Women in Folk Music - Important Women in Folk Music. Women have played an extraordinary part in American History.
Whether moving toward freedom from slavery, freedom in the workplace, or the freedom to make one's own choices, women have positioned themselves as voices of empowerment and endurance. These women have lent their incredibly important voices in the struggle for their own rights, civil rights, human rights, and the movement for peace. The women of American Folk Music are no exception. Here's a look at 30 notable women in folk, roots, and Americana music, in alphabetical order. Alison Krauss photo: Tasos Katopodis / Getty Images Prodigious fiddle player Alison Krauss has become one of the most in-demand women of the folk and bluegrass worlds.
Ani DiFranco © Danny Clinch Ani DiFranco has been releasing records on her own, with her fierce feminist folk songs for over 20 years. Be Good Tanyas © Robert Karpa The Be Good Tanyas are a trio of women who have been delivering incredible harmony-driven contemporary folk songs for years now. The 111 Greatest Acts of the Anglo-American Folk Music Tradition.
Keywords: folk music, folk musician, folk musicians, folksongs, folksong, folk songs, folk artists, folksinger, folk singer, folk singers, folksingers, folk guitarist, folk guitarists I have seen several lists of this type posted on the Internet by well-meaning but sometimes agenda-driven individuals, so I thought I would take a shot at this myself, consulting some hard data along the way.
I have a long and continuing interest in folk music going back to the early 1960s, when my older sister started buying Peter, Paul & Mary albums. I now purchase related material for the library collection at the University where I work (see notes , including further youtube.com links), and have recently opened a website featuring the lyrics of the fondly remembered topical and children's songs writer, . I also maintain a site called , and have a lot of experience in statistical analysis. Mountain Born: The Jean Ritchie Story.
Through interviews and recordings, KET’s Mountain Born: The Jean Ritchie Story not only chronicles the life of one folk singer and songwriter, but also introduces viewers to broader issues regarding the role of the traditional musician in contemporary society.
Teachers will also find the program useful for generating classroom discussions about general topics such as life in Appalachia in the early part of the 20th century and the changing role of music in our lives, as well as more specific issues including the recent folk music revival and the influence of Appalachian music on performers from Johnny Cash to Bob Dylan. There is much to be learned from Jean Ritchie’s life story, even for viewers whose background and experiences differ greatly from hers. It encourages us to reflect on and explore our own pasts, particularly with regard to family heritage and cultural background. Such recollections help inform our understanding of the present. Text by Karen L. Home video info. Pete Seeger Music. Exhibition: Bound For Glory: A Tribute to Woody Guthrie. TheMoMI.org extends its deepest thanks to the Smithsonian Institution and the Woody Guthrie Archives for their generous contributions of materials and guidance to make this online documentary a reality.
Woody's prolific repertoire includes over 3,000 songs such as "This Land Is Your Land," "Red Wine," "Jesus Christ," "Pastures of Plenty," and "Do-Re-Me. " In Guthrie's autobiography, Bound For Glory, Pete Seeger said, "His songs are deceptively simple. Only after they have become part of your life do you realize how great they are. Any damn fool can get complicated. It takes genius to attain simplicity. " An artist who wore many hats, Guthrie was a journalist, activist, entertainer, poet, painter, bohemian, political subversive, and American hero.
"…My eyes has been my camera taking pictures of the world and my songs has been my messages that I tried to scatter across the back sides and along the steps of the fire escapes and on the window sills and through the dark halls…" The Kruger Brothers.