"Traditional Appalachian folk music is a lyrical history of America. The songs are passed down from one generation to the next. Many songs were passed on through the region during the Civil War, often by travelling soldiers. The music is influenced by the culture of early immigrants in America—traces of Africa, Ireland, Scotland, and England meld together and reflect the cultural melting pot of the American people. Played on porches, at dances, and in church meetings, the melodies are simple, and the lyrics often resonate with stories of work, slavery, farming, of war, and death, and love, and god."
