''Sing Out!'' was a quarterly journal of

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

and

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 ...

s that was published from May 1950 through spring 2014. It was originally based in New York City, with a national circulation of approximately 10,000 by 1960.

Background

''Sing Out!'' was the primary publication of the

tax exempt Tax exemption is the reduction or removal of a liability to make a compulsory payment that would otherwise be imposed by a ruling power upon persons, property, income, or transactions. Tax-exempt status may provide complete relief from taxes, redu ...

not-for-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

education Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty. Va ...

al corporation of the same name. According to the organization's website, "''Sing Out!s mission is to preserve and support the cultural diversity and heritage of all traditional and contemporary folk musics, and to encourage making folk music a part of our everyday lives."

Irwin Silber Irwin Silber (October 17, 1925 – September 8, 2010) was an American Communist, editor, publisher, and political activist. He edited the folk music magazine ''Sing Out!'' and was active in far-left politics throughout his life. Biography Early ...

was an important co-founder along with

Pete Seeger Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American folk singer and social activist. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, Seeger also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers, notably ...

, and was the magazine's long-time editor from 1951 to 1967.Ronald D. Cohen, ''Rainbow Quest: The Folk Music Revival & American Society, 1940-1970'' (Amherst:

University of Massachusetts Press The University of Massachusetts Press is a university press that is part of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The press was founded in 1963, publishing scholarly books and non-fiction. The press imprint is overseen by an interdisciplinar ...

, 2002), pp. 74-75 and 264-268. Its final editor and executive director, since 1983, was Mark D. Moss. The editors applied a very broad definition of folk music including material from contemporary

singer-songwriters A singer-songwriter is a musician who writes, composes, and performs their own musical material, including lyrics and melodies. In the United States, the category is built on the folk-acoustic tradition, although this role has transmuted th ...

Americana Americana may refer to: *Americana (music), a genre or style of American music *Americana (culture), artifacts of the culture of the United States Film, radio and television * ''Americana'' (1992 TV series), a documentary series presented by J ...

roots A root is the part of a plant, generally underground, that anchors the plant body, and absorbs and stores water and nutrients. Root or roots may also refer to: Art, entertainment, and media * ''The Root'' (magazine), an online magazine focusing ...

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the Afr ...

, bluegrass, and world music. One defining feature of the magazine was the inclusion of 15 or more songs with

lyrics Lyrics are words that make up a song, usually consisting of verses and choruses. The writer of lyrics is a lyricist. The words to an extended musical composition such as an opera are, however, usually known as a "libretto" and their writer, a ...

and

music Music is generally defined as the art of arranging sound to create some combination of form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise expressive content. Exact definitions of music vary considerably around the world, though it is an aspect ...

within the pages of each issuesupplemented with an illustrative CD from 2001 until it ceased publication in 2014. The magazine also contained in-depth articles profiling musicians and musical traditions, "teach-ins," reviews of recordings and print publications, a comprehensive festival and camp listing, and columns covering topics such as

songwriting A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music gen ...

storytelling Storytelling is the social and cultural activity of sharing stories, sometimes with improvisation, theatrics or embellishment. Every culture has its own stories or narratives, which are shared as a means of entertainment, education, cultural pre ...

children's music Children's music or kids' music is music composed and performed for children. In European-influenced contexts this means music, usually songs, written specifically for a juvenile audience. The composers are usually adults. Children's music has hi ...

, and the

folk process In the study of folklore, the folk process is the way folk material, especially stories, music, and other art, is transformed and re-adapted in the process of its transmission from person to person and from generation to generation. The folk proc ...

. The corporate headquarters of ''Sing Out!'' were located in

Bethlehem, Pennsylvania Bethlehem is a city in Northampton and Lehigh Counties in the Lehigh Valley region of eastern Pennsylvania, United States. As of the 2020 census, Bethlehem had a total population of 75,781. Of this, 55,639 were in Northampton County and 19, ...

which is also home to the Sing Out! Resource Center. The magazine was distributed by mail subscriptions, and could be found in some North American bookstores and libraries.

''Sing Out!'' publications

In addition to the quarterly magazine, the corporation also offered an extensive

mail order catalog Mail order is the buying of goods or services by mail delivery. The buyer places an order for the desired products with the merchant through some remote methods such as: * Sending an order form in the mail * Placing a telephone call * Placing a ...

of printed material on folk-music and folklore. The catalog included other ''Sing Out!'' publications, such as the folk music

fake book A lead sheet or fake sheet is a form of musical notation that specifies the essential elements of a popular song: the melody, lyrics and harmony. The melody is written in modern Western music notation, the lyric is written as text below the st ...

, ''

Rise Up Singing ''Rise Up Singing'' is a popular folk music fake book containing chords, lyrics, and sources. There are 1200 songs in the 2004 edition. The book does not include notation of the songs' melodies (with the exception of the two sections on roun ...

''.

The ''Sing Out!'' Resource Center

The ''Sing Out!'' Resource Center (SORCe) is a collection of recordings, photos, books, periodicals and other items. It is located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

''Sing Out! Radio Magazine''

Even after the magazine's print publication ceased, the ''Sing Out! Radio Magazine'' has continued as a weekly syndicated radio program featuring songs, news and interviews with musicians. The show is hosted by Tom Druckenmiller.

Notes

External links

Official site

text from recent issues
from findarticles.com
additional text reprints
from highbeam.com
''Sing Out!'' Magazine Discography
from folklib.net (not up-to-date). {{authority control 1950 establishments in Pennsylvania Music magazines published in the United States Quarterly magazines published in the United States Folk music magazines Magazines established in 1950 Music organizations based in the United States Magazines published in Pennsylvania 2014 disestablishments in Pennsylvania Defunct magazines published in the United States Magazines disestablished in 2014