“I wanted to write songs which I think is a different thing. I wanted to write music that is informed by folk music. The chord progressions are obvious references.” ThinkingWritingDifferentWantedSongFolksObviousDifferent ThingsChordsProgressionFolk Music Author:Joanna Newsom
“If songs were lines in a conversation, the situation would be fine . . .” IfsWould BeSongLinesSituationMusicFineConversationSinger SongwritersFolk Music Author:Nick Drake
“All music is folk music. I ain't never heard a horse sing a song.” ArtFunnySongMusicHistoryHeardMusicianMusic IsHorseMusicalFolksClassical MusicGuitaristFolk MusicInspirational MusicFunny MusicFamous MusicianFolk SongsClassic MusicHearing MusicModern MusicClassical Musicians Author:Louis Armstrong
“People sing each other's songs and they cultivate standards. That's the reason why we have folk music and folk stories. History is told through song.” PeopleReasonStoriesSongStandardsFolksReason WhyFolk Music Author:Brandi Carlile
“A professional entertainer who allows himself to become known as a singer of folk songs is bound to have trouble with his conscience provided, of course, that he possesses one. As a performing artist, he will pride himself on timing and other techniques designed to keep the audience in his control ... his respect for genuine folklore reminds him that these changes, and these techniques, may give the audience a false picture of folk music.” GivingMayArtistSongCoursesKnownAudienceTroublePrideConscienceBoundsFolksTechniqueSingersGenuinePerformingTimingEntertainersFolkloreFolk MusicPerforming ArtsFolk SongsPerforming Artist Author:Sam Hinton
“Folk music is not so much a body of art as it is a process, an attitude, and a way of life; its distinguishing features lie not within the songs themselves, but in the relations of those songs to a folk culture.” WayArtBodyLyingSongCultureProcessAttitudeMusic IsRelationFolksFeaturesFolk Music Author:Sam Hinton
“I think folk music helps reinforce your sense of history. An old song makes you think of times gone by.” ThinkingHelpingSongGoneFolksMake You ThinkFolk MusicOld SongTimes Gone By Author:Pete Seeger
“In the United States, many people said you can't have folk music in the United States because you don't have any peasant class. But the funny thing was, there were literally thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of people who loved old time fiddling, ballads, banjo tunes, blues played on the guitar, spirituals and gospel hymns. These songs and music didn't fit into any neat category of art music nor popular music nor jazz. So gradually they said well let's call it folk music.” PeopleWellsArtSaidStatesSongUnitedClassUnited StatesFitJazzGuitarFolksTunesCategoriesThey SaidFunny ThingsPeasantsNeatHymnsFolk MusicBalladsOld TimePopular MusicArt MusicBanjos Author:Pete Seeger
“He [Alan Lomax] started right off trying to find people who could introduce folk songs to city people. He found a young actor named Burl Ives and said, "Burl, you know a lot of great country songs learned from your grandmother, don't you know people would love to hear them?" He put on radio programs. He persuaded CBS to dedicate "The School of the Air" for one year to American folk music. He'd get some old sailor to sing an old sea shanty with a cracked voice. Then he'd get me to sing it with my banjo.” PeopleKnowsTryingYearsSaidCountrySchoolYoungSongActorsFoundVoiceCitiesAirSeaProgramFolksRadioGrandmotherIntroducingSailorCrackedFolk MusicGreat CountryYoung ActorsBanjosYour GrandmotherFolk Songs Author:Pete Seeger
“I fell in love with folk music at Surprise Lake Camp. It was the songs of Woody Guthrie and the Weavers.” SongSurpriseFolksLakesCampsWoodyFolk MusicWeavers Author:Neil Diamond
“I think that anything is a form of folk music. That's just me being glib, but the thing I like the best about humans, and there are not many other things besides this, is that humans make culture. If you're an artist, a big part of folk is noticing what other people are doing and incorporating it and changing it - the way that songs warp and change over time.” PeopleIfsThinkingWayHumansBigsFormArtistSongCultureFolksNoticingFolk MusicWarpIncorporatingChanges Over Time Author:Will Sheff
“Culture dictated from above is the enemy of folk music. Whether it's stuffy classical music or pre-engineered pop where somebody's paid tons of money to make sure that everyone hears this song a certain number of times a day - that feels like the opposite of folk music.” FeelsCertainSongCultureNumbersEnemyOppositesPaidFolksPopsClassical MusicFolk Music Author:Will Sheff