Authenticity in regards to folk music is the genuineness and originality of a folks music. It is something that has been untainted with by the ideals of main stream society and it is left in its purest form. It is of the folk itself with no other opposing outside forces that try to tamper with it. Authenticity in folk music matters because if the music is kept authentic then people can truly understand the music. The music hasn't been changed to form to the models that a pop society demands or what sells, it honest to itself therefore making it truly what it is. If it left untouched by the hands of outside folk the music is and will stay authentic. Authenticity has affected folk music in many ways. Ethnomusiclogist such as John Lomax tampered the cow boy and folk songs he collected by making them into a product that could sell to a pop culture society rather than let the people appreciate the music for what it is.
An example of John Lomax's work is the African American musician Lead Belly. Lomax discovered Lead Belly when he was collecting folk songs from jails and he decided to take Lead Belly out and use him as a way to bring in money, while at the same time using Lead Belly as a source of authentic folk music. Lomax consider Lead Belly to be authentic because he had spent time in prison for so many years that he had been untouched by society. In reality Lomax striped Lead Belly of his authenticity because he created him into a product that could selling to the viewing public.
1. http://www.leadbelly.org/images/R-leadbelly-002.jpg
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