100 Years Ago: Wood River Resident Sings Folk Songs on KMOX

Irene Elder Meyer performed Vermont folk songs on the radio in 1926.

Apr. 19, 2026 at 1:15pm

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An abstract, minimalist illustration featuring sharp, angular shapes in deep green and earthy ochre tones, conveying the rustic, traditional feel of Vermont folk music without any literal depictions.A century after its radio debut, the timeless folk music of Vermont continues to inspire new generations of artists and listeners.Alton Today

In 1926, Irene Elder Meyer, a resident of Wood River, Illinois and member of the Camerata Chorus in Alton, sang a selection of Vermont folk songs on St. Louis radio station KMOX as part of a special program called the 'Song Cycle.' The songs were collected and published in 1919 by Edith Barnes Sturgis and Robert Hughes in their book 'Songs from the Hills of Vermont.'

Why it matters

This broadcast highlights the rich folk music traditions of Vermont that were being preserved and shared with a wider audience through radio in the 1920s. It also showcases the talent and artistry of local performers like Irene Elder Meyer who helped bring these regional folk songs to the national stage.

The details

Irene Elder Meyer performed songs such as 'Daily Growing,' 'Posey Boy,' 'The Frog,' 'The Little Pig,' 'The Bird's Wooing,' and 'The Banks of Dee' on the 'Song Cycle' program broadcast from the Mayfair Hotel (now the Magnolia Hotel St. Louis). These folk songs had been collected and published a few years earlier by Edith Barnes Sturgis and Robert Hughes, who had discovered them through their interactions with local Vermont residents like mason James Atwood.

  • The broadcast took place on April 14, 1926.
  • The 'Songs from the Hills of Vermont' book was published in 1919.

The players

Irene Elder Meyer

A resident of Wood River, Illinois and member of the Camerata Chorus in Alton, who performed Vermont folk songs on KMOX radio in 1926.

Edith Barnes Sturgis

A published poet who, along with her husband Warren, collected and published the Vermont folk songs featured in the 1919 book 'Songs from the Hills of Vermont.'

Robert Hughes

A music teacher at Groton School who arranged the music and provided historical notes for the 'Songs from the Hills of Vermont' book.

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What they’re saying

“James has always sung, and is above everything else a Folk-Singer, just as his father and grandfather were before him.”

— Edith Barnes Sturgis, Published Poet

The takeaway

This broadcast showcases how regional folk music traditions were being preserved and shared with wider audiences through the growing medium of radio in the 1920s. It highlights the artistic contributions of local performers like Irene Elder Meyer and the scholarly work of collectors like Edith Barnes Sturgis and Robert Hughes in bringing these timeless Vermont folk songs to the national stage.