CI5472 Teaching Film, Television, and Media

 Module 9: Popular Music and Radio ~ Different Music Genres

Module 9

Folk

Another genre central to the development of American music is folk music, made famous by Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and Bob Dylan.

Woody Guthrie Foundation

The Songs of Woody Guthrie
geocities.com
fortunecity.com

Pete Seeger Appreciation Page

Pete Seeger’s Songs

bobdylan.com

Bob Dylan’s Original Songs

These three singers consistently expressed populist themes in their music related to the plight of working-class and rural Americans. As previously noted, Dylan’s shift to more electronic forms in the 1960s and 1970s reflected the ways in which folk music shifted somewhat in terms of it’s style. Folk music also draws on early blues; it may difficult to define clear distinctions between early blues and folk music as reflected in the music of Robert Johnson, John Lee Hooker, and Bessie Smith.

Contemporary folk singers continue the early traditions of openly addressing social and personal concerns of everyday life as expressed in the songs by Altan, the Chieftains, Ani DiFranco, Ry Cooder, Sara McLachlan, Wilco, John Prine, and Los Lobos.

Sites with lots of links to different aspects of folk music:

Musical Traditions

Folk Music Home Page

42explore.com: Folk Music

World Folk Music Association

eFolkMusic.org (some free downloads)

The American Folk Music Community

PBS: Tapping the Roots of American Music

The Mudcat Café [ for downloading folk music ]

Folk music instruments

Dirty Linen Magazine

A Mighty Wind (parody of a documentary on folk music)

Lesson: Sing a Tale

 

For further reading:

Filene, B. (2000). Romancing the folk: Public memory and American roots music. Chapel Hill, NC: University of North Carolina Press.

Seeger, R., & Polansky, L. (2003). “The Music of American Folk Song” and Selected Other Writings on American Folk Music. Rochester, NY: University of Rochester Press.

Stambler, I, & Stambler, L. (2001). Folk & blues: The encyclopedia: The premier encyclopedia Of American roots music. New York: Thomas Dunne Books

Unterberger, R., & Brend, M. (2002). Turn! turn! turn!: The '60s folk-rock revolution. New York: Backbeat.

The Value of Studying Popular Music

Purposes for Studying Popular Music as Media

Development of Recorded Popular Music

Different Music Genres

Rock

Jazz

Soul/Motown

Blues

Hip Hop/Rap

Punk

Folk

Country

Cajun/Zydeco

The Music of Protest

Music Videos

Film Music

The Economics of the Popular Music Industry

Studying Radio

Teaching Activity

References


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