Anglo and Afro- American Folk Music Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Anglo and Afro- American Folk Music - Essay Example In those days American folklore was intricately associated with politics and the Almanacs were preceded by the likes of The Collective, which was a group bent upon revolutionizing the world of music through their songs of protest. However, the Collectives were not very successful in their endeavor (Dunaway,1). The Almanacs barely completed two years and had recorded only about three dozen songs yet each song gained immense popularity. Like the Collectives, the Almanacs followed the political cue. In fact, today they are hailed as one of the pioneers of protest –singing of the 960s. The group started in 1940 when Pete Seeger, Millard Lampell and Lee Hays came together. Pete Seeger and Lee Hays had already started singing at political parties organized by the left front. The name â€Å"Almanac† was selected since in rural areas the Bible and the Almanac was found in all homes and the latter helped people get through this worldly life. One can barely keep away politics when it comes to discussing the great works produced by the group. So basically, much of the collection of songs of the groups were inspired by politics and in most cases reflected political standing of the times. The group advocated isolationism, which was rendered as a moot especially after the Pearl Harbor. The songs sung by the Almanacs such as â€Å"Which Side are you on† written by Florence Reece or â€Å"Solidarity Forever† which later became the anthem of the U.S. Labor Movement and numerous other songs inspired emerging and free-thinking musicians and gypsies. The impact of their intense passion and unity inspires songwriters and singers even today. Even though the Almanacs themselves did not belong to the working class; most of their songs were aimed at the working class. All the members of the Almanac were associated with left front politics and all their functions and public events were aimed at luring people to join