Sing Out!

Sing Out!
Title	Sing Out!
Founder	Irwin Silber; Pete Seeger
Firstdate	1950
Finaldate	2014 (print)
Country	United States
Language	English
Frequency	Quarterly (later)
Category	Folk music, traditional music

Sing Out! was an American magazine devoted to folk music, traditional songs, and activism through song. Founded in 1950, the publication became a nexus for performers, scholars, and organizers associated with folk revival movements centered in New York City, Washington, D.C., and regional scenes such as the Bay Area and Cambridge. The journal documented repertoires, arranged tunes, and advocated for labor and civil rights causes while intersecting with unions, festivals, and recording industries.

History

The magazine was established in 1950 by editor Irwin Silber and musician-activist Pete Seeger with ties to People's Songs, The New Republic, Vanguard Records, and the network of folk clubs that included Village Vanguard and Carnegie Hall. Early staff and contributors connected the periodical to the Congress of Industrial Organizations, American Civil Liberties Union, Civil Rights Movement, and concert tours featuring figures associated with Cambridge, Massachusetts and the Garry Davis-era peace movement. During the 1950s and 1960s the publication navigated pressures from House Un-American Activities Committee-era blacklists, intersecting with the careers of artists who recorded for Columbia Records, Riverside Records, and independent labels in the Greenwich Village scene. In subsequent decades editorial leadership reflected ties to institutions such as Smithsonian Institution collections, Library of Congress archives, and regional festivals like Newport Folk Festival and Burlington Discover Jazz Festival.

Editorial Focus and Content

The magazine emphasized song texts, chord charts, and scholarly notes linking ballads to collectors such as Alan Lomax, Francis James Child, and Helen Creighton. Features regularly addressed repertory associated with performers including Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan, Odetta, and Pete Seeger, while also publishing transcriptions related to traditions from Ireland, Scotland, Jamaica, Mexico, and West Africa. Coverage included interviews with artists who appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, and in films by Ken Burns, along with reviews of releases from RCA Victor, Decca Records, and independent folk imprints. The editorial stance engaged with movements represented by organizations like United Auto Workers and Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, producing materials for song circles, labor rallies, and classroom use tied to curricula at University of California, Berkeley and Harvard University.

Contributors and Notable Issues

Regular contributors encompassed scholars, collectors, and performers such as Irwin Silber, Eleanor B. Lerman, Alan Lomax, Rosemary Clooney (as subject), and contemporary commentators who wrote alongside archivists from the Library of Congress and curators at the Smithsonian Folkways label. Landmark issues focused on topics including the ·Spanish Civil War songs, labor anthems associated with Joe Hill, protest repertoires of the Vietnam War, and international song exchanges involving delegations to Cuba and tours in Europe. Special thematic editions highlighted collections on sea shanties recorded by Captain Francis O'Neill-influenced archivists, Appalachian field recordings related to Carter Family, and documentation of revival-era concerts at Royal Albert Hall and Town Hall, New York City.

Influence and Reception

The periodical influenced performers, educators, and activists who participated in concerts at Newport Folk Festival, workshops at Guitar Center-style institutions, and university programs at Berklee College of Music and Indiana University. Critics in outlets such as The New York Times, Rolling Stone, and The Village Voice cited the magazine's role in shaping discourse about authenticity, repertoire preservation, and the politics of song. Its archives informed exhibitions at Smithsonian Institution museums and bibliographic projects at the Library of Congress and academic presses including Oxford University Press and University of Illinois Press.

Distribution and Format

Originally published monthly, the journal shifted frequency over time, moving to quarterly issues distributed via subscriptions, folk-music stores in Greenwich Village and Camden Town, mail-order catalogs associated with Vanguard Records, and later digital availability through partnerships with repositories like Internet Archive and university library systems at Columbia University. Print runs involved collaboration with printers linked to trade unions such as American Federation of Labor affiliates, and special editions were sold at events including Cambridge Folk Festival and benefit concerts in venues like Town Hall, New York City.

Awards and Recognition

The magazine and its contributors received recognition from cultural institutions including honors from the National Endowment for the Arts and citations connected to the Lifetime Achievement Awards given at festivals such as Newport Folk Festival and BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards. Scholars associated with the journal won grants from National Endowment for the Humanities and fellowships at the Library of Congress, while notable profiles and obituaries appeared in The New York Times and retrospectives on NPR.

Category:Folk music magazines Category:American magazines 1950s