Labor Song
tagStarted 1870sPeak 1910–1945Last big hit still active
Located in 1 route
Labor song takes folk melody and communal singing into explicitly collective terrain: union choruses, picket-line refrains, topical verses, and plain, memorable contours built for participation.
History
From 19th-century eight-hour-day songs through IWW parody hymns, Depression-era organizing, and later union revivals, labor song has been one of folk music’s most practical political tools.
Defining artists
Essential listening
Sources
- Britannica
- Library of Congress
- Smithsonian Folkways. citeturn10search2turn9search2turn0search16