The remarkable life and times of the man who popularized American folk music and created the science of song Folklorist, archivist, anthropologist, singer, political activist, talent scout, ethnomusicologist, filmmaker, concert and record producer, Alan Lomax is best remembered as the man who introduced folk music to the masses. Lomax began his career making field recordings of rural music for the Library of Congress and by the late 1930s brought his discoveries to radio, including Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and Burl Ives. By the 1940s he was producing concerts that brought white and black performers together, and in the 1950s he set out to record the whole world. Lomax was also a controversial figure. When he worked for the U. S. government he was tracked by the FBI, and when he worked in Britain, MI5 continued the surveillance. In his last years he turned to digital media and developed technology that anticipated today's breakthroughs. Featuring a cast of characters including Eleanor Roosevelt, Leadbelly, Carl Sandburg, Carl Sagan, Jelly Roll Morton, Muddy Waters, and Bob Dylan, Szwed's fascinating biography memorably captures Lomax and provides a definitive account of an era as seen through the life of one extraordinary man.
Patterns of performance, theme, text and movement are analyzed in large samples of films an recordings from the whole range of human culture, according to the methods explained in this volume.
Folklorist, archivist, anthropologist, singer, political activist, talent scout, ethnomusicologist, filmmaker, concert and record producer, Alan Lomax is best remembered as the man who introduced folk music to the masses.
Lomax was one of the most stimulating and influential cultural workers of the twentieth century. Here he speaks for himself through his voluminous correspondence.
Lomax's account of African American oral traditions provides information on such legendary bluesmen as Robert Johnson, Muddy Waters, and Son House
Originally published over fifteen years ago, this definitive edition includes a new introduction by Shirley Collins.
Discussions of Lomax’s life and career by his disciple and lauded folklorist William Ferris, and a lyrical look at Lomax’s photographs by novelist and Grammy Award-winning music writer Tom Piazza, enrich this valuable collection.
A biography of Ferdinand 'Jelly Roll' Morton, one of the world's most influential composers of jazz.
Page 74 →A careful listen of the Gibson field recording should reveal details a casual listen does not. For example, “Levee Camp Holler” begins with an introduction from John Lomax, followed by a short protest from Gibson: “Lord, ...
Melodies and words for over 200 authentic folk songs and ballads from all parts of the country — spirituals, hollers, game songs, lullabies, courting songs, work songs, Cajun airs, breakdowns, many more.
3000 Years of Black Poetry: An Anthology