Degree Name
MA (Master of Arts)
Program
Appalachian Studies
Date of Award
12-2022
Committee Chair or Co-Chairs
Roy Andrade
Committee Members
Ron Roach, Ted Olson
Abstract
American flat-picking guitarist, singer and songwriter Norman Blake holds legendary status among guitar players, bluegrass, and folk musicians.
The aim of this research is to analyze the interaction of sense of place in Norman Blake’s songwriting. This research will explore the techniques Blake uses to create that acute sense of place. Elements of literary criticism, cultural geography, ethnomusicology, and sense of place studies, as well as historical background information on Northern Alabama and North Georgia will be employed to show how this particular region of Southeastern Appalachia has informed Blake’s songwriting.
The research questions that I aim to answer are how a sense of place has influenced Norman Blake’s songwriting, how his writing has influenced other songwriters in the field of 20th century folk music, bluegrass, Americana, and country music, and what songwriting techniques Blake has employed to create an acute sense of place.
Document Type
Thesis - unrestricted
Recommended Citation
Jutz, Thomas, "An Acute Sense of Place: The Songs of Norman Blake" (2022). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 4140. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/4140
Copyright
Copyright by the authors.