What's in American Roots Music?

                                                 

Folk music, the music of the people, includes ballads, sea shanties, and hymns. Because folklore is flexible, the lyrics, which  express the longings of everyday people, can be adapted to specific concerns, melodies, and instruments.

American roots music (a popular folk music category) includes blues, zydeco, and gospel. All are either native to this country or grew into unique forms out of earlier, foreign origins.

Songs of praise, also known as spiritual music, in particular, are often meant for group singing in which anyone can participate. Casey Bell, author of Casey’s Song Book, several young adult books, poetry books, and producer of the CSB.tv series of interviews with writers, took some time out of his busy schedule to answer a few questions about the music he writes:

Q:  When did you start writing song lyrics?

A: I was six years old when I wrote my first song. “You Gotta Share It.” It was a quick and simple song I wrote to music from a video game that my brother played continuously. After hearing the music over and over again, for whatever reason, I started signing these lyrics and can still remember them today.                                                                                                   

                

Q: Casey’s Song Book does not include musical notation. The only instrument required appears to be the human voice.  Is that because you want people to develop their own styles?

A: Yes and no. When I write a song, I create it in my head; I do not know how to read, write, or compose music. That is why there is no musical notation. I do believe though that we as musicians should not segregate our music into genres. Anyone should be able to create in any and as many genres as desired. This book’s lyrics only give the musician (the reader) the freedom to sing according to the compositions of their choice. This allows for many styles and interpretations.

Q: In your book, there are many songs of praise. Tell me what your process is for writing them.

A:  It depends on the day I wrote them. Some of the songs are dated. I have songs written in journals from the 1990s to 2021. My inspirations come from the day itself: successful, challenging, etc.

Q: You also write other types of folk music, many of which are poems on the page. How do you decide if the words will be a poem or a song?

A: As weird as it sounds, everything I write decides for itself what it will be. I simply let it write itself. In most cases I do not even plan to write a song or poem. An event happens in my life and the words fill my spirit and so I write them.

Q: You are also a playwright, performer, speaker, and educator. What are a few of the other projects you are currently working on?

A: I recently finished a short film, “#MaleToo.” It is a film about male models dealing with sexual assault in the modeling industry. I have entered the film in a few film festivals. It won the Award of Recognition: Liberation / Social Justice / Protest and Issues / Awareness Raising from Best Shorts Competition.  

To learn more about Casey, visit his website. And be sure to check out his Ready Writer series.