Subject: John Lomax on 'The Blues' 1912
From:
GUEST,Joseph Scott
Date: 28 Feb 15 - 03:24 PM
John Lomax reportedly wrote a letter to the Donaldson, Louisiana _Chief_ on May 25, 1912 in which he included the song "The Blues" in a list of titles of "genuine Negro folk songs."
This, like tons of other actual historical evidence, runs contrary to blues writer Stephen Calt's bizarre fantasy as of 82 years later that folklorists did not regard blues songs as folk songs. (Unfortunately, Calt's arbitrary ideas about early blues and folk music have influenced other writers.) Lomax was not alone in thinking of "The Blues" as one single song back around 1912 -- you know, that folk song that's called "The Blues" because it mentions having the "blues" -- although when he was still doing that in 1917, that was odd.
|
sj
