Songs of '76 Returns as U.S. Commemorates 250th

NEW YORK, NY, UNITED STATES, September 30, 2026 /CourierPR/ -- Oscar Brand's Songs of '76, a distinctive musical history of the American Revolution, is returning to readers as the United States commemorates its 250th anniversary. Originally published in 1972, Songs of '76 offers a fresh perspective on the American Revolution by focusing on the songs and perspectives of ordinary people living through the tumultuous period.

The book, now reissued by Lyons Press and distributed by Simon & Schuster, combines Oscar Brand's interests in folk music, storytelling, and American history. Brand collected more than 60 songs from old manuscripts, newspapers, and historical accounts, pairing their words and music with his own historical commentary. The result captures the diverse reactions to the events of the American Revolution, including reactions to taxation, the Boston Massacre, the Tea Party, the coming of war, battles, heroes, and traitors, from both the Patriot and Tory perspectives.

Songs of '76 reveals something that conventional histories often miss: what the Revolution sounded like to the people who lived through it. Oscar Brand, the book's author and a legendary folksinger, author, and broadcaster, believed that songs could provide insights into history that official documents cannot. He aimed to make the Revolution human rather than monumental.

The book is now featured in two current exhibitions. It serves as the centerpiece of an exhibit at the new Bruce Springsteen Center for American Music in Long Branch, New Jersey, and it is also featured alongside other Oscar Brand memorabilia in the Chimes of Freedom: Patriotism, Protest, and the Power of Song exhibit at the Folk Americana Roots Hall of Fame in Boston.

Oscar Brand, who passed away in 2016, was a multifaceted artist who wrote hundreds of songs and released scores of albums. His career spanned seven decades, during which he helped preserve and popularize American folk music. Songs of '76, first published in 1972, combined Brand's interests in folk music, storytelling, and American history, and the Library of Congress's National Library Service continues to include it among its music appreciation resources on patriotic and protest music.

The reissue of Oscar Brand's Songs of '76 is a significant event for those interested in American history and folk music, as it provides a unique and human perspective on one of the most pivotal periods in American history.