Part one: Farmers and Ranchers - As California enters the twentieth century, its wine and citrus industries are flourishing. Basques from the Pyrenees raise sheep. Cattle ranchers and cowboys sing songs from Mexican California and from the southern Appalachian mountains.

Part Two: Temperance and Suffrage, Cars and Movie Stars - Women organize against heavy drinking, sing militant songs. Women campaign for the right to vote. Californians sing of their love for (and frustrations with) automobiles. The movie industry moves to California, evolving from silent movies to spectacular films.

Part Three: Immigrants and Dust Bowl Refugees - Immigrants arrive from Italy, Portugal, Armenia and India to work on California's farms. The I.W.W. organizes farm workers. Japanese immigrants buy land and compete with established farmers. The Mexican Revolution sends thousands of refugees to California. Mexican farm workers organize unions, are deported, and replaced with workers from the Philippines. Dust storms on the great plains displace thousands, bringing more job seekers to California. Poverty is rampant.

Part Four: World War Two, Songs of the Cities - World War Two absorbs men into the armed services. Women manufacture bombs, tanks, ships and airplanes. Japanese-Americans are interned in concentration camps, and many volunteer for military duty in Europe. The United States and Mexico create the Bracero program. Californians write and sing songs which reflect pride (and sometimes dismay), about their cities.
Manufacturer: Wem Records


Price Range: $12.00 - $22.95