Which Song Initiated the Folk Music Revival in Mainstream Pop?
In the late 1950s, a new kind of music began to gain popularity in the United States: folk. Folk music had been around for centuries, but it wasn’t until the 1950s that it really began to enter the mainstream. One of the songs that helped to initiate the folk music revival was “The Times They Are A-Changin'” by Bob Dylan.
The song was released in 1964, at a time when the country was going through a lot of social and
The Weavers
The Weavers were an American folk music quartet based in the New York City folk scene. They were founded in 1948 by Pete Seeger, Ronnie Gilbert, Lee Hays, and Fred Hellerman and were one of the most popular folk music groups of the 1950s. Their signature song “On Top of Old Smoky” was a Number One hit on Billboard’s pop chart in 1950. The group was blacklisted during the McCarthy Era for its members’ association with the Communist Party USA.
The Kingston Trio
The 1940s saw a boom in folk music in the United States, led by musicians such as The Weavers and Woody Guthrie. Mainstream pop artists began to experiment with folk influences in the 1950s, but it wasn’t until the release of The Kingston Trio’s self-titled debut album in 1958 that the genre truly began to take off in the mainstream. The album included interpretations of traditional folk songs like “Tom Dooley” and “On Top of Old Smokey,” as well as original compositions like “M.T.A.” and “Scotch and Soda.” It was a massive commercial success, reaching #1 on the Billboard charts and selling over a million copies within a year of its release. The Kingston Trio’s example paved the way for other folk-influenced pop acts like Peter, Paul & Mary, Bob Dylan, and Simon & Garfunkel to find success in the 1960s.
Joan Baez
The folk music revival in mainstream pop is often credited to Joan Baez, who released her debut album in 1960. Her self-titled debut included traditional songs like “House of the Rising Sun” and “She Moved Through the Fair,” as well as more contemporary ones like “Danny Boy” and “Silver Dagger.” The album was a critical and commercial success, helping to cement Baez’s reputation as one of the preeminent folk singers of her generation.
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan’s song “The Times They Are A-Changin'” is often credited with initiating the folk music revival in mainstream pop music. Released in 1964, the song became an anthem for the Civil Rights Movement and anti-war movement. It was also a chart success, reaching #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
