Anglo and Afro-American Folk Music - Assignment Example

Anglo and Afro-American Folk music Write a two page paper on The Almanac Singers. Write about the impact they had on the music world. In the summer of 1941, emerged a labor activist group which used topical music and old folk melodies to spread awareness about unionism and helped the much forgotten folk music resurface and gain popularity once again (Skinner,1). The group was basically anti-Roosevelt, and vented out their thoughts thorough their thought-provoking lyrics. They had a profound influence on the topical songwriting and singing. The Almanac Singers lived an extremely short period of stardom as a group. It cannot be said that the Almanacs was a singing or performing band since it primarily was a confederation with constantly changing members. In those days American folklore was intricately associated with politics and the Almanacs were preceded by the likes of The Collective, which was a group bent upon revolutionizing the world of music through their songs of protest. However, the Collectives were not very successful in their endeavor (Dunaway,1). The Almanacs barely completed two years and had recorded only about three dozen songs yet each song gained immense popularity. Like the Collectives, the Almanacs followed the political cue. In fact, today they are hailed as one of the pioneers of protest –singing of the 960s. The group started in 1940 when Pete Seeger, Millard Lampell and Lee Hays came together. Pete Seeger and Lee Hays had already started singing at political parties organized by the left front. The name “Almanac” was selected since in rural areas the Bible and the Almanac was found in all homes and the latter helped people get through this worldly life. One can barely keep away politics when it comes to discussing the great works produced by the group. So basically, much of the collection of songs of the groups were inspired by politics and in most cases reflected political standing of the times. The group advocated isolationism, which was rendered as a moot especially after the Pearl Harbor. The songs sung by the Almanacs such as “Which Side are you on” written by Florence Reece or “Solidarity Forever” which later became the anthem of the U.S. Labor Movement and numerous other songs inspired emerging and free-thinking musicians and gypsies. The impact of their intense passion and unity inspires songwriters and singers even today. Even though the Almanacs themselves did not belong to the working class; most of their songs were aimed at the working class. All the members of the Almanac were associated with left front politics and all their functions and public events were aimed at luring people to join their political group. Later on, after Woody Guthrie left the group, the Almanacs was joined by other members such as Veronica Gilbert and Fred Hellerman and slowly changed the group to form the “Weavers.” Nevertheless, even though the main motive behind the formation of the group was primarily political in nature, the songs produced and sung was embraced and loved by all. In 1941 the Almanac singers produced their first album with a political motive. Their albums sold quite well in spite of not belonging to the Western or country genre. Soon after they attracted the attention of the mainstream audience and gained popularity. In 1942, they appeared on the national radio broadcast series called We the People and subsequently appeared on other national shows as well. The songs of Almanacs were primarily folk songs which not only helped popularize that genre but also helped the target audience connect with the thoughts and with each other. The other main reason why the Almanacs were popular and are still popular especially among the youth audience is that the singers brought in a variety of styles such as hillbilly, blues and mountain music. In spite of this their songs being controversial in nature came under the attack of the press several times and led to the ending of the group. 2. Write a one page paper defining Anglo American Folk Music from the past and today. In the past few years the world of music has witnessed drastic transition in all genres of music. The root of the Anglo American Folk music is deeply associated with the folk music brought to this country by British colonists (Bayard, 69). This traditional form of song is unwritten and non-commercialized. Folk music kept pouring in after the onset of 19th century. Most Anglo-American traditional folk music consisted of ballads, satire songs, sad songs and songs about mishaps the concept of folk ballad was also introduced from the British isles. Many oral folksongs were about women power where women donned male disguise and went to war. Such songs flourished as oral folksongs (Dugaw,83). Most of the songs had simple language, sometimes morbid or even grisly plots and a moral. One such very popular Anglo-American folk song is “Barbara Allen” which has more than hundred variants across the country. The fact that folk music was popular even in the beginning of the 20th century shows that it was enjoyed by the people. In the past, folk music was used as a part of the cultural life. It was used to communicate a common person’s everyday hope, sorrows and convictions. Alan Lomax, a popular folklorist is of the opinion that remarkable difference scan be seen with the folksongs hailing from different regions of the country. Today, folk music has been resurrected to an extent and is popular with certain audiences and has positive impact on the lives of the audiences through concerts, music festivals etc. Several popular singers Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell and others have developed their styles derived from folk music. Similarly folk music today can also be seen in children television programmes and in country music which is also derived from folk music (Nettl, 85). Even a few decades ago, the folk song was on the verge of extinction. In fact the study of the folksong was almost erased and it was only after 1970 that with the help of folklorists who organized annual events to popularize the songs (Renwick, 10). Write a one page paper on the life of Leadbelly. Huddie “Lead Belly” Ledbetter , a famous blues singer, song-writer and guitarist is considered a legend today not only because of his versatility but also his notorious lifestyle. Even though he had immense authority on blues style he was much more beyond that. In fact within the black community he was known as the “songster” because of his ability to not only sing but also play a wide array of instruments. Lead Belly always said that he was born on the “fifteenth of January” 1888 (Wolfe and Lornell, 10). Known for his famous creations such as “Cotton Fields” and “Goodnight Irene”, he was among the few who could handle a 12 string guitar with panache and was known as ”the King of 12 string guitar.”. He spent his younger life working with his parents in the sharecropping fields. He had a normal childhood. It was during these early years that he learnt the guitar and took interest in other instruments such as harmonica, piano, Jews harp etc while he got his first guitar in 1903 (Wolfe and Lornell,17). In 1917 he was charged with murder and it was while serving in prison that he picked up the name “Lead Belly.” In fact during the course of his life Lead Belly was charged with several cases and served in prison for many years. He later moved to New York and tried establishing himself as a musician while serving as chauffeur for Jon Lomax. It was during the last fifteen years of his life that he found a grand audience and tasted success. He sang at political rallies and recorded for several labels. He sang with other famous singers and bands such as the Weavers, Jo Stafford and even performed with country singers such as Ernest Tubb. He kept performing in spite of his poverty and in 1949 he passed way after being diagnosed with Lou Gehrig’s disease. It was a tragedy that it was only after his death did his songs reach a much wider audience and gained popularity across the world. Nevertheless, this articulate and persevering performer’s life has awe-struck and inspired many to such an extent that director Cutis Hahn is all set to release his movie- Lead Belly: Life, Legend and Legacy based on the life of this legend later this year. Write a one page paper on Bessie Smith. Bessie smith also named the “Empress of Blues”, the name earned by virtue of her strong and powerful voice, was born in Tennessee in 1894.She sang with a very strong, passionate almost gravelly voice and her singing is highly inflected. She was the eighth child in a poverty stricken household and hence even before she turned 10, Bessie sang at street corners to earn pennies. It was during this time that she was offered a wage for singing at a local tavern and thus began her career. Her professional career began as a dancer in Rabbit Foot Minstrels and was soon trained by blues singer Ma Rainey. In the early 1920s she signed records with Columbia Records and sold numerous records. Her lyrics were plain with strong words inspired by the life and everyday experiences of the people of the South Her rich and powerful tone and diction helped her gain popularity and she worked with several recording companies. Besides being one of the highest paid black singers of her times, she was a true performer and an all-round entertainer who acted and danced. However, she met with an untimely death in 1937 in a car crash. In spite of her death, her songs continued to win millions of hearts around the world. Bessie Smith’s blue songs are regarded as feminist and most of her songs regarding love and sex were used to express feelings about social and personal freedom (Suisman, 71). Even though later on Bessie Smith turned out to be one of the most popular stars, being a blues singer she was shunned by the African-American middle class women who were of the opinion that Smith’s songs presented their life in a degraded fashion to the rest of the world. But in reality, she was one of the few women who expressed herself freely during the time when women barely voiced their opinions. Despite this her fan following included not black Americans but also by devoted groups of white Americans as well. She gained so much popularity inspite of being a black blues singer that she was even featured in a short film. Posthumous she was awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement 1989 while in 1994 U.S. postal service issued postage stamps bearing Smiths picture. References Bayard,S.P. “Decline and Revival of Anglo-American Folk Music.” Midwest Folklore, 5.2(1955): 69-77.Print. Dugaw,D. “Anglo-American Folksong Reconsidered: The Interface of Oral and Written Forms.” Western Folklore,43.2(1984):83-103.Print. Dunaway,D.K. “The Unsung Songs of protest: the Composers Collective of New York.” New York Folklore, 5.1(1979). Web. 3 June 2015. http://www.nyfolklore.org/pubs/nyf/nyf-5-1-2/unsung.html. Nettl, B. Folk and Traditional Music of the Western Continents. USA: Prentice-Hall, Inc.,1965. Print. Renwick,R.Recentering Anglo/American Folksong. USA:University Press of Mississippi, 2001. Print. Skinner,M.”Almanac Singers tours Recreated.” Mad Folk news,39.8 (2013).Web. 3 June 2015. Web. http://www.madfolk.org/newsltrs/2013-08mfmsNews3985.pdf. Siusman, D.”Was Bessie Smith a Feminist.” Souls, (1999):71-75. Print. Wolfe,C and Lornell,K. The Life and Legend of Lead Belly. N.Y: Da Capo Press, 1999.Print Read More