Better story teller than Edmund Fitzgerald?

"Strange Fruit". Written by Abel Meeropol, sung by Billie Holiday.

Bob Dylan wrote a lot, among them "The Lonesome Death Of Hattie Carroll", "Oxford Town", "Hurricane", and "The Death Of Emmitt Till".

All the above are related to the lingering (to this day) racism in The United States Of America, following the end of slavery, our original sin. And all are stories about African-Americans murdered (with the exception of "Hurricane") at the hands of white Americans.

A great related movie is To Kill A Mockingbird, a film I first saw as a child. It had a profound effect on me, and remains a favorite of mine.

Titties and Beer live by Zappa.  

List of songs based on historical events.

Bullfrog Blues (Live) - YouTube

Rodney Crowell wrote a great song that recounts his hearing of "Ring Of Fire" on the radio while driving in the car with his pa one night. It’s entitled "I Walk The Line Revisited", revisited because Johnny Cash appears on the recording of the song, which can be found on Rodney’s astoundingly great album The Houston Kid.