I think it was in 1940 that Burl Ives was hired by CBS radio to do his "Wayfaring Stranger" program, popularizing many of the folksongs he had collected in his travels.

I think I was eight or nine (1950 or 51) when our family took a traveling vacation by car and the Weavers were very popular. We loved to listen and sing "On Top Of Old Smokey" (with Pete "lining out" the words) and "Goodnight Irene." We all sang those songs for three thousand miles or so. We'd also sing Gene Autry and Sons of the Pioneers songs and all the Stephen Foster songs we could think of.

      - Mark