Folk Music

FOLK MUSIC, 1930s-1960s.

Americans have been creating and sharing music since the arrival of the earliest settlers, Encompassing musical styles derived from American Indian, English, European, Asian, and African traditions, topical American folk ‘music often takes its musical form from earlier pieces and its content from the events of the day. In the eatly 1930s, as the Depression worsened, there was much to chronicle in topical music, and American farmers, workers, and unemployed citizens often put new words to old and familiar hymns, marches, and popular tunes. They were renewing the tradition of black soldiers in the Civil War who created the ‘Marching Song of the First of Arkansas" from “John Brown's Body"; miners who sang “Miners’ Lifeguard” {n the 1880s to the tune of "The Vacant Chait,” written after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln; and ‘members of the Industrial Workers of the World who sang “I'm Too Old to Be a Scab” to the tune of the Civil War ballad “Just before the Battle, Mother.”

In the early part of the decade, the organized Left hhad expressed little interest in folk music as a vehcle for advancing class struggle. The Communist ide‘ological line ofthat time downplayed the importance

‘of regional or national cultural expressions, and some ‘of the highly trained modernist composers of the ‘Composers Collective disdained folk music in fav ff the more complex styles they had recently studJed in Europe, But this music was less than effective in organizing working-class audiences. in 1933 Mike Gold recognized the problem when he asked in the Daily. Worker, “Why don’t American workers sing?

‘The Wobblies knew how, but we stil have to develop.

Communist Joe Hil.”

“The shift tothe ideas of the Popular Front in 1935 hhad a profound impact on left-wing American musie. Composers in the Collective began to include folk ‘music in their Workers Song Books and to popularize the folk musics of African Americans, farmers, min: rs, and urban workers in their concert pieces. Leftwing performers such as Paul Robeson, Cisco Houston, Aunt Molly Jackson, and many others gave voice to the protests and celebrations of these constituenles in music that once again relied on older hymns, familiar tunes, and the talkin’ blues to communicate the political messages ofthe later part ofthe decade.

‘Among the important performer-creators of 1930s were Hudaie Ledbetter (Leadbelly) and Woodie Guthrie, Each had a broad repertoire of songs and ‘each placed his songs in political and social context with recorded monologues about the conditions that Inspired the music, A blues player and singer from Louisiana as well asa performer on the twelve-string guitar, Leadbelly recorded his music for the Library ‘of Congress in 1933 and again in 1935-1940 unk the direction of John Lomax. Woody Guthrie hailed from Oklahoma, knew the dust bowl region firsthand aS a hobo in the 1930s, and wrote more than one thousand songs. Guthrie, who had painted "This Machine Kills Fascists” on the body of his guitar, made recordings with Alan Lomax for the Library of Congress in 1940,

During World War I, Southern topical music, often called hilbily or country music, began to reach ‘a broader audience as service personnel from the re sion helped to expand the popularity of such petformers as Roy Acuff and Emest Tubb. Later per ormers and composers of protest musie would return to the tradition of the narrative ballad and other forms common in countey music.

Between 191 and 1942, the Almanac Singers, founded by Pete Seeger, Lee Hays, Millard Lampell, and Woody Guthrie, and deriving their name from the Farers Almanac, sang for organizing campaigns ‘of the Congress of Industrial Organizations and at ‘other politcal functions. The group consisted of about twelve singers and players who lived together ina loft commune near New York's Union Square.

‘They performed topical songs about life in the Depression as well as union songs. From time to time the group included Burl Ives, Cisco Houston, Bess Lo.

‘max, and composer Earl Robinson. From 1941 10 1946 Elie Siegmeister led the American Ballad Singers in performances of traditional American music throughout the country. This group foreshadowed the trend toward performing folk music in arrange‘ments for more than one voice, often with instru: ‘mental accompaniment,

People’s Songs emerged after World War II as a loosely knit group of folk musicians whose purpose ‘was to present occasional performances and develop, a library of protest songs that could be used by trade ‘unions and other groups. The group elected officers.

and published a monthly bulletin whose first ssue declared that “the people are on the march and must hhave songs to sing, Now, in 1946, the truth must as sett itself in many singing voices..." Members of ‘the Almanac Singers participated in Peoples Songs, as did younger singers and folk dancers such as lewin Silber. The lyrics to the popular *If Had a Hammer” ‘were written by Seeger and Hays at a board of direc: tors’ meeting of People’s Songs.

Pethaps the most significant contributing group {in the “folk revival” of the 1950s and 1960s was the Weavers, founded in 1948 by Seeger, Hays, Ronnie Gilbert, and Fred Hellerman. Strong left-wing polit ‘al convictions and associations led both to the blacklisting and the U.S, government's investigation ofthis ‘group and to its popularity among progressives during the McCarthy era. The Weavers performed and recorded traditional topical music as well as contemporary songs composed by members. Political pressure forced the Weavers to disband in 1953 because they could not find a hall in which to perform. The Weavers reformed in 1955 and continued perform {ng until 1963, even after Seegers departure in 1988.

A special reunion concert of the Weavers was chron{eled in the film Wasn‘t That a Time (1981),

With the popularization of folk music presented {im more formal arrangements came a variety of _groups such asthe Kingston Trio and the New Christy Minstrels, whose music reached broad audiences largely because of accessibility and the absence of strong political perspective. The new popularity of folk-music styles helped gain acceptance for folk and topical music that dealt with significant social issues.

Singers like Josh White, Big Bill Broonzy, and Odetta Drought the blues, religious musi, and freedom songs of the civil rights movement to a public that was accustomed to the folk sound. In addition, composers of new topical songs such as Malvina Reynolds, Seeger, and Bob Dylan communicated significant ‘messages in their songs as they and others performed them, A humorous critique of social and political conformity, a denunciation of the evils of war, and the perspective of a new generation reached the public in “Little Boxes,” “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” and “The Times They Are A-Changin’.” Tr Aitional folk pieces and new topical songs were published and discussed in Sing Out! magazine, from hich many amateur and professional folk performers eared of the newest developments in folk and protest music.

In the mid-1960s, lines between the folk-music and popular-music genres were bridged for a time as folk performers and their songs achieved significant popularity. The music of Seeger and Dylan, for example, was heard by large audiences through record{ngs by such diverse artists as Judy Collins, Joan Baez, the Byrds, and Peter, Paul and Mary. As the civil rights movement had contributed new verses to familiar songs as well as newly composed songs to the folk‘music repertoire, the protest against the war in Viet‘ham inspired music by Seeger and Baez, Phil Ochs, and Tom Paxton, The popularity of anti-war songs suuch as Arlo Guthrie's “Alice's Restaurant Massacree,” first performed at the Newport Folk Festival in 1967, and *Fixin’ to Die Rag,” sung by Country Joe and the Fish, particularly in the version sung at Woodstock Jn 1969, gave these pieces near folk status with a public that associated anti-war sentiments with music.

The 1960s also saw the fusion of folk styles wtih rock ‘music in the work ofthe Byrds, Simon and Garfunkel, and Crosby, Stills, Nash, and (sometimes) Young.

If the decades since the 1960s have not inspired a sustained public interest in topical songs with clear political messages performed in a folk style, there is.no lack of contemporary folk music. The women’s ‘movement has given inspiration to many composers land performers. The antinuclear movement has a topical music of its own, as do various labor, com‘munity, and environmental groups. As long as there ate social issues to serve as the subject of new music, folk singers will keep alive the traditions of the past

{as they adapt old styles to meet new political challenges.

[See also Folk Music, 1970s-1990s; Guthrie, ‘Woody; Seeger, Pete: Sing Out!/Broadside,]