Three months ago on Make Music Day, 50 Americans – one from each state – joined a Zoom call with a complete stranger, who happened to be a professional songwriter.
Over the course of an hour, they talked about their lives as a heart surgeon in West Virginia, a cheesemaker in Vermont, a Biblical financial counselor in Arkansas, a political activist in Oregon, or as a member of the Iowa House of Representatives.
That evening, over a second video chat, they experienced a live, private performance of a new song written that day, just for them, based on their stories.
Today, we are proud to share the videos of all 50 of these intimate performances. Browse through The American Song to travel to each state, and hear eloquent oral histories from this fascinating year, transformed into song by 50 songwriters.