I thought I might comment since I was the main instigator of the "Virginia
Roots Music" exhibition. Douglas Day did a good job of explaining the
parameters of our exhibition. The "roots" label was indeed a compromise
because of the problems he notes with using "folk" and "vernacular" in an
exhibition aimed at a popular audience. Although some of our academic
colleagues have legitimate concerns about the inexactness of the term
"roots," I liked it for that very reason. While people have often tried to
draw hard lines between "folk" and "popular" music, those lines were
somewhat strained by the new mass media of phonograph records and radio.
Thus the Galax-based Buck Mountain Band recorded their take on "Hesitation
Blues" for OKeh Records in Richmond in 1929 as "Yodeling Blues"--with that
singing technique thrown in for good measure. Probably Jimmie Rodgers'
enormously popular "Blue Yodel" series had a role in their adaptation. Of
course, this wasn't the first time that popular music had crept into "folk"
music. Minstrelsy, tent show tunes, Stephen Foster songs, etc. were staples
of the vernacular performer's repertoire. In fact, one of my main beefs
with the recent "American Roots Music" series on PBS was the lack of
discussion of minstrelsy as a profound influence on roots music.
I agree with Randy's general point and am willing to concede a larger
definition of vernacular music than many other scholars might. Part of our
selection process, however, was to focus on musical styles in which Old
Dominion artists made a seminal contribution, i.e. Piedmont blues, the
Tidewater vocal quartets, southwestern string bands, etc. I suppose this
brings up the interesting question of whether Dixieland is folk music in
Louisiana and not folk music in Virginia. In fact, we discuss the Tubize
Royal Hawaiian Orchestra as an enigmatic example of this problem. Here was
a group of rayon factory workers in Hopewell playing licks they learned from
records by King Bennie Newahi and Sol Hoopii, artists who had themselves
been deeply influenced by American blues and jazz.
The recording and transmission of musical styles is a focus of the show, and
content was somewhat shaped by the aural record. We especially discuss the
influence of collectors, academics, and commercial companies on what
was--and was not--recorded.
I hope this helps contextualize the show and spurs further debate of these
themes which are central to the exhbition.
Gregg Kimball
-----Original Message-----
From: Randy Cabell [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Thursday, July 18, 2002 11:16 AM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Virginia Roots Music
----- Original Message -----
From: "Douglas Day" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, July 18, 2002 10:55 AM
Subject: Re: Virginia Roots Music
> The query about the Virginia Roots Music exhibit and municipal brass
> bands illustrates a common misunderstanding about the vague term
> "roots." We used to use the term "folk" and everybody knew that the
> term meant music in the oral tradition (which would exclude the brass
> bands, their music being all written and orchestrated in the Western
> European classical tradition), but then Pter, Paul and Mary (etc.) stole
> the term "folk" to apply to a branch of commercial popular music which
> may have been folk-derived, but was primarily college-educated
> singer-songwriters who had learned to strum a guitar or banjo. "Roots"
> is very inexact, and may sometimes include both folk and folk-derived
> non-folk music. "Vernacular" is exact but ugly-sounding.
Just as I feared. Folks that blow on things to make music don't get no
respect.
But seriously, I think you would have great trouble with your definition if
there were any history of Dixieland music in Virginia. That music comes
from the heart, does not rely on any charts (i.e. is not written or
orchestrated), and is an expression of the people. Where are the Marsellas
family when we need them ?!?!?!??!?! I bet that your compatriots in
Louisiana allow Zydeco (the oral tradition) and Dixieland to live together
:)))
>
> Anyway, the Virginia Roots Music exhibit focuses on "non-learned"
> vernacular music, primarily in the oral or folk tradition---string-band
> music, gospel, blues, early bluegrass, worksongs, ballads, etc. The
> exclusion of the municipal bands from the exhibit should not be taken as
> a slight, or as some indication of its lack of historical interest.
> Indeed, though I am myself a folklorist by training, I am also the
> director of a local historical society that has done exhibits on the
> Charlottesville Municipal Band as well as on many other aspects of our
> community's musical heritage, folk and non-folk.
>
> I hope I haven't just muddied the waters further.
>
> D.
>
> --
> Douglas Day, M.A., Ph.D.
> Executive Director
> Albemarle County Historical Society
> The McIntire Building
> 200 Second Street, NE
> Charlottesville, Va. 22902-5245
> 434.296.1492
> fax 434.296-4576
> <avenue.org/achs>
>
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