Forgotten American Folklore
Folktales, Folk Music, Americana- the things that make America uniquely American. We’ll explore the people, tall tales, songs, stories and events that make up the culture of North America. Paul Bunyan, werewolves in Louisiana, John Henry, Daniel Boone, Bigfoot... Everyone will be here. From songs describing murders in Boston to George Washington’s wooden teeth.
Listen on:
Episodes
3 days ago
Tuesday Nov 25, 2025
Tuesday Nov 25, 2025
A famous Thanksgiving story about a love triangle among the Pilgrims- now mostly told in cartoons.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Friday Oct 31, 2025
Friday Oct 31, 2025
Happy Halloween! The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is about as New England as you can get, but this is the story re-written to take place in my home state of Georgia. Hope you like it!
Sunday Oct 26, 2025
Sunday Oct 26, 2025
For Halloween we actually break with tradtion and travel to Europe to hear some stories of headless guys on horses. Then we travel back to the United States to hear two stories of headless men terrorizing the countryside. This is a long one, but will certainly get you in the Spooky Season mood!
fafolklore@gmail.com for questions, comments, show ideas, whatever ya got.
Wednesday Oct 22, 2025
Sunday Oct 19, 2025
Sunday Oct 19, 2025
Perfect for Halloween- an old man and his dogs meet a scary creature of the woods....
See the video here
See a less scary version here
Sunday Oct 12, 2025
Sunday Oct 12, 2025
Today, we travel to Kansas for the tale of the Bloody Benders- a family that lured people into their inn to kill them. This is a great Spooky Season topic, and has a surprise twist.
FAFolklore@gmail.com if you'd like to get in touch
Sunday Oct 05, 2025
Sunday Oct 05, 2025
You may remember the 1981 movie The Fog- a classic by John Carpenter. Today we talk a little about the movie, then about some legendary shipwrecks that became the inspiration.
We'd love to hear from you for questions, comments or show ideas!
Sunday Sep 28, 2025
Sunday Sep 28, 2025
Today, we look at a type of folk religion. Churches in which parishioners handle snakes are best known in Appalachia, but are all over the world.
Sunday Sep 21, 2025
Sunday Sep 21, 2025
There are stories all over North America of lonely women in white walking through town in the darkness, weeping for their children. This is La Llorna of Mexico and the Southwest, who will take your children if they're out after dark. We'll also meet Tall Betsy from Cleveland, Tennessee.