Event Details
Crazy Quilt: American Roots Music
Mondays, April 20- May 11
12:00pm- 1:00pm
$40 for the 4 week class
Registration Required
To register call 215-247-4654 or email msaavedra@chestnuthillpres.org
Ballads and Broadsides, Ragtime and Old-Time, Blues and Bluegrass, Cowboys and Cajuns, Jugbands and Jazz. If you’ve ever wanted a guide through the weird, wonderful world of early American recorded music, this is for you! Between 1920 through the 1940s, songs and melodies nearly lost to history were preserved, but it was also a time when innovation was rampant. This course will use numerous recordings from this period to illustrate this aural landscape. You’ll learn about the historical context, the recording technologies, the performers and their instruments, and some of the distinctive regional and ethnic genres and styles. Whether you hate “folk” music, or like it, I’ll bet you’ll be surprised by what you hear.
David Murphey is a musician and record collector who has been going down this rabbit hole for a good many years, delighting in the intersections of culture, history, life experience, and artistry that make up this music.