Ronald D. Cohen
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- January 2017
- ISBN:
- 9781469628813
- eISBN:
- 9781469628837
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/northcarolina/9781469628813.001.0001
- Subject:
- Music, History, American
The role of folk music, broadly defined, during the trying years of the Great Depression in the United States, 1929–40, with a particular focus on the role of left-wing political groups and ...
More
The role of folk music, broadly defined, during the trying years of the Great Depression in the United States, 1929–40, with a particular focus on the role of left-wing political groups and individuals. The government promoted a labor and cultural renaissance through the “alphabet stew” of federal programs, employing Charles Seeger, John and Alan Lomax, and numerous others in collecting folk music. Performers such as Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Pete Seeger, and many others connected vernacular music with commercial outlets such as concerts, record companies, and radio shows. Members of the Communist Party, in particular, used folk music to promote labor unions, civil rights, and a peace movement. Folk music remained a vital part of popular culture throughout the Depression years into World War II. There is a particular focus on the role that folk music played in the clash between capitalism and the emerging grassroots proletarian movements.Less
The role of folk music, broadly defined, during the trying years of the Great Depression in the United States, 1929–40, with a particular focus on the role of left-wing political groups and individuals. The government promoted a labor and cultural renaissance through the “alphabet stew” of federal programs, employing Charles Seeger, John and Alan Lomax, and numerous others in collecting folk music. Performers such as Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Pete Seeger, and many others connected vernacular music with commercial outlets such as concerts, record companies, and radio shows. Members of the Communist Party, in particular, used folk music to promote labor unions, civil rights, and a peace movement. Folk music remained a vital part of popular culture throughout the Depression years into World War II. There is a particular focus on the role that folk music played in the clash between capitalism and the emerging grassroots proletarian movements.
Kevin D. Greene
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- September 2019
- ISBN:
- 9781469646497
- eISBN:
- 9781469646510
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- University of North Carolina Press
- DOI:
- 10.5149/northcarolina/9781469646497.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, African-American History
Between the turn of the twentieth century to his death in 1958, William “Big Bill Broonzy” was one of the most successful and recorded bluesmen of the period. Widley regarded as the most important of ...
More
Between the turn of the twentieth century to his death in 1958, William “Big Bill Broonzy” was one of the most successful and recorded bluesmen of the period. Widley regarded as the most important of all pre-WWII blues artists, Broonzy’s long and remarkable career offer a glimpse into the development of African American celebrity within modern American history. Big Bill, in conjunction with and sometimes in opposition against a host of promoters, producers, academicians, and audiences, invented and reinvented his identity across his career in a remarkably fluid way. Each audience and generation brought its own expectations with them as they consumed Big Bill’s music and discovered his humanity. Broonzy’s long and unapparelled career stemmed from his ability to recognize these expectations, use them to his own advantage, and, in turn, transform his self-presentation and evolving black consciousness into modern celebrity.Less
Between the turn of the twentieth century to his death in 1958, William “Big Bill Broonzy” was one of the most successful and recorded bluesmen of the period. Widley regarded as the most important of all pre-WWII blues artists, Broonzy’s long and remarkable career offer a glimpse into the development of African American celebrity within modern American history. Big Bill, in conjunction with and sometimes in opposition against a host of promoters, producers, academicians, and audiences, invented and reinvented his identity across his career in a remarkably fluid way. Each audience and generation brought its own expectations with them as they consumed Big Bill’s music and discovered his humanity. Broonzy’s long and unapparelled career stemmed from his ability to recognize these expectations, use them to his own advantage, and, in turn, transform his self-presentation and evolving black consciousness into modern celebrity.
