Before Sing Out magazine, before Woody Guthrie, before Harry Smith’s Anthology of American Folk Music, there was Carl Sandburg’s American Songbag. Sandburg collaborated with song collectors throughout the country to assemble a collection of genuinely American music from folk, blues, cowboy songs, spirituals, and even songs from the Mexican border. Sandburg himself called it a “ragbag of stripes and streaks of color from nearly all ends of the earth ... rich with the diversity of the United States.” The spirit of American music from such diverse sources is the guiding vision for the show, Saturday Songbag. Each week, Rob Killam brings you a sampling of music that explores the rich variety of songs we share, transcending the traditional yet with an appreciation of how history and new influences have shaped our musical heritage.

Hear Saturday Songbag on Saturday mornings from 8am to 10 pm. For more info, contact Rob Killam (Saturday Songbag) songbag@cfl.rr.com