He lists the bands in chronological order, so it starts with The Weavers (Pete Seeger, Lee Hays, Ronnie Gilbert, and Fred Hellerman) who topped the charts for 13 week in 1950 with a two-sided hit and set the standard for most of the groups that followed. One side of that single was Goodnight Irene. The Kingston Trio topped the charts in 1958 with their take on Tom Dooley. In the United Kingdom, it was Folk-Rock bands Fairport Convention and Steeleye Span that electrified the old songs. Traditional Irish folk music was well represented by the ballad singing Dubliners, the lively instrumental music of The Chieftains. In the early 21st Century, bands like Mumford and Sons and The Decembrist carry on the tradition.
I HEAR AMERICA SINGING
1. Goodnight Irene by The Weavers
2. Tom Dooley by The Kingston Trio
3. If I Had a Hammer by Peter, Paul, and Mary
4. Turn! Turn! Turn! by The Byrds
5. Who Knows Where the Time Goes by Fairport Convention
6. Gaudette by Steeleye Span
7. The Town I Loved So Well by The Dubliners
8. Carolan's Concerto by The Chieftains
9. Dirty Old Town by The Pogues
10. Ho Hey by The Lumineers
11. The Cave by Mumford and Sons
12. Head Full of Doubt/Road Full of Promise by The Avett Brothers
13. White Winter Hymnal by Fleet Foxes
14. All We Ever Knew by The Head and the Heart
15. Down by the Water by The Decemberists
