HIST 571

Southern Music

William Ferris

This course explores the music of the American South and considers how this music serves as a window on the region’s history and culture.  We will first consider the South and how the region’s distinctive sense of place defines music in each generation.  From the Mississippi Delta to Harlan County, Kentucky, from small farms to urban neighborhoods, from the region itself to more distant worlds of the southern diaspora, southern music chronicles places and the people who live within them. 

Our course covers a vast span of southern music and its roots, from ballads to hip hop, with numerous stops and side-trips along the way.  We will examine the differences between bluegrass and country, zydeco and Cajun, and black and white gospel.  We will also study the influences of southern music on American classical music, art, dance and food.  

We will consider how field recordings were made by collectors and the impact of these recordings on contemporary music.  We will also view documentary films on southern music and will consider how these films enrich our understanding of each musical tradition.