The Traditional Ballad Index
Discography

Recording Abbreviations

Recording entries in the Ballad Index are listed in the most minimal way, listing the singer, the song title, and a recording abbreviation (plus notes if needed). Record titles in the Traditional Ballad Index have been abbreviated to save space. Fuller information is included in this Discography. Note that some recordings will exist in slightly different forms in LP, Cassette, or CD. The list below shows the format which has been indexed.

For example, in the entry for "Little Joe the Wrangler [Laws B5]," we find the item
Arnold Keith Storm, "Little Joe, the Wrangler" (on AKStorm01)
That is, on the LP recording AKStorm01 (Arnold Keith Storm), we find a copy of this song titled "Little Joe, the Wrangler."

For songs issued on 78s, or field recordings issued as parts of collections, the notation is somewhat more complicated:
Buell Kazee, "The Butcher's Boy" (Brunswick 213A, 1928; on AAFM1)
This means that the song was issued on 78 under the title "The Butcher's Boy." The original recording, made in 1928, was Brunswick 213A; this has since been reissued on the Harry Smith anthology (AAFM1).

Occasionally we will cite an unissued 78 -- e.g.
E. R. Nance Singers, "Jack and Joe" (ARC, unissued, 1930)
In most cases, naturally, we have not heard these. They are indexed based on titles (and we usually require fairly distinctive titles). None of these citations can be considered certain; we include them for purposes of establishing the range and popularity of the song.

In addition, we have included some recordings found on highly reputable web sites. These use a slightly different notation: They are not found on a recording but in a collection. So under "The Lass of Glenshee" [Laws O6] we find
Warde Ford, "Lass of Glen Shee" (AFS 4199 A1, 1938; tr.; in AMMEM/Cowell)
This means that a 1938 recording by Warde Ford, under the title "Lass of Glen Shee," is in the Library of Congress Archive of Folk Song with the catalog number AFS 4199 A1; this is now available (with a transcript, as indicated by the notation "tr.") in the online collection AMMEM/Cowell.

Note: Unlike books, no notation is used to show whether records are fully or partially indexed. The assumption is that all songs on a record known to be traditional have been indexed. (This, obviously, is especially true for field recording collections; it is less easy to tell in the case of "ordinary" records.)

Online collections so indexed include:

Because of their sheer numbers, we do not include a catalog of 78s cited. The abbreviations used for LPs are:

Also cited but not yet properly indexed:

Note: Numbered Recordings are not numbered "in order" (that is, our numbers are not chronological or based on catalog number or the like; the numbers are based simply on the date the recording was entered in our database. So, for example, FProffitt01 is actually Frank Proffitt's last record).

Footnotes:
1. Recording contains material that also appears on the anthology HiddenE; not otherwise indexed.

Performers and their Recordings

Note: No attempt is made to list all performers who appear on anthology recordings. Only primary performers are listed.

Abbott, O. J.
Abbott1, Newport59/60
The Almanac Singers
Almanac01, Almanac02, Almanac03, Almanac04, AlmanacCD1
Some of the catalog numbers for the General 78s are conjectural; I suspect typos in the MCA reissue's booklet. -- PJS
Anderson, Pink
PinkAnd1
Ashley, Clarence
Ashley01, Ashley02, Ashley03, WatsonAshley01
Armstrong, Frankie
BirdBush1, BirdBush2
Barker, Horton
Barker01
Barry, Margaret
Barry-Gorman1, IRMBarry-Fairs
Bennett, Louise
Jamaica Folk Songs Sung by Louise Bennett
Best, Anita
NFABest01, NFABestPMorgan01
Blondahl, Omar
NFOBlondahl0, NFOBlondahl02, NFOBlondahl03, NFOBlondahl04, NFOBlondahl05, NFOBlondahl06
Bode, Frank
FBode1
Boggs, Dock
Boggs1, Boggs2, Boggs3, BoggsCD1
Briggs, Anne
BirdBush1, BirdBush2, Briggs1, Briggs2, Briggs3, Briggs4
Broonzy, Big Bill
Broonzy01, BroonzySeeger1, BroonzySeeger2
Brown, Susan
HCargillFamily
Burnett, Richard D. (Dick)
BurnRuth01
Butcher, Eddie
IREButcher01, IREButcher02
Cansler, Loman D.
Cansler1
Cargill, Acie
HCargillFamily
Carleton, Gaither
Ashley02, Ashley03
Chandler, Dillard
Chandler01, OldLove
Chapman, Daisy
SCDChapman01
Cinnamond, Robert
IRRCinnamond01, IRRCinnamond02, IRRCinnamond03
Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem
IRClancyMakem01, IRClancyMakem02, IRClancyMakem03
Clancy, Liam
IRLClancy01
Clark, Sheila
LegendTomDula
Cleveland, Sara
SCleveland0
Connor, Edric
Songs from Jamaica
Cotten, Elizabeth
Cotten01, Cotten02, Cotten03 Cowan, Debra
HCargillFamily
Cox, Harry
HCox01
Crisp, Rufus
Crisp01
Cronin, Elizabeth
IRECronin01
Davis, Rev. Gary
GaryDavis02, HootenannyCarnegie
Davis, George
GeorgeDavis01
Downey, Jerome
NFJDowney01, NFHMacIsaac01
English, Logan
LEnglish01, LEnglish02
Fisk Jubillee Singers
Fisk01
Garland, Betty
BGarland01
Grayson, G. B.
GraysonWhitter01
Guthrie, Woody
AmHist2, GrowOn2, GrowOn3, WoodyFolk
Hare, Marie
MRMHare01
Harrell, Kelly
KHarrell01, KHarrell02
Higgins, Lizzie
LHiggins01
Higgs, Blind Blake
WIHIGGS01
Hilton, L. M.
Hilton01
Holcomb, Roscoe
Holcomb-Ward1, Holcomb1, Holcomb2, HolcombCD1
Houston, Cisco
GrowOn2, GrowOn3
Howard, Clint
Ashley02, Ashley03, WatsonAshley01
Hurt, Mississippi John
MJHurt01, MJHurt02, MJHurt03, MJHurt04, MJHurt05
Jackson, Harry
HJackson1
Jefferson, Blind Lemon
Jefferson01, JeffersonCD01
Jemison, Eugene
Jem01
Johnson, Blind Willie
BWJ01, BWJ02, BWJ03
Kazee, Buell
Kazee01
Larner, Sam
SLarner02
Lead Belly (Huddie Ledbetter)
GrowOn2, GrowOn3
Lenihan, Tom
IRTLenihan01
Lloyd, A. L.
BirdBush1, BirdBush2, ESFB1, ESFB2, Lloyd01, Lloyd2, Lloyd3, Lloyd4, Lloyd5, Lloyd9, Lloyd12
Lunsford, Bascom Lamar
BLLunsford01, BLLunsford02
MacArthur, Margaret
MMacArthur01
MacColl, Ewan
ENMacCollSeeger02, ESFB1, ESFB2, SCMacCollSeeger01
MacIsaac, Emma
NFHMacIsaac02
MacIsaac, Hector
NFHMacIsaac01, NFHMacIsaac02
Maguire, John
IRJMaguire01
Makem, Tommy
IRClancyMakem01, IRClancyMakem02
Maynard, George
Maynard1
McClintock, Harry K (Haywire Mac)
McClintock01
McGee, Sam
McGeeSmith1
McGhee, Brownie
Fmst01
McIntosh County Shouters
McIntoshShouters-RingShoutOnsiteVideo, McIntoshShouters-RingShoutPresentation, McIntoshShouters-SpiritualsShouts
McMahon, Coyal
Fmst01
McNulty Family
IRMcNulty-Night1
McTell, Blind Willie
USWMcTell01
Moloney, Mick
HarriganBrahamMaloney
Moore, Eva Ashley
Ashley02, Ashley03
Morgan, Pamela
NFABestPMorgan01
Moving Star Hall Singers
USSeaIsland01
The New Lost City Ramblers
NLCR01, NLCR02, NLCR03, NLCR04, NLCR05, NLCR06, NLCR07, NLCR08, NLCR09, NLCR10, NLCR11, NLCR12, NLCR13, NLCR14, NLCR16, NLCRCD1, NLCRCD2
Nye, Hermes
AmHist1
Ohrlin, Glenn
Ohrlin01
Older, Lawrence
LOlder01
Peacock, Ken
NFKPeacock
Poacher, Cyril
Poacher1
Poole, Charlie (and the North Carolina Ramblers)
CPoole01, CPoole02, CPoole03, CPoole04, CPoole05
Note: Poole's recordings are what would now be considered an odd mix of traditional and popular tunes, often heavily reworked by Poole. Poole's songs are all included in Kinney Rorrer's book Rambling Blues, which is included in the Index; those seeking details on how Poole modified the songs should consult the notes to Rorrer's book in the "References" field.
Price, Fred
Ashley02, Ashley03, WatsonAshley01
Proffitt, Frank
FProffitt01, Proffitt03
Reagon, Bernice Johnson
VoicesCiv
Reed, Bud
Reeds01
Reed, Dock
ReedWard01
Reed, Ola Belle
Reeds01
Ritchie, Jean
Ritchie01, Ritchie02, Ritchie03, RitchieWatson1, RitchieWatsonCD1
Rutherford, Leonard
BurnRuth01
Seeger, Mike
HootenannyCarnegie, MSeeger01, MSeeger02
Seeger, Pete
AmHist1, AmHist2, BroonzySeeger1, BroonzySeeger2, GrowOn2, GrowOn3, HootenannyCarnegie, HootenannyTonight, LonesomeValley, Newport59/60, PeteSeeger01, PeteSeeger02, PeteSeeger03, PeteSeeger04, PeteSeeger05, PeteSeeger06, PeteSeeger07, PeteSeeger07a, PeteSeeger07b, PeteSeeger08, PeteSeeger09, PeteSeeger10, PeteSeeger11, PeteSeeger12, PeteSeeger13, PeteSeeger14, PeteSeeger15, PeteSeeger16, PeteSeeger17, PeteSeeger18, PeteSeeger19, PeteSeeger20, PeteSeeger21, PeteSeeger22, PeteSeeger23, PeteSeeger24, PeteSeeger25, PeteSeeger26, PeteSeeger27, PeteSeeger28, PeteSeeger29, PeteSeeger30, PeteSeeger31, PeteSeeger32, PeteSeeger33, PeteSeeger34, PeteSeeger35, PeteSeeger36, PeteSeeger37, PeteSeeger38, PeteSeeger39, PeteSeeger40, PeteSeeger41, PeteSeeger42, PeteSeeger43, PeteSeeger44, PeteSeeger45, PeteSeeger46, PeteSeeger47, PeteSeeger48, PeteSeegerCD01, PeteSeegerCD02, PeteSeegerCD03, SeegerTerry, Selma
Smith, Arthur
McGeeSmith1
Snow, Kilby
KSnow1
Sprott, Horace
MuSouth03, MuSouth04
Steiner, Marge
Steiner01
Steele, Pete
PSteele01
Stewart, Belle
SCStewartsBlair01
Stewart, Cathie
SCStewartsBlair01
Stewart, Lucy
LStewart1
Stewart, Sheila
SCStewartsBlair01
Storm, Arnold Keith
AKStorm01
Tanner, Gordon
DownYonder
Terry, Sonny [pseud., Saunders Terrell]
Fmst01, HootenannyTonight, SeegerTerry
Thieme, Art
Thieme01, Thieme02, Thieme03, Thieme04, Thieme05, Thieme06
Triggs, Stanley
Triggs1
Tunney, Paddy
IRPTunney01, IRPTunney02, IRPTunney03, IRTunneyFamily01
Wales, Tony
TWales1
Wallin, Burzilla
OldLove
Wallin, Cas
OldLove
Wallin, Doug
Wallins1
Wallin, Jack
Wallins1
Wallin, Lee
OldLove
Ward, Vera Hall
ReedWard01
Ward, Wade
Holcomb-Ward1, HolcombCD1, WWard1
Watson, Doc
Ashley02, Ashley03, RitchieWatson1, RitchieWatsonCD1, Watson01, WatsonAshley01
The Weavers
WeaversCD1
White, Roisin
IRRWhite01
Whitter, Henry
GraysonWhitter01

The Ballad Index is copyright © 2024 by Robert B. Waltz and David G. Engle.