Lesley Nelson/Contemplator.com: Traditional American Tunes

Lesley Nelson/Contemplator.com: Traditional American Tunes

Lesley Nelson helmed Contemplator.com, which focused on traditional folk music of England, Scotland, Ireland, Wales, and America. As she explained on her website, her interest in history and folk music led to her creating pages focused on a variety of regions, eras, and themes. This page ranks the 46 songs listed on Nelson’s page on “Traditional American Tunes” based on how many lists the songs are featured on according to Dave’s Music Database. Songs are identified by title, year of publication, and writers. Click here to see other lists from critics and individuals and here to see other lists from publications and/or organizations. 1. “Amazing Grace” (1772) by John Newton 2. “The Battle Hymn of the Republic (aka ‘Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!’)” (1861) by Julia Ward Howe & William Steffe 3. “Home on the Range” (1873) by Dr. Brewster M. Higley & Daniel E. Kelly 4. “Yankee Doodle (aka ‘Yankee Doodle Went to Town’)” (1754) by Dr. Richard Schukburgh 5. “Oh! Susanna” (1847) by Stephen Foster 6. “When Johnny Comes Marching Home” (1863) by Louis Lambert as Patrick Sarsfield Gilmore 7. “Dixie” (1859) by Daniel Decatur Emmett 8. “The Yellow Rose of Texas” (1853) by Edwin Christy, John Kelly, & Don George 9. “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean” (1881) by Charles E. Pratt 10. “The Battle Cry of Freedom” (1862) by Geoge Frederick Root 11. “Polly Wolly Doodle (All the Day)” (1843) by Daniel Decatur Emmett 12. “Michael Row the Boat Ashore” (1863) traditional 13. “Red River Valley” (1895) traditional 14. “Shenandoah” (1837) unknown 15. “My Wild Irish Rose” (1899) by Chauncey Olcott 16. “Too-Ra-Loo-Ra-Loo-Ral (That’s an Irish Lullaby)” (1913) by James R. Shannon 17. “I Dream of Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair” (1854) by Stephen Foster 18. “I’ll Take You Home Again, Kathleen” (1875) by Thomas Paine Westendorf 19. “Eternal Father, Strong to Save (The Navy Hymn)” by William Whiting & John Bacchus Dykes 20. “Lorena” (1857) by Rev. Henry David Webster & Joseph Philbrick Webster 21. “Dem Golden Slippers” (1879) by James A. Bland 22. “Taps” (1860) arranged by Daniel Butterfield 23. “Go Tell It on the Mountain” (1865) writer unknown 24. “Down in the Valley” (1835) by Frank Luther/traditional 25. “When You and I Were Young, Maggie” (1866) by George W. Johnson & J.A. Butterfield 26. “The Bonnie Blue Flag” (1961) by Annie Chabers-Ketchum & Henry “Harry” Macarthy 27. “Dill, Ye Terriers, Drill” (1888) anonymous 28. “I Gave My Love a Cherry” (1785) unknown 29. “Follow the Drinking Gourd” (1860) by Epe Sargent & Henry Russell 30. “Bury Me Not on the Lone Prairie” (1910) unknown 31. “Goober Peas” (1866) by A. Pindar & P. Nutt 32. “Lily of the West” (1857) unknown 33. “The Lakes of Pontchartrain” (1900) unknown 34. “Sweet Rosie O’Grady” (1895) by Maud Nugent 35. “Chester” (1778) by William Billings 36. “A Life on the Ocean Wave” (1838) by Epe Sargent & Henry Russell 37. “The Greenland Whale Fishery” (1725) unknown 38. “Green Grow the Lilacs” (1800) unknown 39. “Aura Lea” (1861) adapted by Ken Darby 40. “All Quiet Along the Potomac Tonight” (1864) by Lamar Fontaine & John Hill Hewitt 41. “Come All You Fair and Tender Ladies” (1904) unknown 42. “The Rose of Alabama” (1846) by S.S. Steele/anonymous 43. “Skibberdeen” (1869) unknown 44. “I’m a Good Old Rebel” (1857) by Major James M. Dacy 45. “Lady Mary” (1930) collected by Carl Sandburg 46. “Molly and Tenbrooks” (late 19th century) unknown Resources/Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: lists from critics and individuals Dave’s Music Database: lists from publications and/or organizations Contemplator.com “Traditional American Tunes” First posted 12/21/2025.

 

Ballad of America: Top 40 Songs

Ballad of America: Top 40 Songs

According to their website, Ballad of America is a nonprofit, educational organization dedicated to the preservation and celebration of music from American history. Their website features a music library of 40 titles, in alphabetical order, that represent American history. The website provides links to each song that offer more detailed backgrounds on the songs. Click here to see other lists from publications and/or organizations. 1. “Across the Western Ocean” (19th century) 2. “America the Beautiful” (1895) 3. “American Taxation” (1811) 4. “The Battle Cry of Freedom” (1862) 5. “Brave Wolfe” (late 1790s) 6. “The Brazos River” (1942) 7. “Buffalo Gals (Will You Come Out Tonight)” (1844) 8. “The Crawdad Song” (1917) 9. “Dem Golden Slippers” (1879) 10. “The Distressed Damsel” (1680s) 11. “Down in the Valley (Birmingham Jail)” (1835) 12. “Get on Board” (1872) 13. “Ho! For California!” (1849) 14. “Home on the Range” (1874) 15. “Home Sweet Home” (1823) 16. “Jimmy Crack Corn (The Blue Tail Fly)” (1846) 17. “Lincoln and Liberty” (1860) 18. “The Lovely Ohio” (1842) 19. “O! Say Bonny Lass” (1783) 20. “Oh Freedom!” (post-Civil War) 21. “Oh! Susanna” (1846) 22. “The Old Chisholm Trail” (1910) 23. “Old Settler’s Song” (1870s) 24. “Old Sister Phoebe” (first half of 19th century) 25. “Once More A-Lumbering Go” (1851) 26. “Paddy Works on the Railway” (1864) 27. “Railroad Bill” (1895) 28. “The Rambling Gambler” (1938) 29. “Red River Valley” (1896) 30. “Shenandoah” (1837) 31. “The Streets of Laredo” (1911) 32. “Swannanoa Tunnel” (1917) 33. “Sweet Betsy from Pike” (1851) 34. “Tenting on the Old Campground” (1864) 35. “This Little Light of Mine” (1925) 36. “Wanderin’” (1950) 37. “We Shall Not Be Moved” (1909) 38. “When Johnny Comes Marching Home” (1863) 39. “The Wisconsin Emigrant” (1931) 40. “Woried Man Blues” (1930) Resources/Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: “Lists from other publications and/or organizations” BalladOfAmerica.org First posted 12/18/2025.

Glenn Weiser Favorite 19th Century American Songs

Glenn Weiser: Favorite 19th Century American Songs

Glenn Weiser’s book Favorite 19th Century American Songs for Fingerstyle Guitar covers 47 songs. The book doesn’t rank the songs but I have created a ranking by looking at how many other lists the songs are featured on. Publication years for songs and the songwriters are indicated, but no specific artist is attached to each song. Click here to see other lists from critics and individuals and here to see other lists from publications and/or organizations “The Battle Hymn of the Republic (aka ‘Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!’)” (1861) by Julia Ward Howe & William Steffe “The Star-Spangled Banner” (1814) by Francis Scott Key & John Stafford Smith “Home on the Range” (1873) by Dr. Brewster M. Higley & Daniel E. Kelly “Oh! Susanna” (1847) by Stephen Foster “After the Ball” (1892) by Charles K. Harris “Dixie” (1859) by Daniel Decatur Emmett “Camptown Races (Gwine to Run All Night)” (1850) by Stephen Foster “Daisy Bell (A Bicycle Built for Two)” (1892) by Hary Dacre “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” (1873) by Wallace Willis, arranged by Henry Thacker Burleigh “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” (1868) by Joseph M. Scriven, Hatius Bonar, & Charles Crozat Converse “The Old Folks at Home (Swanee River)” (1851) “Home Sweet Home” (1823) by John Howard Payne, arranged by Sir Henry Rowley Bishop “My Old Kentucky Home” (1853) by Stephen Foster “Jimmy Crack Corn (The Blue Tail Fly)” (1846) by Daniel Decatur Emmett “The Sidewalks of New York” (1894) by Charles B. Lawlor & James W. Blake “The Battle Cry of Freedom” (1862) by Geoge Frederick Root “Carry Me Back to Old Virginny” (1878) by James A. Bland “The Man on the Flying Trapeze” (1867) by Alfred Lee & George Leybourne The Band Played On (1895) by Charles B. Ward & John F. Palmer “Listen to the Mocking Bird (aka “The Mocking Bird”)” (1856) by Septimus Winner (as Alice Hawthorne) & Richard Milburn “Grandfather’s Clock” (1876) by Henry C. Work “I Dream of Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair” (1854) by Stephen Foster “Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho” (1865) traditional “Lorena” (1857) by Rev. Henry David Webster & Joseph Philbick Webster “Dem Golden Slippers” (1879) by James A. Bland “Go Down Moses (Let My People Go)” (1861) traditional “When You and I Were Young, Maggie” (1866) by George W. Johnson & J.A. Butterfield “Tenting on the Old Campground” (1864) by Walter Kittredge “Tramp! Tramp! Tramp” (1864) by Geoge Frederick Root “Darling Nellie Gray” (1856) by Benjamin Russell Hanby “Old Black Joe” (1860) by Stephen Foster “The Wayfaring Stranger” (1858) unknown “Simple Gifts” (1848) by Joseph Brackett “Follow the Drinking Gourd” (1860) by Epe Sargent & Henry Russell “There’s a Tavern in the Town” (1883) anonymous “Marching Through Georgia” (1865) by Henry Clay Work “Hard Times Come Again No More” (1854) by Stephen Foster “Deep River” (1867) arranged by Harry Thacker Burleigh “Gentle Annie” (1856) by Stephen Foster & Lame Jack Cousens “Massa’s in the Cold, Cold Ground” (1852) by Stephen Foster “Kingdom Coming” (1862) by Henry Clay Work “The Rose of Alabama” (1846) by S.S. Steele/anonymous “Aloha Oe (Farewell to Thee)” (1924) by H.M. Queen Liliuokalani “Keep Your Hand on the Plow” (1917) unknown “Old Uncle Ned” (1848) by Stephen Foster “Sweet Hour of Prayer” (1845) by William W. Walford “Ring de Banjo” (1851) by Stephen Foster Resources/Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: “lists from critics and individuals’ Dave’s Music Database: “Lists from publications and/or organizations” Glenn Weiser (3/1/2019). Favorite 19th Century American Songs for Fingerstyle Guitar. Centerstream Publications. First posted 12/22/2025.

 

Today in Music (1874): “Home on the Range” published as “My Western Home”

Home on the Range Dr. Brewster M. Higly (lyrics), Daniel E. Kelly (music)

Writer(s): Dr. Brewster M. Higley (lyrics), Daniel E. Kelly (music) (see lyrics here) Published: March 21, 1874 First Charted: November 4, 1933 (Bing Crosby) Peak: 18 PM (Crosby) (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): -- Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 7.44 (multiple versions) video, 5.01 (multiple versions) streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: “Home on the Range” has been called the “unofficial anthem” of the American West, iaving been adopted by ranchers, cowboys, and other western settlers. WK It was adopted as the state song of Kansas on June 30, 1947. Western Writers of America selected it as one of the top 100 western songs of all time in 2010. Dr. Brewster Higley, an otolaryngologist (ear, nose, and throat doctor), SA moved from Indiana to Kansas in 1871 when he acquired land under the Homestead Act. He wrote the poem “My Western Home” about his new surroundings. It was first published in 1873 or 1874 in the Kansas newspaper Smith County Pioneer WK and then republished in The Kirwin Chief, another Kansas newspaper, on March 21, 1874. Violinist Daniel Kelley, a friend of Higley, created a melody on his guitar to accompany the poem. WK The song became known as “Home on the Range,” although those words never appeared in the original version by Higley. SA Within a few years, “Home on the Range” “gained immense popularity throughout the United States and both composer and writer became practically anonymous as settlers claimed the song as their own.” SA The song has been recorded by Tori Amos, Gene Autry, Boxcar Willie, Connie Francis, Burl Ives, Steve Lawrence, Willie Nelson, Johnnie Ray, Pete Seeger, Frank Sinatra, and Slim Whitman. Bing Crosby is the only one to chart with a version of the song, taking it to #18 in 1933. PM Resources: SA Song of America “Home on the Range” by Christie Finn PM Joel Whitburn (1986). Pop Memories 1890-1954. Record Research, Inc: Menomonee Falls, WI. Page 510. WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 4/21/2025.

Fred & Irwin Silber Folksinger’s Wordbook

Fred & Irwin Silber: Folksinger’s Wordbook

First published in 1973, this book collects lyrics for nearly 1000 standards, predominantly from before the 20th century. There is no commentary or ranking of the songs in the book, but I have created a top 100 ranking by looking at how many other lists the songs in this book appeared on. Publication years for songs are indicated, but no specific artist is attached to each song. Click here to see other lists from critics and individuals and here to see other lists from publications and/or organizations. 1. “Amazing Grace” (1772) 2. “The Battle Hymn of the Republic (aka ‘Glory! Glory! Hallelujah!’)” (1861) 3. “When the Saints Go Marching In” (1880) 4. “The Star-Spangled Banner” (1814) 5. “Silent Night” (1818) 6. “Bill Bailey, Won’t You Please Come Home?” (1902) 7. “Home on the Range” (1873) 8. “America the Beautiful” (1895) 9. “Jingle Bells” (1857) 10. “Yankee Doodle (aka ‘Yankee Doodle Went to Town’)” (1754) 11. “Oh! Susanna” (1846) 12. “Old MacDonald Had a Farm” (1706) 13. “Hello Ma Baby” (1899) 14. “After the Ball” (1892) 15. “When Johnny Comes Marching Home” (1863) 16. “Dixie” (1859) 17. “I’ve Been Working on the Railroad” (1894) 18. “Meet Me in St. Louis, Louis” (1904) 19. “O Come All Ye Faithful (Adeste Fideles)” (1751) 20. “Camptown Races (Gwine to Run All Night)” (1850) 21. “In the Good Old Summertime” (1902) 22. “Joy to the World” (1719) 23. “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” (1852) 24. “The Yellow Rose of Texas” (1853) 25. “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” (1739) 26. “Sweet Adeline (You’re the Flower of My Heart)” (1903) 27. “Auld Lang Syne” (1799) 28. “Daisy Bell (A Bicycle Built for Two)” (1892) 29. “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” (1873) 30. “On Top of Old Smoky” (1841) 31. “She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain” (1899) 32. “Clementine” (1884) 33. “Frère Jacques (Are You Sleeping?)” (1780) 34. “What a Friend We Have in Jesus” (1868) 35. “The Old Folks at Home (Swanee River)” (1851) 36. “Home Sweet Home” (1823) 37. “Turkey in the Straw” (1820) 38. “My Old Kentucky Home” (1853) 39. “Rock-a-Bye Baby” (1884) 40. “Danny Boy” (1913) 41. “Jimmy Crack Corn (The Blue Tail Fly)” (1846) 42. “The Sidewalks of New York” (1894) 43. “My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean” (1881) 44. “Rock of Ages” (1763) 45. “Away in a Manger” (1882) 46. “The First Noel” (1823) 47. “He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands” (1927) 48. “School Days (When We Were a Couple of Kids)” (1907) 49. “Wait Till the Sun Shines, Nellie” (1905) 50. “Skip to My Lou” (1832) 51. “O Little Town of Bethlehem” (1868) 52. “The Battle Cry of Freedom” (1862) 53. “Ta-Ra-Ra Boom-De-Ay” (1891) 54. “Pop Goes the Weasel” (1853) 55. “This Old Man (Nick Nack Paddiwak)” (1842) 56. “Bingo (B-I-N-G-O)” (1780) 57. “Casey Jones (The Brave Engineer)” (1909) 58. “Polly Wolly Doodle (All the Day)” (1843) 59. “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen” (1760) 60. “Hush Little Baby” (1918) 61. “The Man on the Flying Trapeze” (1867) 62. “Beautiful Dreamer” (1864) 63. “The Band Played On” (1895) 64. “Red River Valley” (1896) 65. “Shenandoah” (1837) 66. “On the Banks of the Wabash” (1897) 67. “In the Sweet By-and-By” (1868) 68. “Michael Row the Boat Ashore” (1863) 69. “Twelve Days of Christmas” (1780) 70. “Listen to the Mocking Bird (aka “The Mocking Bird”)” (1855) 71. “My Wild Irish Rose” (1899) 72. “Buffalo Gals (Will You Come Out Tonight)” (1844) 73. “Grandfather’s Clock” (1876) 74. “A Bird in a Gilded Cage” (1900) 75. “What Child Is This?” (1865) 76. “I Dream of Jeannie with the Light Brown Hair” (1854) 77. “I’ll Take You Home Again, Kathleen” (1875) 78. “Ragtime Cowboy Joe” (1912) 79. “Froggie Went A-Courtin’” (1549) 80. “Nearer My God to Thee” (1841) 81. “Alouette” (1879) 82. “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen” (1867) 83. “Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho” (1865) 84. “Deck the Halls” (1862) 85. “Lift Every Voice and Sing” (1900) 86. “We Shall Overcome” (1963) 87. “The Green Grass Grew All Around” (1912) 88. “Can the Circle Be Unbroken (By and By)” (1935) 89. “Greensleeves” (1580) 90. “Alabamy Bound” (1925) 91. “Old Dan Tucker” (1843) 92. “The Little Brown Jug” (1869) 93. “The Old Grey Mare” (1915) 94. “For He’s a Jolly Good Fellow” (1709) 95. “Onward Christian Soldiers” (1871) 96. “Columbia, the Gem of the Ocean” (1843) 97. “Give Me That Old Time Religion” (1865) 98. “Down by the Riverside” (1918) 99. “Angels We Have Heard on High” (1862) 100. “Lorena” (1857) Resources/Related Links: Dave’s Music Database: lists from critics and individuals Dave’s Music Database: lists from publications and/or organizations Fred & Irwin Silber (1973). Folksinger’s Wordbook First posted 12/5/2025; last updated 12/7/2025.