Description
One of the most remarkable figures of the twentieth century, Alan Lomax was best known for bringing legendary musicians like Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, Muddy Waters, Lead Belly, and Burl Ives to the radio and introducing folk music to a mass audience. Now John Szwed, the acclaimed biographer of Miles Davis and Sun Ra, presents the first biography of Lomax, a man who was as influential as he was controversial-trailed for years by the FBI, criticized for his folk- song-collecting practices, denounced by some as a purist and by others as a popularizer. This authoritative work reveals how Lomax changed not only the way everyone in the country heard music but also the way they viewed America itself.
Author: John Szwed
Publisher: Penguin Books
Published: 12/27/2011
Pages: 448
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.81lbs
Size: 8.37h x 5.57w x 0.97d
ISBN13: 9780143120735
ISBN10: 0143120735
BISAC Categories:
- Biography & Autobiography | Music
- Music | Genres & Styles | Folk & Traditional
- Music | Ethnomusicology
About the Author
John Szwed is the author of So What: The Life of Miles Davis and Space Is the Place: The Life and Times of Sun Ra, among other works. He is a professor of music and jazz studies at Columbia University. He lives in New York City.