Progressive folk

Progressive folk is a style of contemporary folk that adds new layers of musical and lyrical complexity, often incorporating various ethnic influences.

History

Origins of the term

The original meaning of progressive folk came from its links to the progressive politics of the American folk revival of the 1930s, particularly through the work of musicologist Charles Seeger. Key figures in the development of progressive folk in America were Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie, who influenced figures such as Bob Dylan and Joan Baez in the 1960s. All mixed progressive political messages with traditional folk music tunes and themes.

In Britain, one of the major strands that emerged from the short-lived skiffle craze of 1956–9 were acoustic artists who performed American progressive material. Vital in the development of progressive folk was the emergence of the American counterculture and British underground scenes of the mid-1960s. The term progressive began to be used by radio stations to describe psychedelic music, including pop, rock and folk, that emerged from this scene.

Psychedelic folk

The first musical use of the term psychedelic is thought to have been by the New York–based folk group The Holy Modal Rounders on their version of 'Hesitation Blues', a popular blues standard, in 1964. Psychedelic music spread rapidly in the beat folk scenes of both the east and west coast of the mid-1960s. Los Angeles and San Francisco produced bands such as Kaleidoscope, The Peanut Butter Conspiracy, The Beau Brummels, and It’s A Beautiful Day.