"Grand Coulee Dam" is an American folk song recorded in 1941 by Woody Guthrie.
The song was part of the Columbia River Ballads, a set of 26 songs written by Guthrie as part of a commission by the BPA, the federal agency created to sell and distribute power from the river's federal hydroelectric facilities, in particular the Bonneville Dam and Grand Coulee Dam.
The tune for "Grand Coulee Dam" is based on that of the traditional song "The Wabash Cannonball".
[4] Donegan was featured performing the song in the movie Six-Five Special, a spin-off of the British TV show of the same name.
[5][6] One critic has written:[7][I]t remains arguable that, without recordings like [Donegan's] version of Woody's "Grand Coulee Dam", later performers (perhaps even Dylan himself) might not have beaten their way to Guthrie's door.