Mumford and Sons: Bob Dylan Is Not Authentic

British folk-rock band defend allegations of authenticity   17-Nov-12

British folk-rock band, Mumford and Sons, have defended claims that their sound is inauthentic by citing Bob Dylan and Peter Green as examples of artists who are praised despite being 'inauthentic'.

The band have drawn some criticism in their native UK for their American folk style sound, and for using American instruments such as the banjo.

But in an interview with the Guardian, Mumford and Sons singer, Marcus Mumford, said:

"The authenticity thing has never been an issue for me. Not since I came to the realization that Dylan, who's probably my favorite artist ever, the richest artist for me, didn't give a s*** about authenticity.

"He changed his name. And modeled himself on Woody Guthrie. And lied to everyone about who he was."

Banjo player, Winston Marshall, then cited the example of Peter Green, one of the most celebrated guitarists of the electric blues era:

"[Peter Green] is from Bethnal Green [London] – and he's this f****** incredible blues guitarist. Nothing f****** authentic about that, right?

"But actually there is. He loves it. It's what he's good at. It's not like he's saying he's from the Delta. It's not like we're saying anything like that."

Mumford and Sons' new album, Babel, was the fastest-selling album of the year when it was released last month in the UK, it also reached number one on the US Billboard 200.

Mumford and Sons singer, Marcus Mumford, had previously said after the release of their first album, Sigh No More, that he was not concerned with 'selling out'.

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Amped Editor
@sonicamped