Research Catalog
The downhome sound : diversity and politics in Americana music
- Title
- The downhome sound : diversity and politics in Americana music / Mandi Bates Bailey ; foreword by Guy Davis.
- Author
- Bailey, Mandi Bates
- Publication
- Baton Rouge : Louisiana State University Press, [2023]
- ©2023
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| Status | Format | Access | Call Number | Item Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Performing Arts Research Collections to submit a request in person. | Text | Use in library | JME 23-405 | Performing Arts Research Collections - Music |
Details
- Additional Authors
- Davis, Guy, 1952-
- Description
- xix, 178 pages : illustrations, map; 23 cm
- Summary
- "American roots music, also known as Americana music, is comprised of many sub-genres and has long been associated with politics, diversity, and race, but political science has yet to explore its impact. Mandi Bates Bailey's "The Downhome Sound" fills that void by considering the message, the artists, the community, and the impact of Americana music. To understand the genre's intended messages and reception, she analyzed lyrics and surveyed Americana artists, music journalists, and festival organizers. Ultimately, she suggests that her interviews with Americana artists reveal their powerful desire for inclusion and diversity and, in some cases, the need to address racial injustice directly. Her study shows that exposure to Americana music is related to positive assessments of African Americans and political policies seen as helpful to them, which cannot be said of exposure to popular country music and rap music. American roots music is challenging to define. Sub-genres include folk, bluegrass, country, blues, southern rock, rock and roll, jazz, and cowpunk. Americana has become a blanket term to cover music that fits comfortably into each of these genres or incorporates elements from a combination of them. The artists included in Bailey's analysis represent different sub-genres, a wide age range, differing educational backgrounds and geographic regions of the United States, and even international artists playing in the genre. They also represent different career stages, from neophyte to established, with several Grammy and Americana Music Association award nominees and winners included. Common themes established in her interviews with these artists are the importance of narrative, audience loyalty, and the listening environment. Using a theoretical foundation rooted in stereotyping, Bailey suggests that whites with strong negative stereotypes of African Americans will process racial messages conveyed via Americana music more positively than similar messages presented in rap music (i.e., the stereotype-confirming genre). She addresses the culture surrounding the Americana audience, revealing that the listening environment is vital to artists and fans. She shows that artists believe their audiences represent diverse occupational, regional, and socio-economic backgrounds but are more educated and socially aware than the average American. They are also primarily white and left-leaning politically. Addressing the broader implications of her study, Bailey asks whether a hypothetical increase in popularity of or exposure to Americana music would dilute the impact of the inclusivity and tolerance provided in the music"--
- Subjects
- Bibliography (note)
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 163-170) and index.
- Contents
- Foreword / by Guy Davis -- Introduction : The down-home sound -- The first verse -- The music -- The artists -- The community -- The impact -- Conclusion : The last verse.
- Call Number
- JME 23-405
- ISBN
- 9780807179604
- 0807179604
- 9780807179161
- 0807179167
- 9780807179703 (canceled/invalid)
- 9780807179697 (canceled/invalid)
- LCCN
- 2022042847
- OCLC
- 1343870281
- Author
- Bailey, Mandi Bates, author.
- Title
- The downhome sound : diversity and politics in Americana music / Mandi Bates Bailey ; foreword by Guy Davis.
- Publisher
- Baton Rouge : Louisiana State University Press, [2023]
- Copyright Date
- ©2023
- Type of Content
- text
- Type of Medium
- unmediated
- Type of Carrier
- volume
- Bibliography
- Includes bibliographical references (pages 163-170) and index.
- Added Author
- Davis, Guy, 1952- writer of foreword.
- Other Form:
- Online version: Bailey, Mandi Bates. Downhome sound Baton Rouge : Louisiana State University Press, 2023 9780807179703 (DLC) 2022042848
- Research Call Number
- JME 23-405