{"product_id":"adventures-of-a-ballad-hunter-paperback-softback-9781477313718","title":"Adventures of a Ballad Hunter (Paperback \/ softback) 9781477313718","description":"\u003cfont face=\"Georgia\"\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"6\"\u003eAdventures of a Ballad Hunter\u003c\/font\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"4\"\u003eJohn A. Lomax (Author), John Lomax (Introduction by), John Nova Lomax (Introduction by), Anna Lomax Wood (Introduction by), Ken Chamberlain (Illustrated by)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e9781477313718, University of Texas Press\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003ePaperback \/ softback, published 5 September 2017\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e320 pages\u003cbr\u003e22.9 x 15.2 x 2.3 cm, 0.513 kg\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cem\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cdiv\u003eIt is hard to overstate the influence that the Lomaxes had on the subsequent interest in and development of North American song; equally, it is difficult for the modern reader to conceive of the disdain in which folk music was held hitherto. In the end few would disagree with Shirley Collins that \u003ci\u003eAdventures of a Ballad Hunter\u003c\/i\u003e is 'an essential part of American history'.\u003c\/div\u003e (Times Literary Supplement) \u003cdiv\u003eAn honest account of the life of an important collector and promoter of folk music and as such deserves to be widely read.\u003c\/div\u003e (Old Time News) \u003cdiv\u003eEssential reading for neo-folkies, alt-country fans, blues enthusiasts, and most other stripes of music lover.\u003c\/div\u003e (Kirkus) \u003cdiv\u003eLomax preserved the voices of Americans from fading and along the way captures a bygone era when Americas sang for one another and for themselves. This memoir illustrates the urgency of songs in the lives of a diverse people.\u003c\/div\u003e (Great Plains Quarterly) \u003cdiv\u003e[\u003ci\u003eAdventures of a Ballad Hunter\u003c\/i\u003e] is a treasure trove of disconnected tales, from [Lomax's] early days in Bosque County memorizing what the cowboys along the Chisholm trail sang to calm their dogies to his harrowing visits to prison farms in the Deep South, where he discovered Huddie William 'Lead Belly' Ledbetter, the folk and blues musician who later traveled the country with Lomax.\u003c\/div\u003e (Austin American Statesman)\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp align=\"justify\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003e\u003cp\u003eGrowing up beside the Chisholm Trail, captivated by the songs of passing cowboys and his bosom friend, an African American farmhand, John A. Lomax developed a passion for American folk songs that ultimately made him one of the foremost authorities on this fundamental aspect of Americana. Across many decades and throughout the country, Lomax and his informants created over five thousand recordings of America’s musical heritage, including ballads, blues, children’s songs, fiddle tunes, field hollers, lullabies, play-party songs, religious dramas, spirituals, and work songs. He acted as honorary curator of the Archive of American Folk Song at the Library of Congress, directed the Slave Narrative Project of the WPA, and cofounded the Texas Folklore Society. Lomax’s books include \u003ci\u003eCowboy Songs and Other Frontier Ballads\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eAmerican Ballads and Folk Songs\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eNegro Folk Songs as Sung by Leadbelly\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eOur Singing Country\u003c\/i\u003e, the last three coauthored with his son Alan Lomax.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eAdventures of a Ballad Hunter\u003c\/i\u003e is a memoir of Lomax’s eventful life. It recalls his early years and the fruitful decades he spent on the road collecting folk songs, on his own and later with son Alan and second wife Ruby Terrill Lomax. Vibrant, amusing, often haunting stories of the people he met and recorded are the gems of this book, which also gives lyrics for dozens of songs. \u003ci\u003eAdventures of a Ballad Hunter\u003c\/i\u003e illuminates vital traditions in American popular culture and the labor that has gone into their preservation.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cfont size=\"3\"\u003eForeword by John A. Lomax III, John Nova Lomax, and Anna Lomax Wood\u003cbr\u003e Preface\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e I. Boyhood in Bosque\u003cbr\u003e II. College\u003cbr\u003e III. Hunting Cowboy Songs\u003cbr\u003e IV. Twenty Years Interim\u003cbr\u003e V. American Ballads and Folk Songs\u003cbr\u003e VI. Penitentiary Negroes\u003cbr\u003e VII. Iron Head and Clear Rock\u003cbr\u003e VIII. Alabama Red Land\u003cbr\u003e IX. Burials, Baptizings and a Penitentiary Sermon\u003cbr\u003e X. Chanteys, Ballads, Work Songs and Calls\u003cbr\u003e XI. Some Interesting People\u003cbr\u003e XII. Melodies and Memories\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Index\u003cbr\u003e  \u003c\/font\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"University of Texas Press","offers":[{"title":"Brand New","offer_id":52589120749848,"sku":"9781477313718","price":14.55,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"url":"https:\/\/freshlyprintedbooks.co.uk\/products\/adventures-of-a-ballad-hunter-paperback-softback-9781477313718","provider":"Freshly Printed Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}