Discovering folk music with Stephanie P. Ledgin

Folk music authority Stephanie P. Ledgin's latest book, Discovering Folk Music (Praeger), furthers a 35-year career in roots music.

From 1987 to 2004 she championed traditional folk music in the New York and Northeast regions via The Traditional MusicLine, a comprehensive monthly calendar of acoustic music events. She has also been involved in numerous other publications, recordings and exhibitions, and authored two previous books: Every Stage: Images Of America's Roots Music and Homegrown Music: Discovering Bluegrass.

Discovering Folk Music, notes Ledgin, is geared "to provide a fact-based, lively perspective on folk music that explains why America’s cultural diversity is the foundation of what we identify today as folk music."

Addtionally, she adds, "it demonstrates the ongoing social relevance of folk music, that is, it wasn’t just for sixties anti-war or civil rights protest marches, but always has and will have an integral place in our society."

Ledgin defines folk music "beyond Kumbaya" at the outset, then examines its foundations before focusing on the "folk revival" period, beginning with the Depression-era folk music typified by Woody Guthrie and carrying on through the 1960s and such illustrious descendants as Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Odetta, and Peter, Paul and Mary.

"The book really speaks for itself and lends its voice to people across America—of all ethnicities and races--and in fact to communities around the world," notes Ledgin. "It's also a very 21st century read, embracing digital technologies as important means for hearing it, sharing it, and learning about folk music."

Ledgin has begun regional book-signings, while at the same time working on three non-music books: Beyond Your Cat’s Meow, which she describes as "an insightful discussion of how we can better observe our pets for mutual benefit of communicating problems--physical or behavioral--with veterinarians; So This Is Pittstown: True Tales And Tips For Newcomers To Rural Life, "a humorous look at some of the--let’s call them events--that my husband and I have encountered since moving to western New Jersey four years ago; and a children’s book, Cassie’s Kittens.

She's also revamping her Web site to offer lectures via podcasts and Skype, "so that I can bring my folk and bluegrass presentations more readily and more inexpensively into classrooms, libraries, community organizations, etc.," she says. "Usually, I have to travel to do these and, as a professional, request speaker fees. In this economic climate, we all have to make some adjustments. The Internet and other technologies provide wonderful ways not only to meet the economic challenge, but also to broaden the audience."

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