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| American folk | |
|---|---|
| Name | American folk |
| Other names | US folk, folk music of the United States |
| Cultural origins | 17th–19th century British colonization of the Americas, African diaspora, Native American history |
| Instruments | Banjo, Guitar, Fiddle, Harmonica, Mandolin |
| Regional forms | Appalachian Mountains, Delta blues, Cajun music, Zydeco |
| Notable artists | Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Pete Seeger, Joan Baez, Bob Dylan |
American folk is a body of musical traditions and songs that emerged in the territories and later states of what is now the United States, drawing on diverse immigrant, indigenous, and diasporic sources. It encompasses work songs, ballads, dance tunes, spirituals, protest songs, and topical compositions that circulated through oral transmission, printed broadsides, and later recordings. The genre has informed and been influenced by movements in popular music, social activism, and regional cultural identities.
Roots trace to English folk music, Scottish folk music, Irish folk music, and Welsh folk traditions brought by settlers during the Colonial America period, interwoven with musical elements from the African diaspora—notably through enslaved peoples connected to the Transatlantic slave trade—and the musics of numerous Native American tribes such as the Cherokee Nation and Navajo Nation. Additional influences arrived via German Americans, Scandinavian Americans, Italian American immigrants and later migrations from Mexico and the Caribbean, producing syncretic repertoires. The 19th-century proliferation of shape note singing and religious revivalism associated with the Second Great Awakening shaped hymnody and communal singing practices that fed into folk repertoires.
Melodic structures often feature modal scales, pentatonic lines, and simple diatonic progressions found in Ballad (folk song) forms; rhythms range from steady dance meters to syncopated patterns inherited from African-derived traditions such as those that influenced Blues and Ragtime. Typical instrumentation includes the Fiddle derived from European bowed strings, the Guitar introduced to wider use in the 19th and 20th centuries, the Afro-derived Banjo, the Harmonica popularized in rural scenes, and plucked instruments like the Mandolin. Vocal techniques include narrative storytelling as in broadsides, call-and-response evident in spirituals connected to African Methodist Episcopal Church congregations, and improvisatory ornamentation found in regional singing.
Distinct regional forms include Appalachian music with its balladry and old-time string band traditions centered in the Appalachian Mountains; Delta blues originating in the Mississippi Delta; Cajun music rooted in the French Louisiana and linked to the Acadian diaspora; Zydeco arising in Louisiana Creole communities; Old-time music in rural southern communities; and maritime songs of the New England coast and Great Lakes sailors. Urban folk traditions developed in places like Greenwich Village (New York City) and San Francisco, intersecting with labor songs from industrial centers such as Chicago and Detroit.
Early collectors and performers include Francis James Child (Child Ballads collectors), Alan Lomax, and John Lomax who archived field recordings at institutions like the Library of Congress. Influential performers and songwriters include Woody Guthrie, whose itinerant songs linked to the Dust Bowl, Lead Belly with blues and work songs, Pete Seeger and his role in the American folk music revival, Joan Baez and civil rights advocacy, and Bob Dylan whose songwriting bridged folk and rock. Movements include the early 20th-century folk revival tied to the Civil Rights Movement, the folk protest tradition associated with the Labor movement and Anti–Vietnam War movement, and later folk-inspired singer-songwriter currents in the Counterculture movement.
Folk music has functioned as a vehicle for oral history, protest, communal bonding, and identity formation among groups such as Appalachian communities, African American populations in the South, Mexican Americans in the Southwest, and immigrant communities in port cities like New Orleans and Ellis Island destinations. Songs have documented events from the Great Depression and Dust Bowl migrations to labor struggles at sites like the Homestead Strike and cultural memories of treaties such as the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. Folk repertoires have also been central to revivalist religious practices in regions influenced by the Second Great Awakening and to educational programs at institutions like the Smithsonian Institution.
Scholarly and activist preservation involved fieldwork by collectors such as Alan Lomax and John Lomax, archiving at the Library of Congress and projects at the Smithsonian Folkways Recordings label. Institutional support came from entities like the National Endowment for the Arts and festivals such as the Newport Folk Festival and Philadelphia Folk Festival. Academic study in departments at universities like Harvard University, University of Chicago, and Indiana University formalized ethnomusicological approaches, while community initiatives—historical societies, local radio stations, and regional museums such as the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum—reinforced preservation.
Contemporary practice sees fusion with genres and scenes including rock music, jazz, hip hop, electronic music, and world music traditions of Afro-Cuban music and Celtic music. Artists and groups engaging in cross-genre work include R.E.M.-adjacent folk-rock influences, neo-folk performers tied to indie labels in Brooklyn, collaborative projects with Navajo Nation musicians, and singer-songwriters drawing from the Americana catalog recognized by awards like the Grammy Awards. Digital archives, streaming platforms, and initiatives from institutions such as Library of Congress digitization programs and independent labels maintain access while new grassroots festivals and grassroots organizations sustain localized practice.
Category:Folk music of the United States