American Roots Music

[Lady Day]

I guess it's more of a sound or even a movement rather than an actual genera because its such a diverse mix of blues, gospel, country, bluegrass, jazz and folk from the mid 1800s to the early 1900s.

It's becoming a cornerstone of my listening preference, and I'm seeking out vintage and modern artists that seem to reflect the sound. One of the best compilations of the sounds would be the Anthology of American Folk Music collection. And if you don't have it, you should get it.

If you have any history of the 'genera', or some artists I should look into, vintage or modern, please share. I' eager to learn more about the music.

LD

 

[DavidVillaJr]

Maybe you've already got it, or maybe you found it dreadful, but I immensely enjoyed the soundtrack from "O Brother, Where Art Thou?".

It's got Harry McClintock, Norman Blake, Alison Krauss, The Cox Family and The Stanley Brothers.

It's full of good stuff, maybe not exactly what you're looking for, but if you didn't think of it, now you have.

dv

 

[Kahuna]

If you're just beginning to look into this type of music almost anything on the Yazoo, Dust-to-Digital, Arhoolie, Field Recorder's Collective, & Old Hat labels is well worth looking into.

 

[Lady Day]

Maybe you've already got it, or maybe you found it dreadful, but I immensely enjoyed the soundtrack from "O Brother, Where Art Thou?".

Dreadful? Hardly! There are some great sounds on that album.

If you're just beginning to look into this type of music almost anything on the Yazoo, Dust-to-Digital, Arhoolie, Field Recorder's Collective, & Old Hat labels is well worth looking into.

Cool, Ill do some sniffing around.

Thanks, gents!

LD

 

[Feraud]

I really enjoy Harry Smith's Anthology. There are a few websites were you can listen to a lot of roots music.
This music makes up the majority of my current listening time.

 

[Lady Day]

Got any urls?

LD

 

[Feraud]

Here's one favorite.
http://juneberry78s.com/index.htm

 

[Kahuna]

The Juneberry site that Feraud mentioned is a great place to start. Here's a few more urls. Hours of happy listening here:

www.archive.org/details/78rpm
honkingduck.com/mc/
wfmu.org/playlists/TE
mikesnoise.typepad.com/vvictrola/
westernswing78.blogspot.com
www.dailymotion.com/redhotjazz
www.redhotjazz.com

 

[RodeoRose]

I love American roots music, too, especially the early country sounds, like the Carter Family, Blue Sky Boys, and Jimmie Rodgers.

Have you looked into the history and recordings of John and Alan Lomax? They had the best job in the world, traveling the South in the early 1900s archiving American folk songs. I grew up listening to my dad's copy of Alan Lomax's Popular Songbook, which is really a classic. It's hard to find, but if you haven't read it yet, John Lomax's autobiography "Adventures of a Ballad Hunter" is really great.

Edited to add: The Rounder Records label is another one to look out for; they do some modern Americana acts, but they also have released lots of great archival compilations of American folk recordings.

 

[Feraud]

Lady Day, how is the exploration into American Roots Music going? Are you still keen on it?
If you've gone through the sites listed here is another exceptional one-
Honey, Where You Been So Long?

 

[Lady Day]

Oh, Im still very keen into it. Im exploring lots of artists I haven't heard of before. I listen to roots primarily every day

[video]http://www.youtube.com/embed/oAKfy2W70Qg[/video]

I want Geeshie's voice!
(For some reason this clip won't embed.)

LD

 

[Feraud]

Glad to read it. There are so many unique and talented voices that put modern pop music to absolute shame.

 

[DNO]

Try Gillian Welch and David Rawlings. Amazing.

Here's a link to their YouTube video of Red Clay Halo. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7knB3VtAqY

Their latest manifestation is as "The Dave Rawlings Machine".

 

[plain old dave]

We have us a whole station in Knoxville that plays NOTHING but roots music:

www.wdvx.com

They started in a camper up near John Rice Irwin's Museum of Appalachia. They stream and have lots of good info on the website. They are even trying to bring back a sort of combo of the Farm and Home Hour and the Mid-Day Merry Go Round in their Blue Plate Specials from downtown Knoxville. You might of heard of one or 2 Mid-Day Merry Go Round alumni; a Sevier County girl named Dolly and a guitar genius from Luttrell up in Union County named Chet....

 

[The Reno Kid]

Lady Day,

You should check out Blue Suede News. It's a magazine devoted to roots music. They cover new, old, all genres--everything. It's a great resource for finding out what's out there.
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[JohnnyLoco]

Check out this guy from San Antonio, Michael Martin. The perfect blend, I would say, between early folk styles, new folk styles, and rock.
http://www.reverbnation.com/michaelmartintheinfidels

I'm not actually a fan of the term "roots music" because I think it implies that the current groups as well as groups dating back to the early 20's, as mentioned in previous posts, embody some sort of fundamental American musical style or are or were doing something significantly different than musicians who tried to expand stylistic horizons and further the genres in which they worked, such as later blues, jazz, folk, country, R&B, and rock n roll artists. Every musician of this era (20th century) from W.C. Handy, Robert Johnson, and Muddy Waters to Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Allison Krauss, and Led Zeppelin has attempted to incorporate early folk styles artistically into their own music.

I like to think of popular music as a continuum between authentic folk musical styles and artistic styles. On one end, authentic folk music was orally transmitted and was either communally composed or composed by a professional minstrel, bard, or poet. Many American folk songs can have their origins traced back to Europe, and African rhythms and compositional methods were also greatly influential. Folk ballads. This is roots music.

On the other end, you have "artists," from Sir Walter Scott, to W.C. Handy and Bob Dylan who attempted to incorporate folk music into artistic blends, much in the same way that W.B. Yeats used Irish folklore and mysticism as a basis for his literary works.