An American Songline

Journeys in Vintage Music with Cecelia Otto

Cece

Authentic History Should Not Be Silenced

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The work I’ve spent over a decade building is now at risk—and I’m asking for your help.

Dear Friends,

This is one of the hardest messages I’ve ever had to write.

For over a decade, I’ve dedicated my life to preserving and sharing American history through music. While I enjoy singing those historic songs that everyone knows, my work shines a light on songs and stories often left out of the narrative—especially those of women and marginalized voices. But right now, I’m heartbroken and, honestly, deeply discouraged.

Since the change in the federal administration this year, I’ve lost work due to paused funding. Programs I’ve collaborated with are disappearing. Institutions I rely on—like the NEA, IMLS, and the Great American Songbook Foundation—are being defunded or dismantled. People talk about how much they trust museums and libraries in this polarized time… but those are under attack, too.

The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) views my work—and the work of so many artists and historians—as wasteful or unimportant. But it’s not. It matters.

Five years ago at the start of the pandemic, I felt more support than I do now. But now? My monthly Patreon income has dropped by 30% in 2025, even as my costs rise. Some historic sites I partner with can’t even use the word “woman” in a grant application. I’ve seen proposals denied—not for lack of merit, but because we dared to center women’s voices in the story of our country.

It’s absurd. It’s harmful. It’s cruel.

One version of history is being held up as the only truth, while everything else is being erased. That’s not just inaccurate—it invalidates the work I do. And it threatens the stories I’ve spent years reviving and sharing with communities across the country.

I’ve performed in 25 states—often in rural areas, small-town libraries, and historic sites where these stories don’t otherwise get told. If I can’t continue this work, these songs and stories—especially in underserved communities—simply won’t be heard. That loss goes far beyond me. It means a quieter, less truthful version of our past takes root in its place.

My dream for 2026 was to perform in all 50 states—bringing these stories to audiences across the country during our nation’s 250th anniversary. I’ve been building toward this for years. But now, I’m honestly not sure if I’ll be able to make it happen.

Still, I believe in the power of this work. And if there’s a way forward, I want to find it—with your help.

If you believe in what I do, here’s how you can help:

  • Support me on Patreon or Ko-fi
    NOTE: I’ve seen others use their Patreon funds to hire assistants. Not me. Every dollar goes directly to me and the preservation of this work.
  • Book or recommend a concert
  • Forward this message to someone who cares about truth, culture, and community
  • Regardless of your political affiliation, call your representatives. Tell them that what I and so many others do in our communities is not wasteful. Demand these programs be reinstated.

I still believe that music has the power to connect us. I still believe every voice in our history deserves to be heard. I want to keep singing and preserving America’s history through song and story—and historic sites want to continue being essential cultural spaces.

But I can’t do it without you.
We can’t do it without you.

With love and music,
Cece

Reflections on “The Songs of World War One” Program

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July 2017 performance at the Hayesville Opera House (built 1886) in Ohio, on the National Historic Register, taken with in-house hand-painted historic backdrops. Photo by Mike Hocker.

In March of 2017, two years after I performed my first Lincoln Highway concert, I debuted my second big concert program titled, “The Songs of World War One”. I knew that people would learn and enjoy the program, but I had no idea how it would be received. It was a wonderful surprise to find out not only that people enjoyed the concerts, but that I performed the music well past the 100th anniversary of the Armistice – all the way to November of 2019.

In those two and a half years of performing those songs, I met and connected with so many people nationwide who had their own stories and songs to share. And those stories made me think of all of the programs in a whole new way, and they changed me. It’s been a year since I last wore my re-created uniform, and I felt impelled to share some of what I saw and learned with you all.

  1. I had people of all backgrounds come to hear me sing and learn about this moment in history. The First World War is often a footnote in American history for your average person in the US. They didn’t learn about it (much) in school, and that’s more often than not because we really weren’t the “heroes” as we were in World War Two. And with the 1918 flu pandemic, Prohibition, The Great Depression and more, the Great War often takes a backseat in some history books and lesson plans. I was a part of a WWI marker dedication in Boise, Idaho in 2018. Because of the aforementioned circumstances, they never had a memorial put up in their Veterans’ Park, and were finally able to commemorate it a century later.
  2. Because of this war being overlooked, the roles that women played in the WWI are often forgotten or unknown here. My uniform as a contract Army surgeon was often a topic of discussion; people either thought I was “playing a non-American woman” onstage (French or Russian), or they assumed that it was not a “real costume”. I deliberately chose to re-create a surgeon’s uniform because of two reasons: 1) To highlight roles beyond what most people know (i.e. a nurse or a “Hello Girl”) and 2) To show modern audiences that some women who had special expertise were hired for their knowledge versus taking on a volunteer role (women were not allowed to enlist at the time).
  3. People often ask me if any contentious things happened at my shows. “Do things get political during your concerts?” they would ask. My answer: Never. People leave their personal beliefs at the door, they come to learn, sing along and have a laugh. I take my responsibility as a performer and historian to hold and create a space where they can come back in time with me without present-day judgements. And that shared experience builds community in the best way possible.
  4. Hearing the stories of veterans after shows – I still have no words that can express how much these moments have changed me. In two and a half years, I met lots of vets who served in World War Two, Korea, Vietnam, and in later wars. They would come up to me and share their stories with me. Stories of family members who served, stories of things that happened while they served. Things they learned while doing historic research on their own families or soldiers who served in their towns. It honored me that they felt so moved by the music to come to me afterwards to share these things with me, and it’s informed how I continue to sing and show up for people today.

One of the most important comments I received from a Vietnam veteran after a 2019 performance that has stayed with me ever since was, “I wanted to let you know I fought in Vietnam, and tonight’s concert made me think about war in a way I’ve never thought about before. Thank you.”

Every time I think about that moment in time, time stops for me. I can still see the look in his eyes when he shared this insight for him. I can still feel the adrenalin that courses through my body after a show drop immediately and his words took my breath away. While I share America’s history through these concerts and I’m grateful to be able to do so, it’s in those connections and spaces where everything moves into a life of its own which is the most important thing not only for you as an attendee, but for me as well.

For the veterans who are reading this, thank you for your service. I would not be able to share my songs and knowledge with the world without you, and I’m grateful for that. For those who have lost a friend or family member who served, I am truly sorry for your loss and every time I bring these songs back to life, I am thinking about them hold them with the highest honors in my heart. I hope to perform the World War One program again someday in the future, but in the interim I welcome your thoughts and your stories, either in the comments or reach out to me privately via email or the contact page. Thank you.

2020 Update – What Have I Been Up to, and How Can You Support American Songline?

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Hello all!

I can’t believe it’s October of 2020 as I’m writing this. I’m sure you are all asking the same question I’m asking — where has this year gone? It’s honestly not the best turn of phrase, as many of us know where this year has gone, but the passage of time has been so odd these past several months. But back to the main question at hand, what have I and American Songline been up to this year? Surprisingly, it’s been much more interesting than I thought!

What I’ve Been Up To This Year

Prior to lockdown in mid-March, I was extremely busy and having an amazing year. Typically, my performance and touring season runs from May-November, but this year my calendar was booked from February-November. You can even read about it in this article that was published on March 10th by ArchivesAWARE. I had performed my Women’s Suffrage program a couple of times, and I had presented at two living history conferences talking about suffrage music and the Lincoln Highway. I was in Illinois in mid-March, and it was very tense flying home to Portland as there were concerns the airports could shut down and I’d be stranded there.

Some concerts were immediately cancelled while I was on the road, while other cancellations trickled in over the weeks. I got some postponements to 2021, and some organizations asked if I had recorded suffrage music they could use for their own virtual events, which was pretty cool. Like you, it was a lot of waiting to see how things would evolve in the coming weeks.

But then I couldn’t wait anymore. Finally, a suffrage performance in August that had been booked in 2018 had decided we would go ahead and do it as a virtual concert for their patrons. As a person who prides themselves on being as authentic as possible, it was tough to wrap my head around conveying historic music to any empty room and through a camera lens. The final verdict – it WORKED! Over 15 US states and two countries attended my very first virtual concert. It was a different experience for both me and the audience to be sure, but I could perform this music and do it justice in a virtual setting.

That one performance also opened up doors for me to think about my work in the world, and how I could perform outside of in-person concerts or presentations. ArchivesAWARE! asked me back to reflect on my performances six months later, and I shared how I envision my work with American Songline in this recent post. Given that it will take time for me to perform in front of live audiences again, people are yearning for quality entertainment, and budgets for many places will be limited, I am offering options that would work for many places and people all over the world.

The one thing I want to share with you all is that the Women’s Suffrage program will not disappear when 2020 is over. I’ve worked too long and hard on this program to not have it be heard, and the stories and songs of these women need to be shared. Susan B. Anthony’s birthday is still celebrated every year, Women’s History Month will be just as important in the coming years, and as long as voting rights are debated in the US, I feel it’s important that this concert is a resource for people. So it is my hope that I can and will perform this music next year (currently taking bookings for both 2021 and 2022) and beyond.

How Can One Support a Touring Musician Like Me During This Time?

People have been asking me how they can support me during this intense time in our world, and there are several options, some of which don’t cost a cent but help me get seen. Consider doing these for other independent musicians you follow too!

  1. Join my Patreon Community. I do special events and behind-the-scenes updates for all Patrons, and Patrons also get first access to new music, including the Prohibition program I’m currently working on.
  2. Subscribe to my YouTube Channel. I’ll be releasing more videos of concert footage that’s never been seen, and this is the main platform I’ll use when I livestream concerts, AMA events (Ask Me Anything), and more.
  3. Subscribe to my email list at the bottom of this page. As people grow weary of social media, I’m going back to connecting with people via email. The newsletters will come twice a month, and I plan on sharing both historic and music updates.
  4. Follow my Facebook and Instagram pages. I won’t totally jump ship on these platforms and will share updates there, but people on my email list, Patreon and YouTube pages will see them first.
  5. Write a positive review on my Facebook page or for my merchandise on iTunes, Amazon or CD Baby, as this helps drive my visibility up and new people can find me. The big “ask” I have for you is that when you write these reviews, pretend like you don’t know me personally (i.e. “the author does a great job of” or “Cecelia’s shows are…”). Don’t use any of these sites? Send me a written or video testimonial instead.
  6. Last but not least, consider making a general donation or buying books and CDs from me as holiday gifts for others or yourself. You can buy them via Amazon, CD Baby/various websites, or you can buy them directly from me. There are books and CDs for the Lincoln Highway, World War One, and Suffrage programs still available. I will no longer be carrying all of my merchandise with me when I’m touring in the future, so if you want any of those items this is your best way to get them.

No matter where you are reading this, I hope you are safe and well and I hope you continue to stay healthy. Please say hi, ask questions, and comment below!

“Songs of World War I” Is Officially Endorsed

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The “Songs of World War I” program has received an amazing honor!

I am thrilled to announce that my current project, “Songs of World War I,” has been officially endorsed by the U.S. World War I Centennial Commission. This means the Commission considers my project to be a valuable contribution to their efforts to commemorate those Americans who served in the war or contributed to the war effort, and to highlight this overlooked period of history for modern Americans.

I am confirming performances for this year and next, so check the Shows link to see my newest confirmed dates. And as always, if you know of an event or venue that would be a good fit for me, feel free to reach out. Thank you for all your support!

A New World War One Album and a Call to Action

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Hello, hello American Songline followers!

I can’t believe May of 2016 is here. This year has disappeared so fast. After I finished performing last fall (I was on tour for several months last year promoting the American Songline book and CD), I took some time to relax and spend time with my family. During that time, regrouped to figure out what was next. I knew I wanted to do a new program on a theme like my Lincoln Highway program, but I wasn’t sure where to start. And then it came to me.

In 1917 and 1918, our nation changed forever when it entered into the First World War. More than a hundred thousand Americans fought and died in this often-overlooked period of our history, and I knew I had to share their songs and stories. I am proud to announce that I will be going back into the studio this year to record all these songs in their original sheet music as they were intended to be heard, and I plan on performing them live across the country in 2017 and 2018.

I have chosen a wide range of songs for the upcoming shows, including patriotic songs like ‘Keep the Home-Fires Burning’ and ‘It’s a Long, Long Way to Tipperary.’ Some other songs poked fun at military life, like ‘Oh! How I Hate to Get Up in the Morning’ and ‘How Ya Gonna Keep ‘em Down on the Farm.’ But it’s not all marching songs; I will also include sentimental songs on the album like ‘Till We Meet Again’ and ‘The Rose of No Man’s Land’.

And now, this is where you come in.

WWI-CD-Cover

The grassroots effort for my first project was the backbone of my tour, album, and CD. It was as amazing as it was because of the contributions of the people and communities I came through. Because of you!

Producing an album not only takes time, it also takes money. A typical album by today’s standards is roughly 45-60 minutes with about 10-12 songs. But due to the recording technologies of the time, songs were much shorter than they are now. To make a full-length album, I need around 15-20 songs to get around that 45-minute mark. To help with these production costs, I will be running a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo for the month of May.

All funds will go strictly to the producing of the album, which includes the studio production expenses and piano accompanist’s fees. Cover art as well as any fees to publish the album on CD Baby are also included in this funding goal. If I exceed my $3,000 funding goal, I will record an additional WWI tune for every $500 raised.

The perks of this campaign include digital and/or physical copies of the album, as well as autographed copies of my American Songline book and album. International donors are welcome and I’ve got various rewards at all tiers, including the chance for you to sing on the album with me, so check them all out!

Here’s the link to donate: https://igg.me/at/songsofWW1.

To read my press release, click here.

I love sharing America’s history through song, and I hope you’ll join me in having this music brought back to life again. Thank you for all of your support over the years, and I look forward to hearing from you!

My Interview with Propel Businessworks on Crowdfunding

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Hello everyone!

I hope you are enjoying fall no matter where you are. Things here have been busy for me getting the word out about the American Songline book and CD, and I’m already starting to book dates for 2016.

While my main focus is on sharing American Songline with the world, I realize that I would not be where I am without the backers from my 2013 Kickstarter campaign. After my crowdfunding campaign was over, people came to me asking for tips on how to run a successful campaign. I have seen an increase in these questions about crowdfunding over the last few years, so much so that I have started consulting with others on their campaigns as well as speaking to organizations all over American. I am grateful to be able to help people with their crowdfunding campaigns, and this interview with Propel Businessworks is just another way of to share what information I’ve gathered over the years.

Click here to read the interview, “Raising Money for Your Business Using Crowdfunding” on Propel’s PRO Network. Interested in consulting with me directly? Click on this link and I’ll be in touch with you shortly. I’ll also be releasing a eBook with more of these tips, so if you’re interested in reading it, get on the mailing list. Thanks!

The American Songline Book is Here!

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Cece_Book_CoverAt long last, it’s finally here! I am proud to announce that the American Songline book is now available on Amazon in both paperback and Kindle versions!

Click here to pick up your copy: http://www.amazon.com/American-Songline-Musical-Journey-Lincoln/dp/1514317826/.

I hope all of you out there have also been enjoying the CD too! If you have bought or downloaded the American Songline album and like it, can you leave a quick review at one of the sites below to let other buyers know what you think of the music? If you haven’t bought it yet, you can now buy the music at the following links:

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/american-songline-musical/id979747974

CD Baby (both physical and download versions are available through this link): https://www.cdbaby.com/cd/ceceliaotto2

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/American-Songline-Musical-Journey-Lincoln/dp/B00V6BU9H6/

I’ll be making appearances all over the country this year, and am taking bookings for concerts and speaking engagements for 2015 and 2016. If you know of an organization that would want to hear me and my story, please let me know – I’d love to bring American Songline to the world! I’m also happy to speak about crowdfunding to groups as well.

I’m keeping this post short as I’ll be heading to Ann Arbor, Michigan for the Lincoln Highway Conference today, and I’ll be there all week attending the conference and performing. I’ll post a follow up post on the conference next week when it’s all over. Until then, safe travels everyone!

The American Songline Book is Coming! Here’s a Preview…

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Thanks to all of you who have bought the CD so far! I hope you have been enjoying the music. While I was happy and proud of the the album being out, I went full tilt to work on the book and it’s almost done! The American Songline book will not only chronicle the 30 concerts I gave in 2013, I also share some personal parts of the journey as well. I sang songs about love and loss along the Lincoln Highway, and those songs became the inspiration for chapters of the same name.

Up first, I wanted to share an excerpt of the “Loss” chapter. Today marks the 5th anniversary of my father’s passing – I can’t believe he’s been gone for five years. The American Songline project was just a vague idea in my mind when he died, and I had no idea if it would be successful or not. Before I started my tour, I knew my Dad would play a part in his own way, and he did. Read more in this passage from the upcoming book:

***

I was a bit worried about staying overnight in Gettysburg. The rumors of the town and hotel being haunted stuck with me, and while I’m not afraid of ghosts, I have had enough encounters with the paranormal that I cannot explain away. I was curious to see if the rumors were true, but I wasn’t actively looking to find out.

There was a plastic candle in my window that lit up when the sun went down. I saw it and wondered if the candle was for the living or for the dead that may walk the streets. When I asked the front desk the following morning why it was there, the hotel clerk said, “It’s a tradition in this area to leave a light on in a window sill for those traveling at night, so they know they have a place to stay.”

I kept a low profile that night, eating dinner and working on my regular jobs. When I finally fell asleep that night, something strange happened.

No Civil War soldiers appeared, but I had a vivid dream that changed my outlook on the rest of the tour. I dreamt I was in an old house that had been converted into a bookshop. I walked into various rooms and combed through the stacks. At some point, I turned the corner into the next room, and there he was.

My father died unexpectedly from a massive heart attack at the age of 61 in 2010, about three months before Dan and I were to be married. While I had some major issues with my father during his life, his death was extremely devastating to my family and me. The one person who you thought would be the last to go was the first. To also lose him so close to my wedding (a supposed happy time) was, and still is, an extremely painful thing for me. After his death, he would appear periodically in my dreams, and tonight in Gettysburg he did just that.

 He was not young this time; he was older with his grey bread, glasses, and wearing his favorite blue and white flannel shirt. We talked as we wandered the stacks, and then when we got the comic book section of the bookstore he stopped.

            “Hey Cec, do you want a comic book? I’ll buy.”

 I remember my jaw dropping, mainly because neither of us really liked comic books. “No Dad, I really don’t like comic books. Why would you want to buy me one?”

            “Oh, I just want you to have some fun, that’s all.”

            What he said sounded so odd to me that I woke up immediately. For a few seconds, I did not know where I was. The candle was still aglow on my windowsill, and there was nothing and no one there. I eventually fell back asleep, but it took a while.  

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I love and miss him, but what I miss more sometimes are the opportunities I wish I could have had with him – I’d give anything to have one more day with Dad again. If you didn’t do this over Mother’s Day this past weekend, please tell your loved ones how much they mean to you. You never know what can happen, and the secret to living a great life is to live a life with no regrets. Thank you for letting me share this story with you, and if you have any comments, please share them below.