So You Think You Hate Country Music? Then listen to this. The roots of American country music may surprise you. In this series of NPR programs, trace the gradual development of real country music through the first half of the 20th century. Learn how a woman's instrument of the late 1800s, the parlor guitar, became the the central symbol of country and rock; see how African-American musical forms like gospel and blues meshed with the development of country and early rock and influenced the traditional forms in turn; listen to German-Mexican hybrids of accordian style; find out why women had so many honky-tonk torch songs to sing in the late 40s. The series contains hours of content (narrative, interviews, music tracks), and a multitude of excellent links for deeper digging.
posted by Miko
on Feb 2, 2006 -
111 comments
After the Storm Sometime this weekend, you may be able to hear one of the best expressions of New Orleans’ role in music and culture available in any mass media. It's American Routes, a weekly show carried on
many US public radio affiliates. Programmed and hosted by
folklorist and
UNO professor of folklore and culture Nick Spitzer, the show normally broadcasts from a studio in the heart of the French Quarter, but has found a temporary home on a
Creole/Cajun French/English public radio station in Lafayette. Spitzer
told the NYT that he began planning
the music for this week’s show as he was fleeing the flooding city in his car, playing Fats Domino’s
“Walking to New Orleans."
This week’s show highlights New Orleans’ recovery from disasters past, emphasizing the city’s role as the greatest single wellspring of American music. The Crescent City, after all, has either
birthed or nurtured everything from
jazz,
R & B,
cajun and the related black-influenced zydeco,
soul,
blues,
gospel, and
rock and roll.) With an encyclopedic knowledge of American vernacular music, an utterly democratic spirit, and an unmistakeable respect and love for American musical forms and the people who create them, Spitzer has
stepped forward several times this week to serve as a compassionate and optimistic spokesman for the irrepressible
creative spirit of a suffering city and a
culture in diaspora.
posted by Miko
on Sep 10, 2005 -
19 comments
