The Wayfaring Stranger (Asch 345) is an album consisting of three 10-inch, 78 rpm records by Burl Ives released on Asch in 1944. It should not be confused with Ives' 1944 album for Columbia Records (C-103) -- also called The Wayfaring Stranger and itself a re-release of a 1941 album on Okeh Records -- which contains different songs. The Asch album includes the first releases of two signature songs by Ives: "Poor Wayfaring Stranger" and "The Blue Tail Fly."
The same collection of songs was reissued in 1947 on the Stinson label as a 78-rpm album (Stinson 345), then a 10-inch LP (Stinson SLP-1) in 1949, a 12-inch LP c. 1954 (also with catalog number Stinson SLP-1), retitled Blue Tail Fly and Other Favorites, and finally a cassette tape (Stinson CA-1). All of the Stinson releases with the exception of the 78-rpm album had two bonus tracks: "The Fox" and "Brennan on the Moor."

Known for his beloved performance as narrator Sam the Snowman in Rudolph, The Red-Nosed Reindeer, which featured the hit song, "A Holly Jolly Christmas", Academy Award®-winning actor Burl Ives has been a household name for over a span of over 8 decades. Favorites For Children is a collection of songs and stories told by Burl Ives (written by author Barbara Hazen). Originally released in 1969 as "Burl Ives: 4 Folk Songs and 4 Stories" on Columbia Records and Children's Records of America, this is the first time this release has been made available on CD.