Americanfolkmusicisthemusicofthepeople.“GoodNightIrene,...

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American folk music is the music of the people. “Good Night Irene,” is an example of a traditional folk song. That means the song is so old, no one really knows who wrote it. Huddie Ledbetter, the singer and guitarist known as Ledbelly, first recorded “Good Night Irene” in 1932. Since then more than a hundred other versions have been recorded. “Good Night Irene,” was a huge hit for the Weavers in 1950.

Folk songs sometimes tell stories about real events. An example is the story of a young man whose last name was spelled D-U-L-A But pronounced “Dooley”. Tom Dula was a Civil War soldier in North Carolina. He was found guilty of the murder of his girlfriend. He was sentenced to death and was hanged in 1868, yet the case left many questions. The story was retold in poems and songs—including the hit song, “Tom Dooley,” recorded in 1958 by the Kingston Trio.

Folk singer and songwriter Amy Speace says the history of American folk music can be imagined as a tree with many branches. At the center, she says, is Woody Guthrie. Woody Guthrie wrote almost 3,000 songs. But he only recorded about 300 of them. His granddaughter Anna Canoni says that was partly because he did not have enough money to record more.

Yet for all his influence, millions of Americans today remember him for just one song, which children learned in school. The song, “This Land is Your Land,” seems like the perfect expression of pride in country. What many people do not know is that it was meant sarcastically(諷刺地), as just the opposite. This meaning is made clear later in the song, in the parts that most children never learn in school.

Some people probably think of a folk singer out of date from the 1960s. A long-haired, guitar-playing idealist sings about bringing the world together. But these days, with music production software, digital video and social networks all easily available, folk artists really can bring the world together.

25. What do we know about “Good Night Irene”?

A. It was first recorded in 1950. B. It was about a real event.

C. Ledbelly wrote this old song. D. The Weavers’ version was very successful.

26. Who was Tom Dula?

A. A hero hanged wrongly. B. A real man thought to be a murderer.

C. A soldier killed in a war. D. An imaginary person in a song.

27. From Paragraph3 we can learn that Woody Guthrie ____________.

A. earned a lot by writing folk music

B. recorded as many as 3,000 songs in his life

C. recorded his songs with a major record company

D. played an important role in the history of folk music

28. What is the author’s attitude toward folk artists?