Kinky Friedman and His Influence on Jewish American Music

Authors

Mara W. Cohen IoannidesFollow

Document Type

Article

Abstract

Kinky Friedman changed American pop music and Country and Western music’s presentation of Jews. Because of his satirical and counter culture lyrics, the idea that Jews could be Jewish on stage without having to point out they were Jewish was a part of the stage persona that Friedman adopted. His biting lyrics pointed to the derogatory ways that Americans view the other and what he saw as hypocritical Christian values. Additionally, he is set the stage to address painful issues in music, writing and performing the first popular song about the Holocaust. Dubbed the founder of “Redneck Rock” or a leader of “progressive country music,” his influence on music stars who came after him is undoubted, as he opened the door for musicians to be minorities and sing about being minorities.

Recommended Citation

Cohen Ioannides, Mara W. (2022) "Kinky Friedman and His Influence on Jewish American Music," Music & Musical Performance: : Iss. 1.
Available at: https://digitalcommons.fiu.edu/mmp/vol1/iss1/3