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Karl Hagstrom Miller

Lomax plays guitar

In the field of folk music, Alan Lomax is a giant — if a flawed and controversial one

Music

Alan Lomax is celebrated for incredible recordings that serve as touchstones for the field of folk music. But he is not universally praised — with some critics saying his methods, and even his collections, reinforced a segregated South and highlight offensively stereotypical aspects of African American culture.

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