Various The Lonesome Train (CD)

The original U.S. musical about Abraham Lincoln: a hardcover book (72 full-color pages, 21 × 26 cm) plus a CD featuring 12 tracks, released by …And More Bears.

The Lonesome Train was first broadcast on American CBS radio in the midst of World War II. This musical radio drama recounts the journey of the train that carried Abraham Lincoln’s body across the United States. It was widely performed in concert halls with symphony orchestras and large choirs, while high schools, universities, and numerous local theater groups presented its message of freedom and racial equality to audiences nationwide.

The work’s popularity extended beyond the U.S., with performances in Canada and eight other countries. Yet it soon disappeared from public consciousness—an early casualty of Cold War paranoia. Branded as alleged communist propaganda, it was removed from schools and radio programming. Conservative and right-wing pressure campaigns led to lyricist Millard Lampell and composer Earl Robinson being blacklisted, effectively ending their careers in film, radio, and television.