The Never-Ending Revival
About the Book
Focusing on American folk music and roots music since the 1950s, The Never-Ending Revival: Rounder Records and the Folk Alliance analyzes the intrinsic contradictions of a commercialized folk culture. In recent years, both Rounder Records and the North American Folk Music and Dance Alliance have sought to make folk music widely available, while simultaneously respecting its defining traditions and unique community atmosphere. Tracing the histories of these organizations, Michael F. Scully explores the lively debates about the difficulty of making commercially accessible music, honoring tradition, and remaining artistically relevant, all without "selling out." He combines rich interviews of music executives and practicing folk musicians with valuable personal experience to reveal how this American subculture remains in a "never-ending revival" based on fluid definitions of folk and folk music.About the Author
Michael F. Scully is an attorney and holds a Ph.D. in American Studies from the University of Texas at Austin.Reviews
"Scully explores many facets of the folk music revival. . . . Well written, well researched."--Bluegrass Unlimited"For those of us with a fondness for Rounder and all the offbeat music it has brought us throughout the years, this book . . . is a must-have."--Sing Out!
"With care and grace, Scully details the power struggles, the hirings and resignations, the handwringing and public denunciations that characterize any organization that tries to blend notions of cultural purity with commercial ambitions."--American Studies
"[A] thoughtful and insightful book. . . . Scully's important exploration of the folk music revival . . . will only gain in significance as the opportunities for the transmission of folk music increase."--ARSC Journal
"A keenly insightful study."--Western Folklore
Blurbs
"A clear, intelligent, insightful, and open-minded look into the world of folk music. This well-researched book details the conflicts inherent in a hard-to-define musical genre."--Tommy Erdelyi (Tommy Ramone)
"Scully covers new territory in exploring the recent history of folk music in the United States by focusing on Rounder Records and the North American Folk Music and Dance Alliance. This book is essential for anyone interested in recent developments in folk music and its role in the aftermath of the folk revival of the 1960s."--Ronald D. Cohen, author of Folk Music: The Basics
"This well-researched book fills an important gap in the chronicle of the folk revival. Particularly impressive is Scully's recapitulation of the painful debates about Rounder's commercial survival and the nature of folklore and folk song."--Ed Cray, author of Ramblin' Man: The Life and Times of Woody Guthrie
Related Titles
