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By Charles Wolfe
For centuries, there have been songs that catch on within a community and take on a life of their own, constantly evolving into slightly different versions for generations to come. In America, there are a multitude of such songs that have seen an infinite number of different incarnations and seem to live forever.
Here, Charles Wolfe explores the origins of many of these songs.
Folk Songs and Ballads
Barbara Allen, Pretty Polly, Streets of Laredo, John Henry, Stagolee, Ida Red
Standards
Over the Waves, Take My Hand, Precious Lord, Amazing Grace, Steal Away
Commercial Hits
Worried Man Blues, Corrine, Corrina, Tom Dooley, Goodnight Irene
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