Transforming Folk: Innovation and Tradition in English Folk-rock Music

Manchester University Press - Transforming folk Book is like New

English folk - rock, a former progressive rock music style, has emerged since the post - punk era as a world music style that appeals to a broad spectrum of music fans who do not regard issues such as maintenance of authenticity and tradition as key factors in the preservation process. Rock music remains a stimulus for further change in folk music and has enabled English folk - rock to become regarded as popular music by a new audience with diverse musical tastes. From musicological and historical perspectives, this book maintains that folk music continues to be influenced by rock and other popular music styles, and is performed in musical settings representing new cultures and ethnicities now present in the United Kingdom. Growth in the popularity of British folk music since the early 1970s can be linked to its performance as English folk - rock, to its connections with culture and music industry marketing and promotion techniques, and to its inclusion as a late twentieth century festival component presented to audiences as part of what is promoted as world music. From a cultural studies perspective, this book also demonstrates how popularity of folk music presented at world music festivals has stimulated significant growth in folk music audiences since the mid - 1990s and consequently the UK is experiencing a new phase of revivalism - the third folk revival. The book contains contributions from Martin Carthy (The Imagined Village), Simon Nicol (Fairport Convention), Ashley Hutchings (The Albion Band), Gerry Conway (Fairport Convention) and Rick Kemp (Steeleye Span).


Manchester University Press - Transforming folk