John Szwed’s Alan Lomax biography in-depth and fascinating

book-cover-alan-lomaxA book about ethonomusicologist and folk historian Alan Lomax has been due for many years now. Lomax’s work for the Library of Congress alone should merit him a place in the hearts and minds of all Americans for his efforts to investigate and preserve our musical heritage. This is to say nothing of his programs for CBS, PBS, and the BBC, as well as his many books and articles. Despite all this, however, Lomax is frequently confused with his father, John, as well as Harry Smith, whose Anthology of American Folk Music so beloved by ’60s Greenwich strummers most likely would not have been possible with Lomax’s work.
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