How American Is Americana?

America has a bit of a security complex when it comes to the arts. This is not a new thing. Remember studying literature in school? For many of us, our introduction to the formal study of literature came in a class entitled “English Literature”. Only later were we exposed to literature’s poor stepchild, American literature. And what do you know, it seemed that our first literary successes were writers who had mastered the English style of writing.
Later, as the United States began to establish a separate cultural identity, writers such as Mark Twain forged a uniquely American form of writing.
A similar pattern emerged in the visual arts. Artistic innovation was always led by the Europeans and it wasn’t until the 20th century that much of anything remotely meaningful could be labeled American art.
Ah, but then there’s music. For some reason, American artists have succeeded in creating many musical genres over the years. Blues? Definitely American. Jazz? American. Country? American. Rock ‘n’ Roll. American.
Let’s not forget, of course, the father of American music: Stephen Foster. And how about the march? Europeans were always great with orchestras but nobody ever did marches like John Phillip Sousa.
One problem with some of new musical genres created in America is that foreign competition quickly recognized that we had something good going and they appropriated our musical invention to their benefit. Rock ‘n’ roll is probably the best example. How long did it take the British to deliver rock music to new heights? The emergence of rock in 1956 as a truly, uniquely American art form (ignoring the British argument that skiffle also falls in that category, which it does) started a cultural revolution. But in 1964, the Brits claimed, if not ownership, at least clear dominance of rock music, a dominance which continued for years.
But then there’s Americana, my personal favorite. Recognized as a category unto itself for the past 15 years, Americana must, by definition, be regarded as a truly American art form with no room for foreign pretenders. Really, Americana started with Stephen Foster. And isn’t Woody Guthrie best described as an Americana artist---to me, his voice and message embodied so much more than folk music.
So Americana music has been around a long time and is only now getting its just due as a category unto itself. And for what it’s worth, it’s almost 100% American. I say almost because at least one foreign artist, Mark Knopfler, has mastered the form.
Personally, I tip my cap to Knopfler---he seems to have studied plenty of American history and has a knack for capturing the spirit of the old west in some of his songs. Knopfler notwithstanding, Americana music is dominated more than any other genre by American artists.
I’m not one to bang the patriotic drum, but it feels good to have a musical form which, in a way, defines our national identity (and as a bonus, does so outside the odious confines of country music). For me, Americana music feels as good as it sounds. It’s straightforward and honest, and in that way resonates with our common view of what Americans (our current president and his cronies notwithstanding) should be.
Best of all, Americana music springs from all parts of America. Like America itself, Americana is a genre which is a little bit of lots of things---rock, folk, blues, country---and thus it possesses a diversity all its own. God bless Americana, the music from the land that I love.