Soon after Appleseed Recordings was founded in 1997, this fine label gained critical acclaim with the release of Where Have All The Flowers Gone: The Songs of Pete Seeger. A folk music festschrift, Where Have All The Flowers Gone featured 37 different versions of songs associated with Seeger and put Appleseed on the map as a folk label to watch. The album contained all new recordings by luminaries such as Bruce Springsteen, Odetta, Billy Bragg, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Tom Paxton, Bruce Cockburn, Roger McGuinn, and other well-known folk musicians. Gathering such musical talent together was an impressive feat for a small, relatively unknown record label.

Over the last decade a long list of progressive musicians have recorded for Appleseed, attracted by the label’s philosophy succinctly stated in its motto: “Music that sows the seeds of social justice and conveys the timeless essence of the folk tradition.” This ideal is embodied by the looming presence of Pete Seeger’s voice and vision, as well as the ethics of label founder Jim Musselman, a former attorney who worked with Ralph Nader in the 1960s. Those familiar with Appleseed were quick to spot the roots of Springsteen’s recent Pete Seeger tribute recordings back to Appleseed’s Where Have All The Flowers Gone.

Appleseed has thrived over the last decade, amassing an impressive catalog of more than 80 CDs by a range of respected artists. Sowing the Seeds celebrates the label’s musical legacy, and serves as a great sampler of the label’s talented roster, which includes Pete Seeger, Eric Andersen, Tom Paxton, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, Peggy Seeger, and other folk icons.

Highlights abound. There’s Joan Baez and Jackson Browne’s duet on “Guantanamera,” as well as Tom Paxton and Anne Hill’s “There Goes the Mountain,” a song that resonates regionally as mountaintop removal ravishes Appalachia. There’s also “If You Miss Me on the Back of the Bus” by Kim and Reggie Harris, a rousing sing-along that features Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul, and Mary fame. The label has become home to a number of 60s folk-rock legends, such as Donavan and John Stewart. Stewart, the former Kingston Trio star who penned the Monkees’ “Daydream Believer,” passed away a few weeks ago. He released a handful of excellent CDs for the label.

There’s a strong anti-war theme on this sampler, and it shows up in a powerful version of “Bring Them Home” featuring Pete Seeger, Steve Earle, Ani DiFranco, Billy Bragg, and Anne Hills trading verses. Canadian folk singer Eric Andersen and Haitian hip-hop star Wyclef Jean join forces on Phil Och’s potent ballad, “White Boots Marching in a Yellow Land,” while another Canadian, Bruce Cockburn, delivers a stylized version of Seeger’s take on the Biblical book Ecclesiastes, “Turn, Turn, Turn,” which was a hit for The Byrds in 1965.

Speaking of The Byrds, the band’s founder Roger McGuinn recorded a CD of folk songs for Appleseed, Treasures from the Folk Den, and his version of the traditional “Dink’s Song” appears in this collection. Also included is a cut from David Bromberg’s great acoustic blues album from last year, Try Me One More Time, the first recording by this master in 17 years. You might remember Bromberg singing tunes from the CD during his excellent gig at FloydFest in 2006.

Several new recordings add further luster to this sampler. First and foremost is a duet with Pete Seeger and Bruce Springsteen of “The Ghost of Tom Joad.” In this rendering, Seeger’s spoken dialogue simultaneously evokes 21st century America and the dust-bowl Depression era of John Steinbeck, adding further depth to Springsteen’s already powerful ballad.

Ani DiFranco recorded a new version of “Waist Deep in the Big Muddy” for this CD. In her take, Pete Seeger’s Vietnam-era song sounds like it could have been written about the war in Iraq. Donavan adds a new version of his classic “Universal Soldier,” his 1965 hit that still stands as one of the finest anti-war songs ever written. Seeger adds a few more new tracks for this sampler, including the darkly humorous “The Ross Perot (George Bush) Guide to Answering Embarrassing Questions,” a song co-written by Seeger and author Calvin Trillin, and sung by Seeger and his grandson, Tao-Rodriquez Seeger (who fronts his own fine band, The Mammals).

There’s so much great music on Appleseed, and this excellent sampler just begins to scratch the surface of this label’s deep catalog. Sowing the Seeds is an excellent overview of the label’s treats for the uninitiated, and it’s sweetened even more by the new tracks. If you can’t find this locally, you can order direct from Appleseed and many of their recordings are available through iTunes.

Gene Hyde is the Appalachian Collection Librarian at Radford University.