Wot No Folk Books?

Subject: Wot No Folk Books?
From: Dr John
Date: 15 Apr 99 - 05:49 PM

There are many books on blues and jazz - many of them excellent; but very few books on folk music and most of those I've found are not all that good. I can find information about obscure jazzmen and bluesmen but nothing at all about those sometimes excellent performers who recorded for the Library of Congress. Anyone any ideas of why this should be. Maybe it's because blues and jazz are well defined idioms while folk music isn't or doesn't seem to be. Perhaps we should have a Mudcat book. Any suggestions as to how it could be done. -DrJohn-

Subject: RE: Wot No Folk Books?
From: Joe Offer
Date: 15 Apr 99 - 06:12 PM

We have had at least a couple of threads on songbooks - Click here and here and here.
You're right, Dr John - while there are lots of songbooks, the books don't tell much about the people who sang the "real" folk music. There are plenty of biographies about the collectors and the people who recorded professionally, but they are not the source of true folk music. Maybe that's the key - folk music comes from ordinary people, not from celebrities.
Maybe I shouldn't dismiss the songbooks and collectors quite so quickly. Some of the collectors told wonderful (but brief) stories about the people who sang the songs. You have to read songbook introductions and footnotes - and it can make fascinating reading, if you take the time to do it.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: Wot No Folk Books?
From: Toledo Frank
Date: 16 Apr 99 - 12:42 AM

One that is a pretty good start in the right direction is Pete Seeger's INCOMPLEAT FOLKSINGER.....

Subject: RE: Wot No Folk Books?
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 16 Apr 99 - 02:01 AM

Betty Smith's study of one of Cecil Sharp's primary informants, Jane Hicks Gentry is a fine one. Also Herschel Gower and James Porter did a wonderful study of the great Jeannie Robertson, ballad singer from Aberdeen, Scotland. Cecelia Conway's African Banjo Echoes in Appalachia explores the lives of several of the artists whose music she investigates. These can get you started, at least.

Sandy

Subject: RE: Wot No Folk Books?
From: John Hindsill
Date: 16 Apr 99 - 10:26 AM

A few months ago I saw a trade paperback about folk musicians and folk music. I browsed through it, found it to be heavily towards "popular" folk music. It also left out our gave short shrift to some seminal performers. The tome was part of a series, others being rock & roll and Jazz, I believe. It had a hefty cover price so I put it back.. Since I was not impressed with it, I do not remember the title...but I think it may have been a Rhino Records publication.

Subject: RE: Wot No Folk Books?
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 16 Apr 99 - 12:41 PM

Thomas Y. Crowell Company published in January, 1977 (although the copyright date is 1976) a book by Kristin Baggelaar and Donald Milton titled Folk Music, More Than a Song (340 entries, 110 illustrations, "hundreds of exclusive interviews and colorful, personal anecdotes"). Heavily slanted toward the revival singers, of course, it did include brief biographies of a number of traditional singers (Almeda Riddle, Sarah Ogan Gunning, Frank Proffitt, Dillard Chandler, Bascom Lunsford, Mance Lipscomb, Roscoe Holcomb, Buell Kazee, Ola Belle Reed, etc.), together with some of the collectors and scholars. You can skim through the essays about Linda Ronstadt or the Tarriers, if they're not your thing, to read about John A. Lomax and Kenny Goldstein or Paul Robeson and Jimmie Rodgers. Not a profound book, but worth looking for in the used book shops.

Sandy

Subject: RE: Wot No Folk Books?
From: Dr John
Date: 16 Apr 99 - 03:04 PM

John (Hindsill) I guess this was Guiness book - pages and pages on the "popular" end of folk but a few lines or nothing at all on the interesting traditional or revivalist singers. Lots of Dylan, Joni Mitchell etc but several of my favourite just weren't in at all. A visit to two large bookshops in Exeter today confirmed it - nothing at all today on folk music but lots of stuff on jazz, blues, country, rock and every other genre; really good books too. The Lomax books as far as I know long out of print. I'm very puzzeled why there is nothing to compare with the books by John Chilton, Samuel Charters, Lawrence Cohn etc. The same thing seems to have happened with discographies: there is the very comprehensive "Blues and Gospel Recordings" in two volumes and amazingly researched detail. With folk music it's a list of a few LP's and very incomplete at that: I cold do better from memory alone. Very odd. Is the subject not regarded as worthy of study or is it just too difficult. DrJohn

Subject: RE: Wot No Folk Books?
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 16 Apr 99 - 05:30 PM

A number of the Lomax titles are still in print. Check out the Amazon web site. Many of the others are easily available from the used bookstore web sites. For example, try Bookfinder and enter "Lomax, Alan" as the author and watch how many come up for sale!

Sandy

Subject: RE: Wot No Folk Books?
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 16 Apr 99 - 05:34 PM

Sorry, I put too much data in the link there. Try simply Bookfinder. That should work properly.

Sandy

Subject: RE: Wot No Folk Books?
From: John Hindsill
Date: 16 Apr 99 - 11:03 PM

Larry Sandberg and Dick Weissman, THE FOLK MUSIC SOURCEBOOK, 1989 (new, updated edition), Da Capo Press

I forgot this is in my library; picked it up a few years ago in a thrift store or used book store. It is really a super reference. It covers most genres of folk music, listing seminal recordings from early periods, the folk revival and later, AND thirty pages of song books of all folk types through that time. Much, much more. Look for it hard, it's worth the effort!

Sorry if I sound like a shill for the book.

Subject: RE: Wot No Folk Books?
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 17 Apr 99 - 12:27 AM

Amazon has the Sandberg/Weissman book for $18.95 and says it ships in 2 or 3 days. You can get this through the Mudcat links and the 'Cat will get a percentage. Otherwise, check for used copies at one or another of the great used-book sites on the 'net. Remember, though, a lot of music has been dumped on the world since 1989.

Sandy (always pushing the books)

Subject: RE: Wot No Folk Books?
From: Craig
Date: 17 Apr 99 - 12:32 AM

I'm wondering if this is the same Dick Weissman of the 60's group The Journeymen along with Scott McKenzie and John Phillips who both went on to The Mamas and The Papas. From what I can gather, I believe Dick Weissman is Richard Weissman an Asst. Professor, Music Mgmt. University of Colorado at Denver. I loved the Journeman. Well, so much for taste. Now, what were we talking about?

Craig

Subject: RE: Wot No Folk Books?
From: Sandy Paton
Date: 17 Apr 99 - 01:42 AM

Yep, that's the very same Dick Weissman. Helped his ol' buddy Harry Tuft on Harry's Folk-Legacy album, too, an album that will soon be available as a CD. Recently made his own CD on, what was it, Folk Era? Or maybe Red House? I'm not sure, but I saw it getting some recent airplay on the FOLKDJ-L listserve playlists.

Sandy