The Legacy of New Folk Music

The New Folk music scene of the 1960s and 1970s gave birth to some of the most iconic and influential musicians of our time. From Bob Dylan to Joni Mitchell, these artists changed the face of popular music forever. In this blog, we explore the legacy of New Folk music and its impact on the world today.

The Birth of New Folk

The definitive sound of folk music emerged in the early 1960s with the advent of “The Folk Revival.” Inspired by Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and The Weavers, a new generation of folk musicians began to emerge, including Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, and Peter, Paul & Mary. These artists brought folk music to a new audience and helped to spark a political and social consciousness that would come to define the 1960s.

The Folk Revival was also notable for its embrace of traditional folk songs from around the world. This “world music” influence can still be heard in the work of contemporary folk artists like Bruce Springsteen, who famously integrated traditional Irish instrumentation into his 1984 album Born in the USA.

In the 1970s and 1980s, folk music continued to evolve with the rise of singer-songwriters like Joni Mitchell and James Taylor. These artists helped to bring a more personal and introspective approach to the genre, resulting in some of the most beloved songs of all time.

Today, folk music is enjoying something of a renaissance thanks to a new generation of artists who are carrying on the tradition of writing and performing songs that are both personal and reflective of the world we live in.

The Mainstreaming of New Folk

In the late 1960s and early 1970s, a group of young musicians in the United States began to experiment with a new style of folk music. These artists blended traditional folk styles with elements of rock, pop, and country music to create a sound that was both familiar and fresh. This new style of folk music became known as “new folk” or “contemporary folk.”

The most famous exponent of new folk was probably James Taylor, who had a string of hits in the early 1970s with songs like “Fire and Rain” and “You’ve Got a Friend.” Other popular new folk artists included Carole King, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne, and the Eagles.

The mainstreaming of new folk coincided with a renewed interest in traditional folk music. In the 1960s, artists like Bob Dylan and Joan Baez had popularized traditional songs from the American Folk tradition. In the 1970s, this trend continued with the release of several influential Folk Revival compilations, including Harry Smith’s Anthology of American Folk Music (1972) and The Newport Folk Festival Box Set (1965). These collections exposed a new generation of listeners to the work of influential folk artists like Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Pete Seeger, and Odetta.

The popularity of new folk music led to the formation of several successful independent record labels specializing in the genre, including Vanguard Records (home to Joan Baez and Bob Dylan), Elektra Records (home to The Doors and Love), and Asylum Records (home to The Eagles and Jackson Browne). These labels gave these young musicians the creative freedom to experiment with their sound without having to worry about commercial success.

The legacy of new folk can be heard in the work of contemporary musicians like Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver, Mumford & Sons, and The Decemberists. These artists have taken the sound of new folk and updated it for a new generation of listeners.

The Resurgence of New Folk

The legacy of new folk music is evident in the resurgence of popularity in recent years. This type of music has its roots in the traditional folk music of Britain and Ireland, as well as the music of North America. New folk music emerged in the 1960s, when a number of young musicians began to experiment with the traditional sounds of their cultures.

One of the most important figures in the development of new folk music was Bob Dylan. Dylan’s work popularized the genre and helped to make it more accessible to a wider audience. Other important performers included Joan Baez, Leonard Cohen, and Simon and Garfunkel.

The popularity of new folk music declined in the 1970s, but there has been a renewed interest in the genre in recent years. This has been due to the success of performers such as Mumford and Sons, The Lumineers, and The Head and The Heart. New folk music has also been popularized by television shows such as “Breaking Bad” and “Mad Men.”

The Legacy of New Folk

New Folk music is a genre that emerged in the early 21st century. It is a blend of traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. New Folk artists often use traditional folk instruments such as acoustic guitars, violins, and harmonicas, but they also frequently incorporate elements of rock, pop, and country into their music.

The Legacy of New Folk Music is the brainchild of husband and wife duo Bob Dylan and Joan Baez. In the early 1960s, Dylan began to experiment with electric guitars and amplifiers, which led many traditional folk fans to dismiss him as a traitor to the genre. Baez, however, saw Dylan’s potential and began to promote his music to a wider audience.

The two artists toured together extensively in the early 1960s, and their live performances helped to popularize Dylan’s songs among young people. Dylan’s song “Blowin’ in the Wind” became an anthem of the civil rights movement, and his song “The Times They Are A-Changin'” became an anthem of the anti-war movement.

In 1965, Dylan went electric at the Newport Folk Festival, further alienating traditional folk fans but further cementing his status as a voice of his generation. Shortly thereafter, he released the album Highway 61 Revisited, which featured some of his most iconic songs, including “Like a Rolling Stone” and “Desolation Row.”

Baez continued to perform and record throughout the 1960s and 1970s, but she largely stepped out of the spotlight in the 1980s and 1990s. In recent years, however, she has returned to touring and recording, and she remains one of the most respected figures in contemporary folk music.