Studs Terkel's interest in music was evident since his earliest radio programs. WFMT allowed him the freedom to choose his own material, and significant portions of his programs were devoted to exploring various types of music through interviews with musicians, singers, songwriters, and musicologists. Folk music was one of his favorite topics. The Old Town School of Folk Music was founded in Chicago in 1957, a few years after Terkel began his radio program. Terkel's involvement with this popular Chicago institution brought him in contact with many local folk musicians who he later interviewed on his program. He was able to interview several other prominent guests, such as Joan Baez, while they were in Chicago for a performance.

This selection of folk music programs includes American folk musicians from around the country. The interviews below include early proponents of folk music: John Jacob Niles, who began performing in the early decades of the 20th century; popular 1940s concert performer Richard Dyer-Bennett; original Grand Ole Opry member Jimmy Driftwood; and Win Stracke, founder of the Old Town School of Folk Music. Notable among the selections offered is a two-hour interview with folklorist Alan Lomax who scoured Europe for samples of original folk music for the Library of Congress. The selection also includes performers who popularized folk music in the 1960s, such as Joan Baez, Judy Collins, and Pete Seeger. The recorded conversations range from discussing the relationship of folk music to antecedent songs in Europe and elsewhere to the meanings of folk songs and their relevance to the current social and political environment. A major theme throughout these interviews is the strong calling that this type of music had for the guests and their undeniable passion for the preservation and performance of traditional music.

To listen to a sound, click on the file name of that selection. Real Audio is required for these recordings. If your system does not have Real Audio, it can be downloaded for free at http://www.real.com.

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