Harassed by Southern thugs early in life for recording the songs and stories of black folk, Alan Lomax was pilloried before his death in 2002 by academic cultural studies creeps as well as accusations that he unfairly exploited the black artists he discovered, especially Lead Belly. In The Man Who Recorded the World, Columbia University music professor John Szwed brushes aside all such criticism. In his account, Lomax appears as the tireless advocate of folk musicians, always underpaid for his efforts (he was associated with the Library of Congress through much of his career) and eager to record folk traditions anywhere in the world before they passed into twilight. Answering another criticism of Lomax, that he was a folk purist who hated all musical developments during his lifetime (including rock 'n' roll), Szwed finds that Lomax's views evolved over time. The Man Who Recorded the World won't end the controversy, but the engaging study helps us understand the world Lomax came from as well as the world he helped to create.
