...the origins of "Stagger Lee" and "Henry Lee." This is the essential starting place for anyone who truly wants to understand the roots of American folk music.

...Dick Gaughan's "Both Sides the Tweed." These songs are at turns mournful, evocative, bitter and rabble-rousing. It's criminal that this album is out of print.

Exhibit A: Cash was at his best singing to prison audiences, and here his "Wanted Man" knocks down the walls of San Quentin for a few minutes.

Exhibit C: The percussion in "Black Crow King" brings nothing more to mind than this - hard men howling out their grief over the thwack of their hammers. Also note "Long Time Man" and "Stagger Lee" here.

...Guthrie's "Along in the Sun and the Rain," mournful and evocative. (Once again, I urge a visit to emusic.com.)

...and Johnny Dowd's spooky, gut-wrenching adapation of "Jambalaya," "Worried Mind"...

Camper van Beethoven's curiously timeless opus, and its inspired version of "Oh Death"...

Moby's "borrowing" of Vera Hall's gut-wrenching "Trouble So Hard" made for a pretty great pop tune...

Geraldine Fibbers, Scarnella, Carla Bozulich - the first time I saw Ethyl Meatplow, it was clear that Carla was the star attraction. She's still terrific. Her version of "Fancy" is stunning...

I know I keep coming back to Nick Cave, but no one's done more for the revival of old music since Bob Dylan. Here we have "City of Refuge"...

And just to tie up this topic, if you're still a little dubious, here's a single-disc sampler that'll prove me right.

Clarence Ashley has a hard, fast yet spare sound that tears at the heart. "Coo Coo Bird" has inspired generations of musicians.