A New History of American and Canadian Folk Music (Hardback)

A renowned and prolific writer on folk music, Weissman (emer., Univ. of Colorado, Denver) expands on his earlier book, Which Side Are You On?: An Inside History of the Folk Music Revival in America (CH, Mar'06, 43-3956), by providing an updated chronicle of American and Canadian folk music from the early days of folk-song collecting in the 18th century to the present ... Anecdotal as well as scholarly, this book is appropriate for both fans and researchers. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readers. * CHOICE *
Few insiders from the Folk movement of the 1950s/60s have been as prolific as Dick Weissman. This overview is scholarly, amiable, and anecdotal: he sheds light on the well-known and lesser known music types with his first-person experiences. He delivers an excellent study of styles and personalities that shaped this special genre of American and Canadian music. * J. Michael Kearsey, Berkshire Snow Productions, USA *
Dick Weissman was in the room at the dawn of the US-Canadian folk revival of the 1960s. As a musician, songwriter, and recording artist, he is uniquely placed to reflect on North American folk music as practice, cultural movement, and commercial industry. Also a professor and teacher, he is able to offer the wider historical overview. His New History is at once informed and idiosyncratic, scholarly and personal. It is sure to become a major source for future historians and lay readers alike. * Will Kaufman, Professor of American Literature & Culture, University of Central Lancashire, UK, and author of Woody Guthrie, American Radical (2011), Woody Guthrie's Modern World Blues (2017), and Mapping Woody Guthrie (2019) *