MAKING PEOPLES MUSIC

by Peter D. Goldsmith

During his nearly 40-year tenure with Folkways Records, Moe Asch, the company's founder, amassed a catalog of almost 2,200 recordings that had expanded the definition of American folk music and introduced listeners to sounds from every corner of the world. This biography provides a complete look at this iconoclastic figure. 24 photos.

Genres: Music

468 pages, Hardcover

First published April 17, 1998

Reviews

[Rupert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Incredibly comprehensive history of Folkways records and the complex man behind it, the musicians he championed & how he helped popularize international music. Because of the scope and breadth of Asch’s life it also touches on the political and social aspects of working class Americans throughout the ‘40s, ‘50s & ‘60s and his involvement on the margins of people’s’ movements.
There is also excruciating details of the economic struggle behind operating independent small music labels & championing art far from the mainstream.
Occasionally the book almost takes on too much, going off possibly a bit too much on the life of someone in Asch’s orbit, but it’s all part of his vast influence & interests.

[Ginebra Lavao Lizcano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good introduction to the Asches and their distinct accomplishments through last century. Much information on other important members of the folk revival such as Seeger or Jenkins, so it is not solely on Moe Asch's life. His son Michael told me that he did not like Goldsmith's approach to his father, which is what I feared, but it does make sense as every person will have a different perception of the same individual. Just a reminder to not take one single point of view as the definite one and to try to learn from as many different sources as possible.

[Gerald · Rating 5 out of 5]

..if you think this would be of interest to you, I definitely recommend.

[Paul Thillen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Our author shows Mr. Asch as someone who is distant from everyone in his life, including the music that he recorded or released. The book runs on a bit with leftist political history as it related to folk music in the 40's and 50's but on the whole was informative and and useful read.