The Life, Music and Thought of Woody Guthrie
A Critical Appraisal
Format:Hardback
Publisher:Taylor & Francis Ltd
Published:7th Apr '11
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
This hardback is available in another edition too:
- Paperback£49.99(9781138273375)
Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (1912-67) has had an immense impact on popular culture throughout the world. His folk music brought traditional song from the rural communities of the American southwest to the urban American listener and, through the global influence of American culture, to listeners and musicians alike throughout Europe and the Americas. Similarly, his use of music as a medium of social and political protest has created a new strategy for campaigners in many countries. But Guthrie's music was only one aspect of his multifaceted life. His labour-union activism helped embolden the American working class, and united such distinct groups as the rural poor, the urban proletariat, merchant seamen and military draftees, contributing to the general call for workers' rights during the 1930s and 1940s. As well as penning hundreds of songs (both recorded and unrecorded), Guthrie was also a prolific writer of non-sung prose, writing regularly for the American communist press, producing volumes of autobiographical writings and writing hundreds of letters to family, friends and public figures. Furthermore, beyond music Guthrie also expressed his creative talents through his numerous pen-and-ink sketches, a number of paintings and occasional forays into poetry. This collection provides a rigorous examination of Guthrie's cultural significance and an evaluation of both his contemporary and posthumous impact on American culture and international folk-culture. The volume utilizes the rich resources presented by the Woody Guthrie Foundation.
Classified as 'Research Essential' by Baker & Taylor YBP Library Services A Yankee Book Peddler UK Core Title for 2011 'Making excellent use of material from the Woody Guthrie Foundation and Archives in New York, this book examines Woody’s image, his songwriting, his politics and his friendships. In the process, a few myths are questioned and some new dimensions of his life and work are revealed. The result is a welcome portrait of Woody as a twentieth century figure with much to offer to the twenty-first. The book serves as an excellent introduction to Guthrie’s work as well as providing unexpected perspectives even for those of us who thought we knew all about him.' Dave Laing, Institute of Popular Music, University of Liverpool, UK '... a welcome addition to the scholarly literature. It should especially interest students of American folk music and American culture... Recommended.' Choice 'The contributors to this fantastic edited volume effectively answer the questions posed by Jorge Arévalo Mateus in the foreword: "What is the source of Guthrie's enduring cultural value? Why are artists and academics alike drawn to the mythology and reality of his life and times?". Using recent and traditional analytical frameworks from a variety of disciplines, these scholars unpack Guthrie's expressive practices, iconicity, and political aesthetics. This volume ushers in a new generation of scholarship in "Guthrie Studies". This book would be helpful in both undergraduate classes and graduate seminars. Classes that focus on the formation of artist identities, twentieth-century American popular music, the Dust Bowl, music and migration, and Bob Dylan would find many articles in this volume enlightening.' Journal of Folklore Research 'In every sense an excellent book, exciting, surprising and enlightening!' Folker ’This collection of essays contains a considerable wealth of information about Woody Guthrie: his music, his political principles, and his life and work
ISBN: 9780754669555
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: 544g
216 pages