☰

Arts & Photography

History & Criticism

Romancing the Folk: Public Memory and American Roots Music (Cultural Studies of the United States)

R 1,633

or 4 x payments of R408.25 with Payflex

Payflex

Availability: Currently in Stock

Delivery: 10-20 working days

Romancing the Folk: Public Memory and American Roots Music (Cultural Studies of the United States)

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.

Country	USA
Brand	University of North Carolina Press
Manufacturer	The University of North Carolina Press
Binding	Paperback
ItemPartNumber	22 illustrations, notes, discography, bi
ReleaseDate	2000-06-26
UnitCount	1
EANs	9780807848623

You might also like...

Segregating Sound: Inventing Folk and Pop Music in the Age of Jim Crow (Refiguring American Music)

Segregating Sound: Inventing Folk and Pop Music in the Age of Jim Crow (Refiguring American Music)

Porgy

Folk Music: The Basics

Folk Music: The Basics

Living Folklore, 2nd Edition: An Introduction to the Study of People and Their Traditions

Living Folklore, 2nd Edition: An Introduction to the Study of People and Their Traditions

Hot Stuff: Disco and the Remaking of American Culture

Hot Stuff: Disco and the Remaking of American Culture

Just around Midnight: Rock and Roll and the Racial Imagination

Just around Midnight: Rock and Roll and the Racial Imagination

Dolly Parton, Gender, and Country Music

Dolly Parton, Gender, and Country Music

Hip Hop America

Hip Hop America