5
While some observers often see
Jackson Browne, Bob Dylan, Carole King,
Joni Mitchell and James Taylor as the
founders of America’s contemporary
singer-songwriter movement, the tradition
actually dates back to the mid-19
th
century.
The Hutchison Family of Milford, New
Hampshire toured the United States
singing religious and secular songs
supporting numerous populist causes. In
the years before World War I, Joe Hill and
Ralph Chaplin refashioned traditional
songs and hymns into biting anthems for
the Industrial Workers of the World.
