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Doctoral Dissertation From Revival to Remix: Norwegian American Folk Music and Song By Anna C. Rue A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Scandinavian Studies) at the UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON 2014 Date of final oral examination: 12/5/2013 The dissertation is approved by the following members of the Final Oral Committee: James P. Leary, Professor, Scandinavian Studies Thomas A. DuBois, Professor, Scandinavian Studies Julie K. Allen, Associate Professor, Scandinavian Studies Janet C. Gilmore, Associate Professor, Natural Resources – Landscape Architecture Ruth E. Olson, Faculty Associate, Interdisciplinary Research Programs – Humanities i For Thelma and Charlotte ii Acknowledgements Nothing worthwhile is accomplished alone, without help, without the patience and efforts of other good people. I could not have finished this dissertation without the assistance of many good people, first among them being my outstanding committee members. I feel so lucky to have been the beneficiary of your collective wisdom over the years I’ve been in this program and during the course of this project in particular. I could not imagine a more impressive, helpful, good humored, and inspiring group of people to work with as a graduate student and I feel truly honored to have been a part of this program at this particular time. I would also like to extend a special thanks to Jim, the best advisor I could have asked for and whose faith in and good opinion of my work was always so steadfast and kind that I hardly recognized it as my own. I would like to thank all the people who indulged my relentless questions, awkward stumbling and rambling as I tried to piece ideas together, and who offered me their thoughts, stories, and perspectives with so much trust and good will. To Beth Hoven Rotto, Bill Musser, Bruce Bollerud, LeRoy Larson, Kari Tauring, Amy Boxrud, Lila Nelson, Harley Refsal, and others who have offered their time and shared with me their experiences. I hope I have presented your words and thoughts truthfully and accurately. I would like to thank Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum in Decorah, Iowa and Mills Music Library at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Completing this dissertation would not have been possible without their participation in the Norwegian-American Folk Music Project, to which I had the pleasure of contributing, as well as their continued assistance as I progressed in my studies. My research would not have continued without the support of the Scandinavian Studies and the Comparative Literature and Folklore Departments. I was the beneficiary of generous funding in the form of teaching assistantships, project assistantships, and the Barbara Morgridge Wisconsin Distinguished Graduate Fellowship. I am extremely grateful for these opportunities. I also extend my deep gratitude to all my friends in the Scandinavian Studies and Comparative Literature and Folklore departments for their support and friendship during my time at the University. Finally, I would like to thank my family who have supported me in more ways than I can name. To my brother for bringing me dinners and spending time with my daughter when I needed a break; to my parents who took my daughter into their home weekend after weekend so that I could have the space and time I needed to work and who have always encouraged and supported me in any way they could; and to my sister who continually offered a sympathetic ear when I needed to complain about other members of our family who were driving me nuts. Most of all I want to thank Charles for the countless gestures of help and support he’s offered over the years—not one of which was wasted or unappreciated. To Lottie for being the most wonderful kid a parent could ask for, who kept me laughing and smiling through the worst of it and made the best of it even better. And finally to the yet unborn one who relentlessly kicked me in the ribs as I typed, facepalmed, and overate my way through my final semester of writing, who was along for the ride in a way no one else could have been, and who gave me the greatest motivation I’ve ever had to meet a deadline. iii Table of Contents Preface ….……………………………………………………………………………………...... 1 Chapter 1: Norwegian American Folk Music: Beginnings ……………………………………...13 Chapter 2: Norwegian American Folk Music Revived: Marion Nelson and Nordic Fest ……... 37 Chapter 3: Curating Traditions: Bob Andresen, LeRoy Larson, and Bruce Bollerud ………… 74 Chapter 4: Beyond the Revival ……………………………………………………………….. 119 Chapter 5: The Present and Future of Norwegian American Folk Music ……………………. 162 Bibliography ………………………………………………………………………………….. 197 iv Abstract This project examines Norwegian American folk music in the Upper Midwest from the folk music revival period in the 1960s and 70s to the present day. It considers the ways in which one ethnic tradition has continued in a multi-ethnic context and examines creolized, modernized, as well as historically reimagined forms of this music. The mid-twentieth century folk music revival in American popular culture contributed to a set of conditions that made renewed interest in folk traditions among Norwegian Americans possible. The Norwegian American revitalization is distinctive not only because of its specific ethnic focus but because those individuals who took up the revitalization were themselves immersed in the ethnic community. Younger musicians who advanced the revitalization at this time were not merely performers but have become expert sources of this music in the Upper Midwest, also serving as archivists, self-taught folklorists, documentarians, and scholars in the field; in essence, curators of their own traditions. This work also addresses how Norwegian American folk music has progressed since the revival period of the mid-twentieth century. It acknowledges the creative impulses still at work among musicians who not only preserve musical traditions but continue to experiment with them to keep them current and relevant. These musicians reflect a continued desire for an ethnic identity, providing a connection to cultural experiences that are not constrained by language- based art forms. 1 Preface “Highlandville Waltz” Refrain : Come with me, dance with me, give me your hand Hum to me softly an old tune Tell me a story of when you were young Dance to the song of this schoolroom. Though years are between us come close to me now Your wisdom and memory will lead the way The music and dancing remind you somehow Of friends who came courting on Saturday. Refrain And whisper of Grandpa so tall and so thin A dancer with feet light as feathers He’d refuse not a soul for a whirl or a spin Waltzing in circles together. Refrain This is your last dance, let it last for a while I know that someday I’ll miss you Watching the shadows for your calm, wistful smile Stepping in time with your old shoes. Refrain — Eric Sessions and Greg Dale 2 As a child, every time my siblings or I would leave my house my father would call after us, “Don’t forget who you are!” as we stepped out onto the front steps and shut the door behind us. For years I assumed it was his way of telling us to behave ourselves when we were outside of our parents’ jurisdiction. And it may have been partly that. But much later, as he was dropping me off at college for the first time he left me with this: “Go discover who you are.” I had to be reminded of that years later because I was in such an overwhelmed state that I failed to remember anything he said in particular. But I think of that sometimes and about how, when we are growing up we need instruction, we need rules, we need enculturation to tell us who we are and where we stand in the world. Then comes a time when many of us are sent away to discover ourselves for ourselves. What I realized was that I never needed to be found. The contrast of living in a new place helped underscore my identity, but finding out who I really was turned out to be a matter of remembering who I was back home. This is the state of mind I am in when I think about identity and ethnicity. Scholars in the area of family folklore have long recognized the link between our personal family experiences and the interests we pursue later in life (Morgan 1981, Narayan 2007). In this work I am following this pattern, which is clearly reflected in my writing. At times I combine personal experience to lend support to my analysis, offer up alternative interpretations, or simply to echo thoughts or experiences my interviewees have shared with me. They are not intended to distract from the fieldwork and analysis I have done, but by including them I am speaking from my experience both as a participant in and observer of this community. The experiences we accumulate by participating in and soaking up traditions, rituals, stories, etc. as young people help orient our paths as adults; help us navigate new situations and form relationships with people and places. Essentially this work is an attempt to articulate these 3 things: how tradition helps us navigate change while simultaneously adapting to it, how the important work of some individuals who take it upon themselves to preserve cultural expressions make it possible for us to continue negotiating new contexts, how the interplay between tradition and innovation is expressed through a broad spectrum of contemporary musicians, and how we can look ahead to the future of Norwegian American folk music through the creative work that is being done today throughout the Upper Midwest.
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