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Romancing the Folk: Public Memory and American Roots Music (Cultural Studies of the United States)by Benjamin Filene
Synopses & ReviewsPublisher Comments:In American music, the notion of "roots" has been a powerful refrain, but just what constitutes our true musical traditions has often been a matter of debate. As Benjamin Filene reveals, a number of competing visions of America's musical past have vied for influence over the public imagination in this century. Filene builds his story around a fascinating group of characters—folklorists, record company executives, producers, radio programmers, and publicists—who acted as middlemen between folk and popular culture. These cultural brokers "discovered" folk musicians, recorded them, and promoted them. In the process, Filene argues, they shaped mainstream audiences' understanding of what was "authentic" roots music. Filene moves beyond the usual boundaries of folk music to consider a wide range of performers who drew on or were drawn into the canon of American roots music—from Lead Belly and Woody Guthrie, to Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon, to Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan. Challenging traditional accounts that would confine folk music revivalism to the 1930s and 1960s, he argues instead that the desire to preserve and popularize America's musical heritage is a powerful current that has run throughout this century's culture and continues to flow today. Review:Filene's book is smart and careful and should gain a wide audience. Journal of American History Review:An important work that accurately places the idea of 'folk' and 'roots' music into a realistic context. Creative Loafing Review:Romancing the Folk proves a fascinating history of an idea and a shape-shifting body of song. New York Times Book Review Review:Much of the territory covered here is overlooked in books on folk music. Library Journal Synopsis:Filene examines the competing visions of America's musical past — and the cultural middlemen who shaped these visions — that have vied for influence over the public imagination. He moves beyond folk music's usual boundaries to consider a wide range of performers — from Lead Belly and Woody Guthrie, to Muddy Waters and Willie Dixon, to Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan. Synopsis:Benjamin Filene examines the competing visions of America's musical past--and the cultural middlemen who shaped these visions--that have vied for influence over the public imagination in this century. This book brings to light the relationship between folk or roots music and popular culture. About the AuthorBenjamin Filene is a public historian at the Minnesota Historical Society in St. Paul. Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1. Setting the Stage: Identifying an American Folk Music Heritage, 1900-1930 Chapter 2. Creating the Cult of Authenticity: The Lomaxes and Lead Belly Chapter 3. Mastering the Cult of Authenticity: Leonard Chess, Willie Dixon, and the Strange Career of Muddy Waters Chapter 4. Searching for Folk Music's Institutional Niche: Alan Lomax, Charles Seeger, B. A. Botkin, and Richard Dorson Chapter 5. Performing the Folk: Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan Coda Notes Bibliography Discography Index
Illustrations Front cover of Folk Songs of the Kentucky Mountains, 1917 Front cover of Twenty Kentucky Mountain Songs, 1920 Front cover of Carl Sandburg's American Songbag, 1927 Recording equipment in the back of John Lomax's car, probably late 1930s Prison Compound No. 1, Angola, La., 1934 Lead Belly in prison, Angola, La., July 1934 John A. Lomax Lead Belly in Negro Folk Songs as Sung by Lead Belly, 1936 Lead Belly, 1942 Muddy Waters, ca. 1960s Leonard Chess, ca. 1960s Willie Dixon, ca. 1960s Fathers and Sons album cover, 1969 Franklin Roosevelt with local musicians, Warm Springs, Ga., January 1933 Charles Seeger with his family at their home in Washington, D.C., ca. 1937 Alan Lomax with guitar, ca. 1940 Alan Lomax at typewriter, 1941 B. A. Botkin, ca. 1960s Richard Dorson, ca. 1960s Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan, 1963 Pete Seeger at Newport Folk Festival workshop, 1964 Bob Dylan goes electric, Newport Folk Festival, 1965 What Our Readers Are SayingBe the first to add a comment for a chance to win!Product Details
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