Earth Day

A few facts about Earth Day:

  • Senator Gaylord Nelson (of Wisconsin) conceived the idea for Earth Day in the 1960s.
  • The first Earth Day was in 1970.
  • The U.S. government responded to Earth Day with new environmental legislation.
  • Earth Day went global in 1990. It is sometimes called “International Mother Earth Day.”
  • About one billion people recognize Earth Day each year.
  • Earth Day always falls on April 22.

There are quite a few bluegrass songs about nature and the beauty of the land. Here are a few to get you started:

  • Black Waters
    • Laurie Lewis “And Her Bluegrass Pals” (Rounder)
  • Clear Cut
    • Blue Highway “Wind to the West” (Rebel)
  • Come and Sit By the River
    • The Country Gentlmen “25 Year Celebration” (Rebel)
  • Don’t Sell the Land
    • Don Rigsby “Empty Old Mailbox” (Rebel)
  • Earth Water Wind and Fire
    • New Grass Revival “On the Boulevard” (Sugar Hill)
  • From a Distance
    • Valerie Smith (single/Bell Buckle)
  • Green Rolling Hills
    • Bill Harrell & the Virginians “Various Artists/Songs of the Mines” (Smithsonian)
  • In This Dirt
    • Andrew Crawford and Brandi Colt (single/Bonfire)
  • Land
    • Unspoken Tradition “Myths We Tell Our Young” (Mountain Home)
  • Land of the Navajo
    • Old and In the Way (Peter Rowan) “Old and In the Way” (Rykodisc)
    • Muleskinner “Original Television Soundtrack” (Sierra)
  • Let Old Mother Nature Have Her Way
    • The Seldom Scene “After Midnight” (Rebel)
  • Looking Out for You and Me
    • Zoe and Cloyd “I Am Your Neighbor” (Organic)
  • Paradise
    • There are versions of this John Prine song by many bluegrass artists including the Seldom Scene, Jim and Jesse, The Country Gentlemen, Tom T. Hall, Larry Stephenson, etc.
  • The Oak Tree
    • The Osborne Brothers “Nashville” (Pinecastle)
  • This Land is Your Land
    • Flatt & Scruggs “Folk Songs of Our Land” (Columbia)
    • Ronnie McCoury “Little Mo’ McCoury” (McCoury Music)
  • This Land Must Die
    • The Country Gentlemen “Joe’s Last Train” (Rebel)
  • To Hell with the Land
    • Laurie Lewis and Kathy Kallick “Sing the Songs of Vern and Ray” (Kaleidoscope)
  • Touch the Earth
    • Joe Ross “The Crazy Zoo” (no label)
  • Tree on a Hill
    • Peter Rowan “Tree on the Hill” (Sugar Hill)
  • Where the Trees Know My Name
    • Larry Cordle “Where the Trees Know My Name” (Mighty Cord)
  • Willow Creek Dam
    • The Country Gentlemen “The Complete Vanguard Recordings” (Vanguard)
  • You Can Make a Difference
    • Joe Ross “Bluegrass Alphabet” (no label)