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

Filene, Benjamin

Softcover

ISBN 10: 080784862X ISBN 13: 9780807848623

Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press, 2000

Synopsis

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.

About this title

Book Description:

"Filene's book is smart and careful and should gain a wide audience."-- Journal of American History

From the Inside Flap:

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 this edition

• Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 080784862X
• ISBN 13: 9780807848623
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 340