FOLK MUSIC: More Than A Song

The entries in this outsized, encyclopedic volume of folk singers and musicians past and present may be insipid, but good Lord, there are many of them--more than 250 with 92 photos. They range all the way from such mainstream rock-oriented acts as Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young to obscure traditional singers Ameda Riddle and Frank Warner, legendary bluesmen Son House and Mississippi John Hurt, and folklorists Kenneth Goldstein and Guy Carawan. Unusual instruments (the mouth bow, the Jew's harp, the zither) are described and such phenomena as coffeehouses, hootenannies and folk festivals are listed. In most cases the performers say a few words about themselves and their music (Joni Mitchell: ""I don't feel my best work is behind me""); but it doesn't rise above the level of album jacket notes. Everyone's recordings are duly mentioned though in many cases you'd be hard put to find them. A reference item for that dusty shelf in the corner.