Artists of American Folk Music: The Legends of Traditional Folk, the Stars of the Sixties, the Virtuosi of New Acoustic Music

Except for original pieces about Bob Dylan and Peter, Paul and Mary, the articles compiled here about folk, bluegrass and new acoustic musicians first appeared in Guitar Player and Frets magazines. Most pieces have been updated; they profile the artists' backgrounds, careers and contributions to their musical forms. (The articles on Odetta, Pete Seeger, Bill Monroe and Richie Havens include interviews with the musicians.) Subjects represent different eras of modern folk music: from the early days (Woody Guthrie and Malvina Reynolds) to the height of popularity 25 years ago (the Kingston Trio, Joan Baez and Arlo Guthrie) to new acoustic artists (David Grisman and Tony Trischka). Also of note: an article about the Lomax family, the archivists who have made extensive recordings of folk music that might otherwise have been lost. Although this book gives the novice a general background, it adds little new information. (May)