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Aroots revival (folk revival) is a trend which includes young performers popularizing the traditional musical styles of their ancestors. Often, roots revivals include an addition of newly composed songs with socially and politically aware lyrics, as well as a general modernization of the folk sound.
The termroots revival is vague, and may not always refer to identical events. Characteristics associated with a roots revival include:
With such a vague and variable definition,roots revival could be seen as referring to the creation of any kind of pop music industry, though there are countries with well-developed pop traditions that have not had a period referred to as a roots revival (such as Jamaica, India, Cuba, and Kenya). For example, homogenized pop has long had its fans in most every country in the world, but many of these nations have created their own indigenous pop styles out of folk music; this process could be called aroots revival, though in some cases the folk musics in question were still widespread and did not need to be revived.
TheBritish folk revival was an academic movement to transcribe and record traditional British songs during the late 19th and early 20th century. Pioneers of this movement were theHarvard professorFrancis James Child (1825–96), compiler ofThe English and Scottish Popular Ballads (1882–92),Sabine Baring-Gould (1834–1924),Frank Kidson (1855–1926),Lucy Broadwood (1858–1939), andAnne Gilchrist (1863–1954).[1] TheFolk Song Society was founded in 1898 to promote this new endeavour. A major figure in this movement wasCecil Sharp who was the most influential on the repertoire of subsequent performers and defining the nature of folk song.[1] His lectures and other publications attempted to define a musical tradition that was rural in origin, oral in transmission and communal in nature.[1]
TheAmerican folk music revival, which focused on culture and entertainment, began in the 1930s and 1940s. During theGreat Depression, folk music styles were disseminated around the country, asDelta blues, Latino andCajun musicians, and itineranthonky tonk singers spread to cities like Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York City. The growth of themusic industry in the same period was also important; higher potential profits from music placed pressure on artists, songwriters, and label executives to replicate previous hit songs. This meant that musical fads, such as Hawaiianslack-key guitar, never died out completely, since a broad range of rhythms, instruments, and vocal stylings were incorporated into disparate popular genres.
The movement became global in the 1960s and 1970s. In most cases, thefolk songs being revived were not quite extinct, though some had not been played for years or were moribund; such cases include theCeltic songs ofCornwall and theIsle of Man, for example. In other cases, such asCameroon and theDominican Republic, no revival was necessary as the music remained common, and was merely popularized and adapted for mainstream audiences at home and abroad.
Algerian music: Beginning as early as 1964, gaining steam in the 1970s and continuing through the 1980s, a mainstreamraï revival occurred, and pop-raï stars likeKhaled andChaba Fadela gained worldwide audiences; the same period saw similar trends occur amongKabyle musicians such asIdir,Ferhat andLounis Ait Menguellet, who popularized the native sounds of their people
Belgian music: Starting early in the 1960s, a wave of popular folk-based performers emerged, led byWannes Van de Velde, who drew primarily onFlemish traditions. By the 1980s, popular bands includedBrabants Volksorkest and thefolk rock bandKadril.
Beninese music: Artists likeTohon Stan have created a popular version of Benin's numerous styles of indigenous folk music, such astchink-system, a derivative of the funeral genre oftchinkoumé
Cambodian music: The early 1960s saw a revival of classical music and dance, inspired by PrincessNorodom Buppha Devi and led bySinn Sisamouth, though the rise of theKhmer Rouge largely ended this trend.
Cameroonian music: Beginning withbikutsi in the 1950s and continuing withmakossa into the end of the 20th century, Cameroon's popularized folk musics have become among the most prominent in Africa.Messi Me Nkonda Martin undoubtedly did the most to evolve bikutsi from its folk origins into a popular style using electric guitars and other importations, whileManu Dibango brought makossa to new audiences around the world.
Chinese music: Partially as a reaction against attempts by the Communist government to use traditional styles to drum up patriotism and loyalty, the 1970s saw the creation ofChinese rock andCantopop (in Hong Kong), both of which made some use of native folk styles, especially in vocal techniques. The leader of Chinese rock is undoubtedlyCui Jian.
Ivorian music:Ernesto Djédjé'sziglibithy style incorporates a number of folk genres from across Côte d'Ivoire, a diverse country with hundred of ethnic groups; Djédjé's most immediate influence was the folk rhythms of theBété.
Croatian music: By the 1980s, Croatian pop-folk had seen some mainstream success, and a wave of bands appeared, inspired byVještice, who combinedMeđimurje folk music with rock in an innovative fusion of sounds.
Czech music: In 1966, thePorta Festival was held, and a wave of singer-songwriters inspired by the likes of AmericanPete Seeger arose.
Danish music: In contrast to its neighbors, Denmark did not see a Roots revival until the late 1990s, when performers likeMorten Alfred Høirup gained a widespread following in the country.
Dutch music: The late 1960s saw a revival of Dutch folk music, led by performers likeGerard van Maasakkers; popularity was limited, and soon ended, though region ofFriesland has maintained a strong traditional music scene.
Egyptian music: The city of Cairo is the most important center for Egyptian music, which includes a variety of popularized folk styles, including northernsawahii and southernsaiyidi.
Finnish music: Finland's folk styles include a variety of national genres and ballads, while the traditional rhyming sleigh songsrekilaulu have become an integral part of many pop singers. In 1967, theSavonlinna Opera Festival, the first of several similar festivals, contributed to a revival of Finnish opera and other more traditional styles.
French music: Though many of France's regional styles have seen popularization, the most vibrant scene is undoubtedly the traditionalmusic of Brittany. The region boasts a uniquely Celtic heritage, which has been emphasized by the revival since its beginnings in the early 1970s, led byAlan Stivell.Corsican music has also seen a revival, though with little popular success, concurrent with the rise of Corsican nationalism in the 1970s. In the same way Occitan music, has also seen a revival with Occitan nationalism and reviviscence of occitan speaking in 60's (politic crisis with Gaullists to a clash with French linguistic imperialism and conservative politics)See also the Québécois under Canadian music.
Galician music: Similar to other Celtic nations, traditional Galician gaita (bagpipe) can now be heard all over the country. It had a revival at the beginning of the XX century and then again a stronger revival by the end of the dictatorship in Spain in the 1970s.Carlos Nuñez andLuar na Lubre are two of the big names. Nuñez was discovered byThe Chieftains and has become of the best selling Galician folk musicians. Galician artists also participate in theFestival Interceltique de Lorient in Bretagne.
Gambian music: By the 1970s, Gambian musicians were mostly playing popular merengue or other styles. A visit by pop bandThe Super Eagles to London to record saw a change, as they were encouraged to continue their practice of Gambian folk. The band became known asIfang Bondi, and their music was calledAfro-Manding blues.
Garifuna music: Starting in the 1970s and continuing into the following decades, theGarifunas, an Afro-Caribbean people found throughout Central America, began turning to their nativepunta sound and creating popular styles likepunta rock, which found an audience across the area.Pen Cayetano was the most important figure in this scene.
German music: Following the 1968 student revolution in West Germany, singer-songwriters playing a kind of expressive, melancholy music with traditional influences became popular. Due to governmental interference, East Germany did not see much of this influence until the mid-1970s.
Ghanaian music: Ghana is best known for thehighlife style of music, which has been popular throughout the 20th century. By the late 1960s, however, the pop scene was dominated by generic guitar bands that imitated Western acts. The 1971Soul to Soul festival, however, featured a number of African American musicians (likeWilson Pickett andTina Turner), which had the effect of legitimizing African culture, thus causing a major roots revival that brought highlife to international audiences.
Greek music: The late 1960s and early 1970s coup repressedrembétika, a style which had developed earlier in the century. This oppression ironically created a major boom in popularity for the genre, which became associated with political resistance and rebellion. Singer-songwriters likeDionysis Savvopoulos also became wildly popular, and were seen as voices of the Greek nation.
Music of Israel: Early Zionist settlers in Palestine, as far back as the 1880s, sought to create a new mode of Jewish folk music that was based on Biblical musical modes that had long since been abandoned. These composers, who included Matityahu Shelem, Yedidia Admon, and many others, drew on Yemenite, Arabic and other antique sources to create a unique style that they considered a revival of ancient Jewish music. The songs that they and their followers composed constitute a canonical body of folk music called "Songs of the Land of Israel." These songs are still widely performed today by popular artists.
Another example of roots revival in Israel is the preservation of regional Jewish musical styles. The music of North African and Middle Eastern Jewish communities has morphed into an eclectic new style called"Muzika Mizrahit". Folksongs in Yiddish and Ladino have been revived and recorded by artists likeChava Alberstein andYehoram Gaon.Yair Dalal incorporates stylistic elements of the music of his native Iraq in his synthetic musical style.
Italian music: The diverse regions of Italy are home to dozens of varieties of folk music. By the 1950s, their popularity was declining rapidly and a group of musicians and musicologists founded organizations likeIstituto de Martino andNuovo Canzoniere Italiano to help preserve folk cultures. The following decade saw a revival of a number of traditions, includingCiccio Busacca's fusions of Sicilian folk styles, central Italy's jazzy modern folk, pioneered byCanzoniere del Lazio, the re-appearance of thelira through the work ofRe Niliu, the popularization of diverse genres of northern Italian music and some of the work of world-famous tenorEnrico Caruso, who revitalized Naples'canzone napoletana tradition. In contrast to many other countries', Italy's roots revival has resulted in very little mainstream success.
Japanese music: Though elements of traditional Japanese music can be found in some rock and pop from the country, the only major roots revival wasOkinawan, and began in the late 1980s. PopularizedOkinawan folk music includes genres likekawachi ondo andgoshu ondo.
Korean music: In the early 1970s, a genre calledt'ong guitar developed, performed by singer-songwriters inspired by the likes of AmericanBob Dylan andJoan Baez. Korean folk has seen little popular success, though there has been some for thepansori,nongak andsanjo styles.
Latvian music: Its traditional long suppressed or appropriated by theSoviet Union, Latvia'skokles (an instrument similar to abox zither) was revived and popularised in the 1970s, led by traditionalsuiti kokle playerJānis Poriķis and ethnomusicologistValdis Muktupāvels.
Lithuanian music: TheSoviet Union had sponsored some music festivals, such as thedainų šventės, but did not allow for much lyrical or musical innovation, and kept all songwriters from experimenting with politically aware and dissident lyrics. An active cultural rebellion occurred in the 1960s, based around a series of national music festivals and concerts.
Malian music:Cuban music had become extremely popular in Mali by the 1960s, and little folk music could compete. The country's second president, however,Moussa Traoré, encouraged the growth of a Malian music industry, resulting in a revival of some kinds of folk music, and a popularization led bySalif Keita. LaterFanto Sacko'sbajourou music andwassoulou music also became popularized. However, by the 1980s, Malian pop had lost most traces of its folk origins and was simply dance music, even topping the European charts; another roots revival occurred, led by Guinean acoustic singer and kora playerJali Musa Jawara.
Mozambiquan music: Music was used in the 1960s by the independence movement in Mozambique. Leaders in this movement encouraged the growth of a national music industry. By the 1970s, native forms of music, such asmarrabenta, had been popularized.
Russian music: Starting in about 1966, a group ofbards arose, most prominently includingVladimir Vysotsky, andVyacheslav Shchurov organized a number of concerts for folk singers. This led to a revival and revitalization of Russian folk songs, a trend which continued in ensuing decades.
Sami music: TheSami, an indigenous people found in central and northern Scandinavia, northern Finland and northwestern Russia, have a tradition of folk songs calledjoiks, which have been popularized by the likes ofMari Boine, who remains a legend in the field.
Slovenian music: in the 1950s, the so-called "folk popular music" emerged with groups likeAvsenik andLojze Slak band, based on modernizedSlovenian-style polka. In the 1980s, a completely different trend emerged, based on more archaic folk music, usually from specific regions; and it was popularized by groups likeIstranova (Slovenian Istria) and singerVlado Kreslin (Prekmurje).
Argentine music: In the 1960s, Andean nationalism was spreading across Argentina, Chile, Bolivia and Peru. Argentina's nativist scene includes landmark performers likeMercedes Sosa andAtahualpa Yupanqui, who helped spawn thenueva canción scene.
Bolivian music: The 1950s saw an increase in nationalist identity surrounding theQuechua andAymara peoples, and a number of intellectuals began associating themselves with folk music, clothing, cuisine and other elements. By the mid-1960s, a folk revival was blossoming, led byEdgar Jofré.
Brazilian music: Beginning in the 1950s and continuing for several decades, a multitude of Brazilian styles (most importantlysamba) and imported Americanjazz combined to create the wildly popularbossa nova scene. This soon evolved into the politically chargedTropicalia genre, which starred controversial and acclaimed singer-songwritersCaetano Veloso andGilberto Gil.
Chilean music: In the early to mid-1960s, the burgeoningnueva canción movement spread throughout Chile, Argentina, Bolivia and Peru, featuring a wave of singer-songwriters who incorporated folk elements and nationalist lyrics, often critical of governmental authorities, and achieved great acclaim.Violeta Parra is sometimes viewed as the founder of the scene, for she popularized Quechua and Aymara songs and provided an outlet for performances by future luminaries likeVictor Jara.
Cuban music: By the 1960s, Cuban music had seen international success in the form of pop-mambo,chachacha and other genres, and many artists were disillusioned with these styles, which were seen as watered-down. A vanguard of singer-songwriters likeSilvio Rodríguez andPablo Milanés arose, composing politically aware songs in a style that came to be calledNueva Trova.
Dominican music:Merengue had been popular in the Dominican Republic for decades since evolving out of confusing folk origins, but did not truly become a form of pop music until the early 1960s, when legends likeJohnny Ventura brought the music to new audiences at home and abroad.
Spanish music was incorporated into Spanish Baroque music in the harpsichord works of Soler. Later composers such as Albeniz, Falla, Rodrigo and Giuliani used the dance rhythms of Spain. The classical guitaristsAndrés Segovia, John Williams andJulian Bream popularised the music through their recordings. Current popular folk musicians includeSusana Seivane,Hevia andMilladoiro. A roots revivalNueva canción, which also evolved into new form of socially committed music occurred in several Spanish-speaking countries.
Portuguese music: In the 1960s and 1970s,José Afonso led a return to more traditionally styledfado music, which later evolved into a number of new song forms that incorporated socio-political lyrics and foreign influences.
American music: TheAmerican Folklore Society was founded in 1888. Some members, includingFrank Clyde Brown,George Lyman Kittredge, andJohn Lomax began collecting and recording 'trivial' music of minority groups. During the late 1920s and early 1930s, performers such asA. P. Carter,Bascom Lamar Lunsford,Lesley Riddle, andWoody Guthrie specifically began to seek out traditional songs to incorporate them into their performance repertoire.
This revival of traditional music led to theAmerican folk music revival that began in the 1940s, and resulted in a new genre,contemporary folk music. A group of American archivists and researchers that includedJohn A. Lomax, his sonAlan Lomax, poetCarl Sandburg, musicianCharles Seeger, and others collected, recorded, and published old ballads, prison songs,Appalachian folk music and blackblues. A number of performers influenced by traditional music, such asPete Seeger,Josh White,Burl Ives, andThe Weavers, enjoyed considerable commercial success in the 1940s. This, in turn, led to a broader commercial revival in the late 1950s through the mid-1960s, with performers likeThe Kingston Trio,Joan Baez, andPeter, Paul and Mary selling millions ofrecord albums.
The folk revival in the US led to the creation of folk rock, a new genre that drew on songs and themes associated with folk music and arranged them with rock ‘n’ roll instruments. Many of the early artists and groups associated with the genre began as folk musicians, most notablyBob Dylan,Simon & Garfunkel,Roger McGuinn of theByrds, andJerry Garcia ofThe Grateful Dead.[2][3] The 21st century saw a smaller revival ofAppalachian folk music with the release of the 2000 motion picture soundtrack to "O Brother, Where Art Thou?".[4] Singers such asGillian Welch andAlison Krauss and thebluegrass performerRalph Stanley were featured on the album.
Australian music: Beginning in the 1980s,Australian Aborigines began turning to their native styles of folk music, which were updated, creating popular bands and styles likeAboriginal rock.
Canadian music: Though some artists, likeThe Band,Neil Young andJoni Mitchell, had been integral parts of the 1960s American folk rock scene, Canada has seen its own distinctive revival of styles. This includes the late 1970s scene inMaritime Canada, which glorified the area'sCeltic heritage and was led by regional legendsFiggy Duff andStan Rogers, as well as the mid-1960sQuebecois revival led byGilles Vigneault. There were also revivals of Acadian, Inuit and other folk styles. In the 1950s and 1960s dedicated folk music collectors spread out across the country to record traditional music. The songs and tunes were popularized on public radio by performers such as Alan Mills, Stu Davis, Marg Osborne, and theTravellers.[5] A number of musicians who grew up listening to this traditional music became singer-songwriters in the 1970s; for example,Gordon Lightfoot andIan and Sylvia.[6]
English music: There were two folk music revivals in England. The first, led byCecil Sharp, was academic. It involved the collection of songs and tunes and their publication in journals. It was at its peak about 1910. The second revival involved large-scale public performances of English music, beginning with the appearance of theCopper Family at the Royal Albert Hall in 1952, together with a proliferation offolk clubs meeting mainly in the upper rooms of public houses. Starting in the late 1960s the songs were performed in a contemporary style; this was the origin of theBritish folk rock style.
Irish music: There was a revival of Irish folk music that began in the early 20th century, based both in Dublin and Ireland, though the longer-lasting and more famous revival began in 1955 with the album "The Lark in the Morning", whose recording was supervised byDiane Hamilton and which featuredLiam Clancy andTommy Makem prior to their involvement with the influential but U.S.-basedClancy Brothers and Tommy Makem. Later famous groups includeThe Dubliners (founded 1962),The Chieftains (1963),Ceoltóirí Chualann, andClannad (1973). Later, singer-songwriters such asChristy Moore were inspired by American popular folk singers, and they took to modernizing and adapting Irish music for modern audiences. The result was a dramatic change from folk traditions, including the introduction of thebouzouki and influences includingsoul androck.
Scottish music: The Scottish folk revival begin in 1951 whenHamish Henderson created thePeople's Festival.The Boys of the Lough were one of the first instrumental Celtic groups to tour the world.
Transnational: During the 2010s, folk-inspired acts began to score chart hits in the UK, US and beyond. Most notably the UK groupMumford & Sons won theGrammy (USNational Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences award) for best album in 2013.