Folk Music, the Music of Protest |
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"An increasingly alienated college-age audiencefound moral comfort in the words and lives of these exponents of the urban folk revival."--When the Music Mattered
a Folk sampler
Bob Dylan
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The Winds of Change
Folk music
originated at the turn of the century with the help of the International Workers of the World(IWW). Members of the IWW introduced folk music in an effort to equality for American Workers. Some early folk artists were Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger.
Folk music reappeared in the 60's through the growing number of college students. The students, searching for something other then the mainstream, adopted folk music. One of the first groups to start the folk revival was The Kingston Trio.
Folk was music with a message. Songs like "Times They Are a Changin'" and "Blowin' in the Wind" by Bob Dylan, "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" and "Little Boxes" by Pete Seeger, "We Shall Overcome" by Joan Baez, and "Universal Soldier" by Buffy Saint-Marie depicted the racism and war that ws going on during the 60's. Bob Dylan participated in the Civil Rights march in Washington D.C. in 1963.
Folk music kind of filled the gap between Rock and Roll and the British invasion. There was period where rock began to get bland and mainstream. As folk songs gained spots on the charts it helped return popular music to its roots--blues and country.
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