Ella Jenkins
Ella Jenkins (1924–2024) was an American musician and educator born in St. Louis, Missouri, widely regarded as the mother of American children's folk music. Her recordings for Folkways, beginning with Call-and-Response (1957), introduced generations of children to participatory singing, world music traditions, and cross-cultural exchange through simple rhythmic call-and-response patterns. She performed and recorded with Pete Seeger and was a fixture on WFMT radio in Chicago for decades. Her approach to music as a democratic and inclusive practice carried political resonance throughout the civil rights era and beyond.
In the archive
- Call-and-Response Smithsonian Folkways — SF 45030
- Ella Jenkins Folkways Records — FC 7059
- Growing Up with Ella Jenkins Smithsonian Folkways — SF 45059
- Nursery Rhymes Smithsonian Folkways — SFW45068
- Rhythms of Childhood Smithsonian Folkways — SFW45036
Played on
- Mixtape — 17 September 2026 A Love Chant from North Africa