Woody Guthrie (1912-1967) was a prolific and influential songwriter, whose best-known songs include, This Land Is Your Land and Roll On, Columbia. In the 1940s he recorded hundreds of songs for Moses Asch, among them dozens of songs he wrote for and sang with his own children.
Ella Jenkins is Folkways' best-known children's artist. She has appeared with Mr. Rogers and Barney, received dozens of awards, and travels unceasingly. You'll Sing a Song, I'll Sing a Song is the most popular recording in Folkways history. Each Ella Jenkins album has a theme and is targeted at a particular age group. Through her songs, instrumentals, and stories Ella instructs, entertains, and inspires children and teachers alike. Many of her songs involve children through call-and-response.
Pete Seeger is best known as a songwriter and inspiring song leader, but also recorded songs for children. He recorded most of his children's albums on Folkways when his own children were young, in the 1950s. His recordings include many activity and play-party songs.
Lead Belly - given name Huddie Ledgetter - (1888-1949) is an African American singer who learned a huge repertory of songs in his lifetime, and recorded many of them for Moses Asch. Among his best-known songs are Goodnight Irene and Take This Hammer. He also recorded many songs for children, drawing on his experience as a child in Louisiana.
Alan Mills is a popular Canadian folk singer who recorded six albums of children's songs for Folkways, in English and in French.
Smithsonian Folkway Recording is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution, the national museum of the United States. Their mission is the legacy of Moses Asch, who founded Folkway Records in 1948 to document music, spoken word, instruction, and sounds from around the world. The Smithsonian acquired Folkways from the Asch estate in 1987, and Smithsonian Folkways Recording has continued the Folkways tradition by supporting the work of traditional artists and expressing a commitment to cultural diversity, education, an increased understanding.