"In This World I'm Bound to Ramble": The Media's Role in Reviving African American String Band Music (2010)

Undergraduates: Margaret Baker, none none none

Faculty Advisor: Jane Brown
Department: Journalism & Mass Communication

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This study addressed the public’s lack of knowledge about the African American roots of old-time string band music. The banjo and fiddle sounds of old-time music are rooted in African American tradition but have been subdued by racism and a changing cultural climate during the 20th century. This historical thesis focused on the media’s role in reviving African American string band music as a widely-known and practiced musical genre during the years between 1970 and 2010. Research consisted of interviews with musicians, folklorists and journalists. Analyses of those individuals’ efforts revealed that field recordings, small publications and a growing fan community came together with the emergence of the Internet to create a context for black string band music in modern popular culture. Historical and journalistic implications of the study included the increasing ability of the online media to promote obscure but culturally significant forms of artistic expression.