Based on extensive archival research and oral history, Staging Tradition traces the parallel careers of the creators of the Renfro Valley Barn Dance and the National Folk Festival. Through their devotion to the staging of traditional culture, including folk, country, and bluegrass music, John Lair (1894-1985) and Sarah Gertrude Knott (1895-1984) became two of the mid-twentieth century's most notable producers.

Lair and Knott's discovery of new developments in theater and entertainment during the 1920s led the pair to careers that kept each of them center stage. Inspired by programs such as WLS's Barn Dance and the success of early folk events, Lair promoted Kentucky musicians. Knott staged her own radically inclusive festival, which included Native and African American traditions and continues today as the National Folk Festival. Michael Ann Williams shows how Lair and Knott fed the public's fascination with the "art of the common man" and were in turn buffeted by cultural forces that developed around and beyond them.

| Cover Title Copyright Contents Preface Acknowledgments 1. Tradition, Ambition, and the Theater 2. "Something Big": The Birth of the National Folk Festival Illustrations A 3. John Lair, Student of the Origins of American Folk Music 4. Tooting the Horn: The Heyday of the National Folk Festival and Renfro Valley Barn Dance 5. The Changing Scene Illustrations B 6. The Prima Donna of Folk 7. Things Have Changed in Renfro Valley 8. Staging Tradition Notes Works Cited Index Back cover |"Williams draws on her meticulous research of primary source materials, including reams of personal correspondence, to trace the professional paths of two pivotal stagers of traditional culture. . . . This is an important work that should appeal to all U.S. folklorists, ethnomusicologists, and American Studies scholars."—Journal of Folklore Research
"Staging Tradition adds valuable insights into the sometimes contentious relationship between folk music presenters, performers, and audiences."—Sing Out!
"An intriguing account of how grassroots culture—especially Appalachian culture—has come to be viewed, presented, manipulated, and preserved through public performance."—Goldenseal
|Michael Ann Williams is University Distinguished Professor of Folk Studies, Emeritus, at Western Kentucky University. She is the author of Great Smoky Mountains Folklife and other books.