, “Foggy Mountain Breakdown” by Earl Scruggs, and the more contemporary “Ruby are you Mad at your Man” by the Carolina Chocolate Drops.