Original Pennsylvania Bluegrass and Folk Songs by Lannie Dietle
Stream and download bluegrass & folk songs inspired by rural western Pennsylvania people and events!
Introduction
Welcome to the home of original Pennsylvania Bluegrass music and folk songs by Lannie Dietle. These tracks capture the heart of rural western Pennsylvania culture — such as hunting stories, river adventure, small-town memories, and heartfelt tributes — inspired by real people and events in the hills and mountains of the Keystone State.
The stories that inspired most of these songs are included in the book "In the Land of Used to Be." After writing the lyrics, Lannie created the songs using digital music production techniques so you can feel the energy of traditional bluegrass picking & fiddling mixed with intriguing folk storytelling.
Free Streaming & Downloads
To stream all 22 bluegrass & folk songs in succession, use the following audio player. On computers, the audio player also accommodates downloading.
All of the songs on this page are available to stream and download at no cost. Lannie writes and records them in retirement purely for enjoyment and to remain creatively engaged. The music is shared freely as a personal project rooted in western Pennsylvania experiences.
Playing Individual Songs
The complete collection of Lannie's original bluegrass and folk songs is included below — each with free streaming, downloads, and lyrics. To play an individual song, click on one of the cover artwork images to activate an audio player. On computers, the audio player has a menu that allows free downloading so you can add the song to your music library.
Explore original Pennsylvania Bluegrass and Folk songs. Click any song cover below to play!
1. Bluegrass Songs
Enjoy original lyric-driven bluegrass music for free!
Birds of a Feather — a nostalgic rabbit hunting song
This lively Pennsylvania bluegrass song chronicles life as a two-legged hunting dog in Mercer County back in the 1950s. A true story, this rabbit hunting song is also an excellent example of Lannie's folksy songwriting style. (Song lyrics & notes)
Ham on the Run — chasing hogs in Somerset County, Pennsylvania
This modern Appalachian-rooted bluegrass adventure song was inspired by the day Lannie and his cousin went searching for an escaped sow and her wild litter of pigs in the mountains of Somerset County, Pennsylvania. (Song lyrics & notes)
Take Time When It Comes — a lively Mercer County haymaking song
This fast-paced bluegrass song is the true story of Lannie's first paying job as a youngster in Mercer County, Pennsylvania. Victor Marburger, the neighbor who paid Lannie to drive his tractor to bale hay at the age of six, is featured on the cover artwork. (Song lyrics & notes)
Kidd's Mills Road — a catchy motorcycle song about learning to fly the hard way
This high-energy bluegrass adventure song is about a death-defying 1970s motorcycle accident near Greenville, Pennsylvania that catapulted Lannie into a construction site littered with hazardous objects. (Song lyrics & notes)
The Little Shenango — a real-life (or death) boating adventure song
This is a western Pennsylvania bluegrass adventure song. It tells the true story of braving the raging floodwaters of the Little Shenango River in a tiny fiberglass boat that lacked built-in flotation. Lannie knows the story well because he was the individual who tore a small tree out of the ground in a failed attempt to stop the fast-moving boat. The wild boat ride began at the Leech's Corners bridge and ended in Greenville, Pennsylvania.
(Song lyrics & notes)
Scaffold Camp Creek — a nostalgic Pennsylvania trout fishing song
This evocative, slow-paced Appalachian bluegrass song was inspired by several things. One inspiration was a story Lannie's uncle Ralph — a lifelong trout fishing enthusiast — told him about fishing with a safety pin as a child. Another inspiration was a photo that shows boys fishing with saplings on the western Pennsylvania farm where Ralph and his siblings were raised — the photo used for the cover artwork. Another inspiration was knowledge that, as a child, Lannie's father also fished in the creek that passed through the farm. The title of this nostalgic trout fishing song is based on an older name for the creek. (Song lyrics & notes)
Teenie Dog — a dynamic Somerset County squirrel hunting song
This modern Appalachian bluegrass song, with its traditional-leaning sound, combines various hunting-related memories from a lifetime ago. Although it's an entertaining squirrel hunting song, it's also a celebration of the lives of Lannie's maternal grandparents and their little dog "Teenie." The cover image is a vintage photo of Lannie's grandfather that was colorized and then edited to incorporate a representation of Teenie dog.
(Song lyrics & notes)
Walnut Lane — a sentimental Appalachian mountain roots song
This poignant Appalachian bluegrass song is a pastoral elegy about western Pennsylvania mountain roots. (Song lyrics & notes)
Runaway — a cautionary truck driving song about the gravity express
This runaway truck song was written as a cautionary tale. It was inspired by various runaway truck wrecks on the steep and winding descent from the crest of Big Savage Mountain in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. Many of the wrecks occurred in the little Appalachian town of Wellersburg, and two of them completely demolished a church there that Lannie attended as a child. (Song lyrics & notes) Several iterative versions of this popular Appalachian bluegrass song have been recorded.
Don Brown is Dead — a memorial ballad for three Pennsylvania murder victims
This mournful contemporary bluegrass ballad was written to memorialize the murder victims of Donald Leroy Brown. The murders took place in western Pennsylvania in late 1966 and early 1967. (Song lyrics & notes)
Victor, Wallace, and Katie — a beautiful instrumental memorial piece
This haunting contemporary bluegrass music composition — an instrumental version of "Don Brown is Dead" — was created in remembrance of the victims of Donald Leroy Brown: Victor Dillaman, Wallace Brooks Coulson, and Ada "Katie" Lumley.
Attic Cigars — a comical teenage mischief song
This humorous bluegrass song is a tale about rescuing a pack of cigars from the rain as a young western Pennsylvania teenager, and then learning to smoke. "Oh, what's a poor kid supposed to do when he cain't get no cigars?" (Song lyrics & notes)
The Invisible Car — a nostalgic car song
This playful bluegrass song, with its old-timey sound, is a nostalgic tribute to the only radar-invisible car Lannie has ever owned — a spirited mid-engine sports car. (Song lyrics & notes)
Almost Thirteen — a mischievous geriatric love song
This is a modern bluegrass love song, and a testament to how horrible Lannie is at telling stories in person. The song was inspired by the day he clumsily tried to explain how far back he and his wife go. He began the story with, "I started dating my second wife when she was just twelve," which drew a disgusted look. What he should have said is they started dating back in 1968, when they were both kids! (Song lyrics & notes)
The Back Porch — the joy of back porch sitting
This humorous bluegrass song celebrates a husband's joy at sitting on the back porch with his wife in their golden years. "The best weddin' that I ever had cost me a twenty-dollar bill." (Song lyrics & notes)
Potter Mansion — a melancholy song about a fatal Mercer County tragedy
This modern bluegrass song is an eyewitness account of tragic events at the Potter Mansion in the little town of Sandy Lake in Mercer County, Pennsylvania. (Song lyrics & notes)
2. Contemporary Folk Songs
Original folk compositions with lyric-driven storytelling shaped by Appalachian roots and rural western Pennsylvania life.
Angels on the Wing — saved by a disembodied voice
This powerful contemporary folk song tells the story of how the songwriter's life was miraculously spared in a deadly situation that occurred in Mercer, Pennsylvania. A moving example of modern songwriting. (Song lyrics & notes)
Quiet Heroes — a combat veteran tribute song
This heartfelt folk song tells the stories of several Pennsylvania and Texas combat veterans, and is meant to honor them and their service. The stories and people are real, but two of the names — Jim & Joe — are pseudonyms. Tom, Phil, and Sam lived in Mercer County, Pennsylvania. Jerry and Irving lived in Somerset County, Pennsylvania. Lannie met Bill, Mr. Green, and "Jim" while living in the Houston, Texas metropolitan area. (Song lyrics & notes)
The Pennsy Aerotrain — a wistful streamliner train song set in Altoona
This unique bluegrass-adjacent train song describes watching the Pennsy streamliner pass through the Horseshoe Curve and on into railroading history at Altoona, Pennsylvania in the mid-1950s. (Song lyrics & notes)
3. Irish Folk Songs
Enjoy original lyric-driven regional Irish folk music for free!
The Painter Cat — evading a mountain lion on horseback
This Appalachian Irish folk song was inspired by Lester Korns's description of a youthful horseback encounter with a panther in a backwoods portion of Somerset County, Pennsylvania. (Song lyrics & notes)
Applejack — a song about making home-distilled liquor the sneaky way
This defiant Irish folk-style song was inspired by the homemade liquor Lannie encountered as a teenager in rural 1960s Mercer County, Pennsylvania. An outstanding example of regional Irish folk music. (Song lyrics & notes)
The 1964 Corvair — a diabolical car song set in Mercer County
This Irish folk-style automotive adventure song is about some of the hair-raising experiences Lannie had with his first car — a 1964 Corvair — while living in Mercer County, Pennsylvania. (Song lyrics & notes)
More About the Music
If you love Pennsylvania Bluegrass music or traditional folk songs rooted in real Appalachian and western Pennsylvania history, these original tracks are for you. From hard-driving bluegrass tunes about rural life and adventures to nostalgic folk stories honoring local veterans and remembering primitive mountain roads, every song celebrates the people and places that make western Pennsylvania special. All lyrics are available online, and the free downloadable music is yours to keep.
About the Artist
Lannie Dietle writes and records original Bluegrass music and folk songs drawn straight from real life in the hills and hollows of the Keystone State. The songs are offered completely free to download and stream. Lannie creates and records them in retirement as a creative outlet and a way to stay mentally active. Turning personal memories and local stories into original bluegrass and folk music has become a rewarding project for him, and he is happy to share the tracks with anyone who enjoys traditional Pennsylvania storytelling through song. Some of the tracks air occasionally on bluegrass radio — a gratifying surprise for a retirement project.
Western Pennsylvania Folk & Bluegrass Storytelling
Born in Kentucky and raised in Mercer and Somerset Counties of Pennsylvania, Lannie turns personal memories, family stories, and local history into heartfelt Bluegrass tracks and traditional folk tunes. From hunting rabbits and chasing escaped hogs to runaway trucks on Wellersburg Mountain, the raging floodwaters of the Little Shenango River, and solemn tributes to American combat veterans, every song is rooted in true events. Many of the stories behind these original bluegrass songs and folk pieces appear in his 2024 memoir "In the Land of Used to Be." After writing the lyrics, Lannie brings them to life using digital music production techniques that capture the drive of classic bluegrass picking and the storytelling warmth of folk music, staying true to the bluegrass tradition. His interest in folk genres began at the Friendsville Old-Time Fiddlers' Contest in the early 1970s.
Download free regional music and lyrics
Whether you're looking for nostalgic Pennsylvania folk songs about farm life and first jobs or high-energy Bluegrass tunes about motorcycle wrecks and fast cars, Lannie's music celebrates the people, places, and spirit of western Pennsylvania. Read the free lyrics, and click on any song cover to listen to and download the locally inspired song tracks. They reflect Appalachian Pennsylvania heritage and the mountain-music traditions celebrated at concerts and jams, and at festivals such as Gettysburg, Wind Gap, NEPA, and Laurel Hill. A rich blend of regional bluegrass and Appalachian folk traditions.
Lannie Dietle — keeping rural western Pennsylvania heritage alive through original bluegrass compositions, Americana folk music, and Appalachian Pennsylvania storytelling.
