20th century folk songs on the map

Folk or traditional 20th century songs tied to specific towns and routes.

By hello

27 posts

• The Leaving of Liverpool — A traditional song widely sung by folk performers and best known through revival recordings by The Clancy Brothers, The Dubliners, and othe…
• Come Back, Paddy Reilly, to Ballyjamesduff — A popular Irish ballad written by Percy French and made famous by John McCormack. First published in the early 20th century, it is a sentim…
• Yarmouth Town — A traditional sea song associated with Great Yarmouth and popularized in folk circles by singers such as Ewan MacColl and later revival per…
• The Town I Loved So Well — A poignant folk song popularized by Phil Coulter after he wrote it in 1973 as a reflection on his hometown of Derry. The song became widely…
• The Town I Loved So Well — A poignant song associated with Phil Coulter, who wrote it and first popularized it in the early 1970s. The lyrics reflect on the singer's…
• The Village of St. Bernadette — A 1959 song written by Australian singer Eula Parker and popularized by Andy Williams in 1960. The lyric is tied to the pilgrimage town of…
• Carefree Highway — A 1974 folk-country song by Gordon Lightfoot, who wrote and popularized it. The title comes from a section of Arizona State Route 74 near P…
• Cripple Creek — An American traditional folk and old-time song that became a bluegrass standard. It was popularized by generations of folk and bluegrass pe…
• The Road to the Isles — A traditional Scottish song about the historic route to the west Highlands and the islands, especially the road corridor ending at Mallaig.…
• Yarmouth Town — A traditional English shanty about Great Yarmouth and the sailors who pass through its port. The song was popularized in modern folk circle…
• The Newry Highwayman — A traditional Irish folk ballad about a highwayman whose story is tied to Newry and other place-names in its many versions. It is an old so…
• Come Back, Paddy Reilly, to Ballyjamesduff — An Irish favorite originally written and popularized by Percy French and later widely performed by Val Doonican. The song affectionately ce…
• Poplar Bluff, Missouri — Song: Poplar Bluff Popularized by: Hank Snow Written by: Hank Snow A country road song from the 1950s that treats Poplar Bluff as a memorab…
• Muskegon, Michigan — Song: Muskegon Popularized by: Johnny Horton Written by: Johnny Horton A late-1950s country hit that celebrates Muskegon with the same stor…
• Keokuk, Iowa — Song: Keokuk, Iowa Popularized by: Don Cornell Written by: Jerry Livingston and Mack David A novelty-pop favorite from the early 1950s that…
• Shawnee, Oklahoma — Song: Shawnee Town Popularized by: The Delmore Brothers Written by: Alton Delmore and Rabon Delmore A 1940s country oldie that turns the Ok…
• Dirty Old Town — A 1949 song written by Ewan MacColl and made popular by the Dubliners, with later well-known versions by the Spinners, the Pogues, and Rod…
• St. Louis Blues — A landmark blues composition associated with W. C. Handy, first published in 1914 and later popularized by many performers, including Bessi…
• New York, New York — A 1950 show tune from On the Town, popularized by Frank Sinatra in later performances and recordings. Written by Leonard Bernstein, with ly…
• Sweet Home Chicago — A blues standard most closely associated with Robert Johnson, who recorded it in 1936; it was later popularized in the 1940s and 1950s by a…