What is the difference between “roots music” and “folk music”? Give examples. (Examples may vary)
What will be an ideal response?
• The "roots music' phenomenon which included blues emerged as a descriptive term to describe 21st-century American vernacular and ethnic musics—including, for example, blues, hillbilly, country, zydeco, Cajun, Tejano, Native American, and rockabilly as the major forms of roots music. (WOM also lists other examples of roots music, see p. 140). The roots music artist is urbane, commercially oriented, and self-consciously identifies her/himself with a musical tradition. Roots music focuses on themes about gender/class relationships, regional/historical issues, and racial/ethnic tensions.
• By contrast folk music was associated with rural farm villages and performed by illiterate, untrained musicians. The "folk musician regarded the music s/he played as [simply] the music of the community" without regard to labeling its category (genre).