Song Samples (MP3 Format)

The Whiskey Shops Must Go (2.026 MB mp3 file)

If You Ain't Got The Do Re Mi (2.176 MB mp3 file)

Rosie The Riveter (2.6 MB mp3 file)

CALIFORNIA SONGS with historical narration - Volume Two - Twentieth Century

Forty-one songs depict California life in the 20th century.

Total Playing Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes

Buy/Stream Individual Songs/Disks Online.

Disk 1                 Disk 2

"Each selection is introduced with interesting facts about the pertinent historical period. The McNeils' performance is characterized by clear lyrics and good technical qualities. The accompanying guide indicates extensive research and provides detailed background to the songs. This is an exceptional collection. . .and a wonderful resource. . ."

     Booklist

". . .These recordings also should be considered by theater instructors as stage music, since they would provide effectual background for any dramatic work that tells a story of the migration West...This music absolutely belongs in a library...WEM Records has dedicated itself to yesterday: making accessible so many obscure songs to a new generation of students"

          The Electronic Review

Part one:
Farmers and Ranchers

As California enters the twentieth century, its wine and citrus industries are flourishing. Basques from the Pyrenees raise sheep. Cattle ranchers and cowboys sing songs from Mexican California and from the southern Appalachian mountains.

Part Two:
Temperance and Suffrage, Cars and Movie Stars

Women organize against heavy drinking, sing militant songs. Women campaign for the right to vote. Californians sing of their love for (and frustrations with) automobiles. The movie industry moves to California, evolving from silent movies to spectacular films.

Part Three:
Immigrants and Dust Bowl Refugees

Immigrants arrive from Italy, Portugal, Armenia and India to work on California's farms. The I.W.W. organizes farm workers. Japanese immigrants buy land and compete with established farmers. The Mexican Revolution sends thousands of refugees to California. Mexican farm workers organize unions, are deported, and replaced with workers from the Philippines. Dust storms on the great plains displace thousands, bringing more job seekers to California. Poverty is rampant.

Part Four:
World War Two, Songs of the Cities

World War Two absorbs men into the armed services. Women manufacture bombs, tanks, ships and airplanes. Japanese-Americans are interned in concentration camps, and many volunteer for military duty in Europe. The United States and Mexico create the Bracero program. Californians write and sing songs which reflect pride (and sometimes dismay), about their cities.

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