New Jersey Folk Revival Music: History and Tradition

The Morris Museum, 6 Normandy Heights Rd., Morristown, will host New Jersey author Michael Gabriele on Wednesday, June 21, 2 p.m., for a presentation on his new book “New Jersey Folk Revival Music – History and Tradition.”

The program is part of the museum’s “Tea and Treasures” series, and copies of Gabriele’s book will be available for sale following the program. Tickets are priced at $10 per person for museum members and $12 for non-members. Call the museum box office at (973) 971-3706 to reserve a ticket, or visit the museum’s website (www.morrismuseum.org) for more information.

Published by Arcadia Publishing/The History Press, Gabriele’s book provides a chronological narrative on the evolution, traditions and history of folk revival music in New Jersey.

The story begins in the colonial days of tavern revelers and fiddle players in the 1700s and moves to the magical acoustic sounds heard throughout New Jersey’s Pine Barrens; to the advent of the “Guitar Mania” phenomenon in the mid-1800s; to monumental recordings made by Woody Guthrie, the Carter Family, Paul Robeson, Jimmie Rodgers and Cecil Sharp at the Victor studios in Camden during the early 1900s; to inspirational concert performances by legendary artists Joan Baez, Pete Seeger and Bob Dylan; to the development and growth of music festivals and organizations throughout the state; to the rise of bluegrass and new grass traditions; to the achievements of world-class New Jersey musicians.

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. The narrative also underlines the notion that folk revival music is a “living history,” building upon time-honored traditions, with experienced and emerging artists supported by a network of enthusiastic fans throughout New Jersey.

A good example of this living history is The Folk Project (www.folkproject.org), a cultural organization dedicated to folk music traditions, founded over 40 years ago and based in the Morristown region. The Folk Project hosts live music on most Friday evenings throughout the year in its “Minstrel Acoustic Concert Series,” which is held at the Morristown Unitarian Fellowship, 21 Normandy Heights Rd., located adjacent to the Morris Museum.

Patrons of the Morris Museum may recall the 2016 exhibition “Icons of American Culture: History of New Jersey Diners,” which drew images and information from Gabriele’s 2013 book “The History of Diners in New Jersey.” The highlight of that exhibit was an authentic diner breakfast organized and hosted by the museum on Nov. 16.

“New Jersey Folk Revival Music” 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. He’s a member of the executive board of the Nutley Historical Society and serves on the advisory board of the Clifton Arts Center.