Conscience of the Folk Revival

Scott Barretta is an instructor of sociology at the University of Mississippi, a writer/researcher for the Mississippi Blues Trail, and the host of the Highway 61 radio show on Mississippi Public Broadcasting. He is former editor of the magazines Jefferson (Swedish) and Living Blues and has written for magazines such as MOJO, Oxford American, and SingOut!Israel Goodman “Izzy” Young, born in Manhattan in 1928, opened the Folklore Center in Greenwich Village in 1957, which sold books, music, and instruments, and served as the unofficial epicenter of the emerging folk music scene. Both on his own and as a founding member of the Friends of Old Time Music, Young staged hundreds of concerts, including most famously Bob Dylan’s first. From 1959 to 1969 Young chronicled the folk revival through his “Frets to Frails” column in Sing Out!, where he both documented day-to-day events and also addressed contentious issues including commercialism and copyright. In 1973 Young moved to Stockholm, where he founded the Folklore Centrum.

• Series Editor’s ForewordForeword by Izzy YoungGuest Foreword by Steve EarleIntroduction by Scott BarrettaPart I: Early Writings“A New Secret History of Folklore” (1957)“Predictions of the Folklore Center” (1959)“A Modest Plea” (1959)“Folk Music Guide * USA” (1959/1960)Excerpts from Izzy Young’s Notebooks (1960)Part II: “Frets and Frails,” 1959–1969Part III: Other Writings and Interviews“Folk Music Was Bigger Than the Bronx: A Dialogue with Israel Young” (1966)“The Folklore Center’s Gripe about MacDougal Street” (1966)“Israel Young…. The Music Belongs to the People” (1966)“How the Fifth Peg Came into Existence” (1984)Part IV: Bob Dylan and Other Folk IconsThe Story Behind Bob Dylan’s First Concert (2008)Bob Dylan Taunt (1965)The Missing Singer (1968)Introduction to Swedish audio book of Chronicles (2004)Introduction to Dylan manuscripts (Scott Barretta)Original manuscript of Bob Dylan’s “Go Away You Bomb”Original manuscripts of Bob Dylan’s “Talking Folklore

Many fine performers and songwriters flourished in the folk music revival of the 1950s-70s. The general public knows about many of them, but even folk devotees may not know about Izzy Young (b. 1928), a seminal figure in the revival. As a labor of love, Young ran the Greenwich Village store Folklore Center from 1957 to 1973. In addition to offering books, records, and instruments for sale, the Folklore Center became a vital hangout for folk musicians Young encouraged and mentored, for example, Bob Dylan. Young branched out to promote folk concerts, have a radio show, and write articles. This book presents, among other material, all his "Frets and Frails" columns, which ran in the journal Sing Out! from 1959 to 1969. Filled with news of folksingers' lives and creative efforts, the columns offer refreshingly outspoken views of the genre and the music business. Also included in the volume are Young's earlier and later writings and interviews. This material should prove very valuable for researchers of the folk revival and popular culture of the time, and should interest serious fans as well. With this book, Young, who has lived in Sweden since 1973, gets well-deserved recognition. Summing Up: Highly recommended.