Alan Lomax Quotes, born January 31, 1915, in Austin, Texas, and passing on July 19, 2002, was an American folklorist, ethnomusicologist, and field collector whose work preserved the folk music traditions of the 20th century. Working with his father, John A. Lomax, and later independently, he recorded thousands of songs for the Library of Congress’s Archive of American Folk Song, capturing voices like Lead Belly, Woody Guthrie, and Muddy Waters. A key figure in the American and British folk revivals of the 1940s–1960s, Lomax produced radio shows, concerts, and books like The Land Where the Blues Began (1993), advocating for cultural equity. These 15 quotes—sourced from his writings, interviews, and public statements—reflect his passion for folk music, cultural preservation, and humanity’s shared stories, capturing his tireless dedication to the unsung voices of the world.
15 Alan Lomax Quotes
- “Folk Music is the map of singing.” (QuoteFancy, n.d.)
- “The essence of America lies not in the headlined heroes… but in the everyday folks who live and die unknown, yet leave their dreams as legacies.” (Goodreads, n.d.)
- “And the thing that I always tried to do with important singers when I met them was to sit down and record everything they knew, give them a first real run-through of their art.” (BrainyQuote, n.d.)
- “We now have cultural machines so powerful that one singer can reach everybody in the world, and make all the other singers feel inferior because they’re not like him. My life has been devoted to opposing that tendency.” (InspiringQuotes.us, 2016)
- “Music is the universal language of mankind.” (Bookey, 2023)
- “To understand a people, listen to their songs.” (Bookey, 2023)
- “The dimension of cultural equity needs to be added to the humane continuum of liberty, freedom of speech and religion, and social justice.” (MinimalistQuotes.com, 2022)
- “In every song, there is a story waiting to be heard.” (Bookey, 2023)
- “I knew Bobby Dylan back in the days when he lived in the village. He used to come and see me and sing songs for me, saying they ought to go into my next collected book on American folk music.” (BrainyQuote, n.d.)
- “The modern computer with all its various gadgets and wonderful electronic facilities now makes it possible to preserve and reinvigorate all the cultural richness of mankind.” (InspiringQuotes.us, n.d.)
- “The land knows who we are. We are its history and need its stories.” (Bookey, 2023)
- “People were saying that Southern folk song was dead, that the land that had produced American jazz, the blues, the spirituals, the mountain ballads and the work songs had gone sterile.” (MoreFamousQuotes.com, n.d.)
- “The British ballads became a new kind of form in their hand. And out of them came the blues, a new kind of song of commentary and satire.” (BrainyQuote, n.d.)
- “Folk music reminds us of our shared humanity.” (Bookey, 2023)
- “There is an impulsive and romantic streak in my nature that I find difficult to control when I go song hunting.” (Southern Cultures, 2016)
Alan Lomax’s quotes are a soulful tapestry of music, culture, and human connection, urging us to listen deeply and preserve the stories that define us. Which quote inspires you to celebrate the voices of everyday folks? Share it below and keep Lomax’s folk legacy alive!
Emma Thompson
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