"Grand Coulee Dam" is an American

folk song Folk music is a music genre that includes #Traditional folk music, traditional folk music and the Contemporary folk music, contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be c ...

recorded in 1941 by

Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer-songwriter, one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American socialism and anti-fascism. He has inspired ...

Background

He wrote it during a brief period when he was commissioned by the Bonneville Power Administration to write songs as part of a documentary film project about

the dam ''The Dam'' (in French:''Le barrage'') is a painting by Luxembourg artist Dominique Lang from 1913. Description The 80.5 × 67 cm. picture is part of the collection of the National Museum of History and Art in Luxembourg. Analysis Dominiq ...

and related projects. The song was part of the '' Columbia River Ballads'', a set of 26 songs written by Guthrie as part of a commission by the BPA, the federal agency created to sell and distribute power from the river's federal

hydroelectric Hydroelectricity, or hydroelectric power, is electricity generated from hydropower (water power). Hydropower supplies one sixth of the world's electricity, almost 4500 TWh in 2020, which is more than all other renewable sources combined and ...

facilities, in particular the Bonneville Dam and

Grand Coulee Dam Grand Coulee Dam is a concrete gravity dam on the Columbia River in the U.S. state of Washington, built to produce hydroelectric power and provide irrigation water. Constructed between 1933 and 1942, Grand Coulee originally had two powerhous ...

. On the recommendation of

Alan Lomax Alan Lomax (; January 31, 1915 – July 19, 2002) was an American ethnomusicologist, best known for his numerous field recordings of folk music of the 20th century. He was also a musician himself, as well as a folklorist, archivist, writer, sch ...

, the BPA hired Guthrie to write a set of

propaganda Propaganda is communication that is primarily used to influence or persuade an audience to further an agenda, which may not be objective and may be selectively presenting facts to encourage a particular synthesis or perception, or using loaded ...

songs about the federal projects to gain support for federal regulation of hydroelectricity. Although the intended documentary film was not completed until 1949, Guthrie's songs were recorded in

Portland, Oregon Portland (, ) is a port city in the Pacific Northwest and the largest city in the U.S. state of Oregon. Situated at the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers, Portland is the county seat of Multnomah County, the most populous co ...

in May 1941. The tune for "Grand Coulee Dam" is based on that of the traditional song " The Wabash Cannonball". Guthrie's recording was reissued on the Folkways album ''Bound For Glory'' in 1956, and subsequently on numerous compilations of Guthrie's songs. The song was later recorded by British

skiffle Skiffle is a genre of folk music with influences from American folk music, blues, country, bluegrass, and jazz, generally performed with a mixture of manufactured and homemade or improvised instruments. Originating as a form in the United States ...

musician

Lonnie Donegan Anthony James Donegan (29 April 1931 – 3 November 2002), known as Lonnie Donegan, was a British skiffle singer, songwriter and musician, referred to as the "King of Skiffle", who influenced 1960s British pop and rock musicians. Born in Scotl ...

, whose version entered the British pop charts in April 1958, rising to number six on the chart. Donegan was featured performing the song in the movie ''Six-Five Special'', a spin-off of the British TV show of the same name. One critic has written:Michael Brocken, ''The British Folk Revival, 1944-2002'', Ashgate Publishing, Ltd., 2003, p.76
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References

External links

* {{authority control Columbia River Songs written by Woody Guthrie 1941 songs Woody Guthrie songs