Discovering Folk Music [Hardcover]

Stephanie P. Ledgin (Author), Gregg Spiridellis (Foreword), Evan Spiridellis (Foreword)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Here's the who, what, when, and where primer for folk music. This guide clearly maps out the scope of a genre that is too often narrowly pigeonholed by its association with banjos and fiddles. No doubt, Discovering Folk Music will become a 'go to' reference for fans and students alike." --Terry Stewart, President, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, 7/22/2009

"Are you a singer-songwriter? Perhaps you listen to Americana music or are learning guitar or banjo. Did you enjoy O Brother, Where Art Thou? Stephanie Ledgin provides an excellent map to explore folk music in history and pop culture. And she is spot on! Reading Discovering Folk Music is akin to hanging out in your best friend's kitchen talking about the music you love. Strongly recommended for players and casual listeners alike." --Mary Sue Twohy, XM15 The Village, the folk channel on Sirius XM Satellite Radio, 7/13/2009

"Stephanie Ledgin makes the case that if you love any music (and who doesn't?), you love folk music but probably never knew it. Discovering Folk Music is a compelling achievement in scope, in purpose, and in the details that make its vast subject comprehensible and 'hands on.' She infuses the music with a history and a context that includes people and stories woven into the fabric of our rich cultural heritage. And as a result, we can cherish America's folk music even more." --Mark Schaffer, Songwriter & President, Folk Project of New Jersey, 7/8/2009

“This is a brilliant, scholarly but readable introduction to its subject, 'folk music,' broadly defined, by an award-winning photo-journalist....(the author) has hit this one out of the park." --John McLaughlin, thedigitalfolklife.org (added by author)”

About the Author

STEPHANIE P. LEDGIN is an international award-winning photojournalist, whose 35-year career has spanned publications, recordings, and museums. Lincoln Center, Smithsonian Folkways recording label, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, and Sing Out! magazine, among others, have featured her work. A former New York City radio-show host, she was director of the New Jersey Folk Festival for 10 years. A founding member of Folk Alliance International, she is the author of Homegrown Music: Discovering Bluegrass (Praeger, 2004; University of Illinois Press, 2006) and From Every Stage: Images of America's Roots Music (University Press of Mississippi, 2005). (edited by author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 181 pages
• Publisher: Praeger (February 9, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0275993876
• ISBN-13: 978-0275993870
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #959,440 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

STEPHANIE P. LEDGIN is an international award-winning photojournalist, whose 35-year career has spanned publications, recordings, and museums. Lincoln Center, Smithsonian Folkways recording label, Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum, and Sing Out! magazine, among others, have featured her work. A former NYC radio-show host, she was director of the New Jersey Folk Festival for 10 years. A founding member of Folk Alliance International, she is the author of Discovering Folk Music (Praeger 2010), her groundbreaking new book that that will change the way you think about and listen to folk music. Her earlier books are Homegrown Music: Discovering Bluegrass (Praeger 2004 hc; University of Illinois Press 2006 pb) and From Every Stage: Images of America's Roots Music (University Press of Mississippi 2005). In addition, she is a contributing author to the Encyclopedia of New Jersey (Rutgers University Press 2004). Ms. Ledgin's Web site is http://ledgin.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Introducing the concept of folk music to the online and iPod generation, July 24, 2010

By 

Steven I. Ramm "Steve Ramm "Anything Phon... (Phila, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Discovering Folk Music (Hardcover)

Stephanie Ledgin is primarily a photojournalist with roots in folk music. She managed the New Jersey Folk Festival for 10 years and helped found the International Folk Alliance. This is her second book, the first being Discovering Bluegrass. While I've not read that book, I did enjoy reading this volume.

Ledgin's goal is to introduce what baby boomers experienced in the 1960s and 70s by discovering the breadth of "folk music" being performed by Bob Dylan, Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Malvina Reynolds, Tom Paxton, Mississippi John Hurt, Libba Cotton and others, to the iPod generation, many of who never owned a disc record or attended a "folk festival". For those of us who did attend festivals, as well as political rallies and marches BW (Before Woodstock), this is all rote knowledge. We lived it. With book Ledgin is reaching for the PC-ready audience providing brief bios of legendary performers as well as some of the "new generation" of folk music performers and lots and lots of website references to seek further info. After a chapter whose title asks "What is Folk Music?", she moves quickly to the "Folk Boom" of the 1950s. Utilizing excerpts from interviews she has recorded over the years with artists ranging from David Bromberg and Tom Paxton to the Abrams Brothers, she shows the breadth of what is often too narrowly defined as "folk". Is Aaron Copland a folk composer? (He borrows from traditional American music.). Are both Stephen Foster and Ani DiFranco folk song composers? It all blends together. And, as you will see in the "resource section" that fills the last third of the book, nearly every artist, movie, or even "folk camp" has a website you can visit to learn more. As expected, there is a "selected listing" of recordings that Ledgin recommends. Its brief but a good place to start. There is an index in the back to help you find your way back to a certain spot.

Some of Ledgin's photos of folk performers are bound into the middle of the volume.

This is not really a reference book, but more of an easy to read series of essay which will introduce new listeners to this genre of music (now often being blended into the title "americana"). Because new artists come and go - and website URLs change - the book may outlive its currency in a few years. But, for now, I can certainly recommend it to anyone who has just discovered their first folk festival or chanced across the satellite radio channel "the Village" on XM radio and wants to know more.

Steve Ramm
"Anything Phonographic"

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars interesting and enlightening!, March 5, 2010

By 

Lisa C. Nielsen (New Haven, CT) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Discovering Folk Music (Hardcover)

A fine book for anyone who is interested in the back stories of music -- any kind, not just American folk. Very well written, informative, entertaining. A good book to read cover to cover -- or dip into here and there, as a reference book.