Singing Our Way West: Songs and Stories of America's Westward Expansion

by Jerry Silverman

Gathers songs about the Cumberland Gap, the Erie Canal, the Mississippi, the Alamo, the Gold Rush, and the Old Chisholm Trail.

96 pages, Library Binding

First published September 1, 1998

Reviews

[Trang Tran]

This is a good book. It talks about the 13 unforgettable songs that reflect African American history from the 1860s to the 1960s. When you read this book, you can also learn a lot of histories in Westward Expansion through stories. The musical scores for voice and instrument are easy to follow and complete this study of the interrelationship of music and history in America. I really like the map in the first page and the last page of the book. :P

[Myra Flowers · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely slim book about two subjects that I love, the westward movement and Americana songs. The writing is clear with contemporary illustrations of events in each period. Each event he writes about is pivotal in the westward movement . The book also has an index and a list of further reading. Mr Silverman has written over 200 books linking music with history. Each song is written with the music and the words, so if you are able you can play the songs. This book was a library discard. Their loss is my gain.! I will look for Mr Silverman's books in the future