Table of Contents

Contents: Introduction; Defining the people's songs: national identity and the origins of the North American folk revival to 1958; Visions of diversity: cultural pluralism and the 'great boom' of the folk revival, 1958-65; Folk music and community in 'the village': Greenwich village and Yorkville in the 1960s; The post-revival folk: Canadian dreams and American nightmares in the Late 1960s and 1970s; Folk since the 1970s: diversity and insularity; Conclusion; Bibliography; Selected discography; Index.

About the Author

Gillian Mitchell is Lecturer in the Department of History and Welsh History, University of Wales, Bangor, UK.

Reviews

'This is a highly intelligent book written by someone who has a real sense of the potential of cultural history. Gillian Mitchell's notion that the folk revival was a 'large umbrella' under which a whole multitude of different tendencies came together is absolutely to the point and is explored with deftness and vigour. The book is particularly strong in helping us understand the complex interactions of forms of nationalism and radicalism within the folk revival in the North American context and how these impulses played out. The book is also strong in developing a comparative analysis of the experience of revivalism in the United States and Canada. Not only is this good in drawing attention to the neglected Canadian experience but also the very act of comparison illuminates each of the entities being compared. Mitchell's ability to synthesise material and characterise often difficult to perceive trends in cultural movements is impressive. I thoroughly commend this very interesting, well-written and worthwhile book.' Vic Gammon, University of Newcastle, UK ’Mitchell...addresses a topic that has had scant previous attention. Moreover, her focus on national identity, including in the US, is intriguing...A valuable addition to the existing scholarship. Recommended.’ Choice ’This book is a welcome read, not least for researchers of folk festivals in other regions... Mitchell's clear, non-essentialist account of a particular moment in North American music would be worthwhile reading for teachers of popular music inside and outside the region - and for their students.’ Popular Music ’... the first comparative study of the folk revival movement in (English-speaking) Canada... it should belong in any proper collection.’ Folkword ’[There is a ] high level of scholarship and critical thinking . . . evident here . . a welcome addition to the literature on folk and popular music studies in twentieth-century North America.’ Music and Letters ’The chapt