Between 1959 and 1968, New England saw a folk revival emerge in more than fifty clubs and coffeehouses, a revolution led by college dropouts, young bohemians, and lovers of traditional music that renewed the work of the region's intellectuals and reformers. From Club 47 in Harvard Square to candlelit venues in Ipswich, Martha's Vineyard, and Amherst, budding musicians and hopeful audiences alike embraced folk music, progressive ideals, and community as alternatives to an increasingly toxic consumer culture. While the Boston-Cambridge Folk Revival was short-lived, the youthful attention that it spurred played a crucial role in the civil rights, world peace, and back-to-the-land movements emerging across the country.
Fueled by interviews with key players from the folk music scene, I Believe I'll Go Back Home traces a direct line from Yankee revolutionaries, up-country dancers, and nineteenth-century pacifists to the emergence of blues and rock 'n' roll, ultimately landing at the period of the folk revival. Thomas S. Curren presents the richness and diversity of the New England folk tradition, which continues to provide perspective, inspiration, and healing in the present day.
PREFACE
CHAPTER ONE
To Make a Better World
We Came Here for to Sing
CHAPTER TWO
When First unto This Country
Settlement and Song in New England, 1600-1820
CHAPTER THREE
There's a Good Time Coming
Reform in New England, 1810-1900
CHAPTER FOUR
The Sound of Young America
America Westward and Southward, 1800-1900
CHAPTER FIVE
Down in the Groove
Recorded Music in America, 1890-1960
CHAPTER SIX
Rolling Home to Old New England
The Beginnings of the New England Folk Revival, 1940-1962
CHAPTER SEVEN
Tenting Tonight on the Banks of the Charles
Boston and Cambridge, 1960-1963
CHAPTER EIGHT
The Lay of the Land
Folk Music from across the New England Countryside
CHAPTER NINE
The Hour That the Ship Comes In
Boston and Cambridge, 1963-1964
CHAPTER TEN
The Chords of Fame
Boston and Cambridge, 1965-1966
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Stayed Around This Old Town Too Long
The Revival Passes Along, 1967-1968
CHAPTER TWELVE
Where Did You Come From, Where Did You Go?
Winning Back Our Own Hearts and Minds
VOICES
APPENDIX ONE
Coffeehouses in New England, 1958-1968
APPENDIX TWO
Music Recordings in the Folk New England Collection
APPENDIX THREE
A Sampler of Songs from the Folk Revival
APPENDIX FOUR
Contra Dance at Newport
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER READING AND LISTENING
NOTES
INDEX
