A New History of American and Canadian Folk Music

Abstract

Because it mostly covers so much familiar territory, this book's title, A New History of American and Canadian Folk Music, is misleading primarily because there is not much “New” here. Weissman largely recounts well-known information about the usual suspects: the importance of Alan Lomax, the impact of the 1950s/1960s “folk revival,” the rise of folk festivals, and so on. The “Canadian” suggests a new geographic perspective on this expansive topic—most books encompassing folk music in North America stop at the Canadian border. However, the Canadian perspective is disappointingly meager. Only one 14-page chapter, “Meanwhile, Back in Canada,” focuses on this vast country to the north of the United States. I can only imagine that someone at Bloomsbury said, “Hey, Dick, if you want to include Canada in the title, you have to have at least one chapter set there.” Unfortunately, the Canadian content in the book is scant and represents a lost opportunity. For example, the long-standing, vibrant, and well-documented Cape Breton fiddle tradition in eastern Nova Scotia has undergone its own renaissance since the 1970s with Natalie MacMaster as its best-known and very public current proponent. This tradition, at least, calls for at least a few paragraphs somewhere in the Canadian chapter that largely focuses on artists involved with the folk scene in the 1960s.However one defines folk music, no single volume could hope to do more than skim the surface of the topics encompassed by the title of this book, and Weissman does plenty of skimming. The “Contents” page gives the reader a glimpse of what's to come: 18 generally too-short chapters on topics meandering from “The Civil Rights Movement” to “The Folk Music Business,” presented in roughly chronological order. Many of the sections within these chapters are exceptionally brief. For example, “Taj Mahal” in the chapter titled “What's Going On: Expansion, Contraction, and Evolution” consists of five sentences split into two short paragraphs. In the same chapter, Hawaiian guitar wizard “Bob Brozman” clocks in at three sentences. Such brief sections contain no new information or insights. I would have been much more interested if Weissman had more fully developed this chapter into a longer, richer, and more seamless essay with fewer terse sections, most of which seem to be tossed in.A New History of American and Canadian Folk Music often draws on the author's personal experience, participation, or observations, which constitutes its greatest strength. The book is filled with dozens of short sections, meditations on topics with which Weissman often has had personal experience, most notably the “revival” era of folk-rock, singer-songwriters, and festivals. And when he spends more time musing about these and related topics, the book becomes more meaningful. Take, for instance, “The Riddle of Authenticity.” In this chapter, the author is largely playing his strong suit because he goes into greater depth, which results in an interesting and provocative examination of the topic. These longer and more personal chapters are the book's most noteworthy contributions.The publisher's blurb indicates that A New History of American and Canadian Folk Music “examines the history of folk music into the 21st century and how it evolved from an agrarian style as it became increasingly urbanized.” Well, sort of. The book is not really a history because it lacks the depth implied by the title. And rather than the rural to urban theme, I believe that the interaction between folk and popular styles lies at the heart of Weissman's interests. Readers seeking a comprehensive overview implied by A New History of American and Canadian Folk Music will be disappointed. Ultimately, I found it frustratingly scattershot. The title is enticing, but the book falls short of its promise.Dick Weissman has been a keen observer of and participant in the folk scene for some 60 years. I wish that he had taken the opportunity to lend a far greater personal voice to a book, perhaps titled “Dick Weissman's Personal Guide to Folk Music in the United States.” Such a book aimed at a general reader, which seems to be the audience for the book under review, is one that I would look forward to reading.