His musical repertoire included traditional English and Scottish ballads passed down through his family, Appalachian folk songs and original compositions.
In 1920–1921 he worked alongside the union activist Mary Harris "Mother" Jones in West Virginia, and participated in the Battle of Blair Mountain uprising.
The songs Workman had inherited from his grandfather included versions of many Child Ballads, such as "Young Beichan",[2] "Young Hunting",[3] "Edward",[4] "Little Musgrave",[5] "Sir Lionel",[6] "The Wife of Usher's Well",[7] "The Farmer's Curst Wife",[8] "Barbara Allen",[9] "Captain Wedderburn's Courtship"[10] and "The House Carpenter".
[11] Following his retirement as a miner he became known as a folk singer, with frequent performances around Appalachia as well as the Smithsonian Folklife Festival and the 1982 World's Fair.
He is heard leading the singing of "Amazing Grace" in the funeral scene in Coal Miner's Daughter, which also featured Phyllis Boyens as Loretta Lynn's mother.