New Jersey Folk Revival Music, Book Lecture Michael Gabriele at Cam. Co. Hist. Soc. Mar.25

Camden County Historical Society Hosts Program on New Jersey Folk Revival Music

 

The Camden County Historical Society will host author Michael Gabriele for a presentation about his book “New Jersey Folk Revival Music – History and Tradition” on Sunday, March 25 at 2 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

 

Gabriele’s book—190 pages with over 80 photos—provides a narrative on the evolution, traditions and history of folk revival music throughout New Jersey. The program will feature information on the legendary Victor Talking Machine Company in Camden, where Woody Guthrie, Cecil Sharp, Paul Robeson, Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter Family all recorded their monumental first commercial albums.

 

The story begins in the colonial days of bawdy tavern revelers and fiddle players in the 1700s and moves to the music and folklore from the Garden State’s Pine Barrens; to advent of the “Guitar Mania” phenomenon in the mid-1800s; to the New Jersey activities of legendary artists such as Paul Robeson, Woody Guthrie, Joan Baez, Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan throughout the 20th century; to the achievements of world-class New Jersey musicians.

 

Folk revival music is a “living history” that builds upon time-honored traditions, which date back more than 300 years. The book documents the Garden State’s vast contributions to this musical genre and examines the effects of folk revival music on local history and culture, as well as how it has changed lives—those on stage and those in the audience.

 

This is Gabriele’s third book on Garden State history published by Arcadia Publishing/The History Press. A lifelong New Jersey resident, he’s a 1975 graduate of Montclair State University and has worked as a journalist and freelance writer for four decades. Gabriele is a member of the executive board of the Nutley Historical Society and serves on the advisory board of the Clifton Arts Center. Gabriele will have copies of his books available for sale.

 

The Camden County Historical Society is located at 1900 Park Boulevard, Camden NJ 08103. The site includes the Hineline Research Library, Historic Pomona Hall, Cultural Heritage Center & Gallery, African American History Room, and Camden County Museum, and is regularly open Wednesday to Friday from 10am to 4:30pm and Sunday 12-3pm, with a $5 admission fee for nonmembers. For more information, please call 856-964-3333, email admin@cchsnj.org, or visit the society’s website at www.cchsnj.org.

--Bonny Beth Elwell

Library Director
Camden County Historical Society
1900 Park Blvd
Camden NJ 08103
856.964.3333