About this item
A Best Photo Book of 2012 by American Photo. A new look at the legendary folklorist and his work. More than fifty years ago, on a trip dubbed “the Southern Journey,” Alan Lomax visited Virginia, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Kentucky, and Tennessee, uncovering the little-known southern backcountry and blues music that we now consider uniquely American. Lomax’s camera was a constant companion, and his images of both legendary and anonymous folk musicians complement his famous field recordings. These photographs—largely unpublished—show musicians making music with family and friends at home, with fellow worshippers at church, and alongside workers and prisoners in the fields. Discussions of Lomax’s life and career by his disciple and lauded folklorist William Ferris, and a lyrical look at Lomax’s photographs by novelist and Grammy Award-winning music writer Tom Piazza, enrich this valuable collection.
About the Author
Tom Piazza is the author of eleven books of fiction and nonfiction, including the novels A Free State and City of Refuge, the Michener Award-winning story collection Blues and Trouble, and the essay collection Devil Sent the Rain: Music and Writing in Desperate America. He was a principal writer for the HBO series Treme. He lives in New Orleans.
