PBS Celebrates Charles “Pa” Ingalls

Laura Ingalls Wilder

Pa’s Fiddle: The Music Of America, a new PBS live concert and DVD released late last month, celebrates the music of traditional American folk songs written about by Laura Ingalls Wilder in her internationally best-selling series Little House on the Prairie. The repertoire was inspired by Wilder’s father, Charles “Pa” Ingalls (1836-1902), a highly acclaimed fiddler of the late 1800s. The live concert DVD is produced in a very, very Nashville style and the lineup follows suit, with performances by Randy Travis, Rodney Atkins, Ronnie Milsap, Committed, Natalie Grant, Ashton Shepherd and The Roys. We typically don’t like anything too Nashville around here, but the song choice offers a nice window into the music that Americans played, sang and listened to in the late 1800s. Surprisingly, I was most impressed by the songs of CCM singer Natalie Grant. She’s got some serious pipes and a wholelottasoul. Download the album here and order the DVD here.