Lomax the Songhunter
Encyclopedia
Lomax the Songhunter is a 2004 documentary film
about Alan Lomax
, a man who, after World War II, was determined to record folk music from United States and all over the world before it was blown away by mass consumer culture. Son of John Lomax
, the man who discovered Leadbelly
(and bailed him out of prison) and introduced Woody Guthrie
to the world, Alan shared his father's passion for music and was not intimidated by his massive accomplishments. The film, which finds Alan near death and barely able to make himself understood, traces Alan's journey across the globe, stopping to hear testimonials from many of the people or relatives of the people he recorded. It also contains interviews from Lomax's friends and colleagues, including Pete Seeger
, who did some cataloging for Lomax.
Lomax the Songhunter was written and directed by Rogier Kappers and aired on PBS
's Point of View
series in 2006.
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about Alan Lomax
Alan Lomax
Alan Lomax was an American folklorist and ethnomusicologist. He was one of the great field collectors of folk music of the 20th century, recording thousands of songs in the United States, Great Britain, Ireland, the Caribbean, Italy, and Spain.In his later career, Lomax advanced his theories of...
, a man who, after World War II, was determined to record folk music from United States and all over the world before it was blown away by mass consumer culture. Son of John Lomax
John Lomax
John Avery Lomax was an American teacher, a pioneering musicologist and folklorist who did much for the preservation of American folk songs...
, the man who discovered Leadbelly
Leadbelly
Huddie William Ledbetter was an iconic American folk and blues musician, notable for his strong vocals, his virtuosity on the twelve-string guitar, and the songbook of folk standards he introduced....
(and bailed him out of prison) and introduced Woody Guthrie
Woody Guthrie
Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie is best known as an American singer-songwriter and folk musician, whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, traditional and children's songs, ballads and improvised works. He frequently performed with the slogan This Machine Kills Fascists displayed on his...
to the world, Alan shared his father's passion for music and was not intimidated by his massive accomplishments. The film, which finds Alan near death and barely able to make himself understood, traces Alan's journey across the globe, stopping to hear testimonials from many of the people or relatives of the people he recorded. It also contains interviews from Lomax's friends and colleagues, including Pete Seeger
Pete Seeger
Peter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
, who did some cataloging for Lomax.
Lomax the Songhunter was written and directed by Rogier Kappers and aired on PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
's Point of View
P.O.V.
POV is a Public Broadcasting Service Public television series which features independent nonfiction films. POV is a cinema term for "point of view"....
series in 2006.
External links
- Official Site
- The New York Times review
- P.O.V. Lomax the Songhunter - PBS's site dedicated to the film