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Black Music Research Bulletin, Spring 1990

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Black Music Research Bulletin, Spring 1990 Columbia College Chicago Digital Commons @ Columbia College Chicago Center for Black Music Research: Black Music Research Newsletter Publications Spring 4-1-1990 Black Music Research Bulletin, Spring 1990 Samuel Floyd Columbia College Chicago Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.colum.edu/cbmrnews Part of the Arts and Humanities Commons, and the Education Commons Recommended Citation Floyd, Samuel, "Black Music Research Bulletin, Spring 1990" (1990). Center for Black Music Research: Black Music Research Newsletter. 30. https://digitalcommons.colum.edu/cbmrnews/30 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Publications at Digital Commons @ Columbia College Chicago. It has been accepted for inclusion in Center for Black Music Research: Black Music Research Newsletter by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ Columbia College Chicago. For more information, please contact [email protected]. BLACK MUSIC RESEARCH BULLETIN (, B ,\I ll COLUMBIA COLLEGE CHICAGO Vol. 12, No. 1 ISSN 0898-8536 Spring 1990 "Freedom in the Air'': An Overview of Contents the Songs of the Civil Rights Movement "Freedom in the Air": An 1 by Guy and Candie Carawan, New Market, Tennessee Overview of the Songs of the Civil Rights Movement The Civil Rights Movement has music that we could call "movement Guy and Candie Carawan often been described as the greatest music." We had church music, but remember that it was largely a The Lined Hymn as a Song 4 singing movement this country has young movement; it was a move­ of Freedom experienced. The freedom songs came from the historical experience ment of change. It needed something Bernice Johnson Reagon that fit it. We also didn't realize how and the creativity of southern black Paul Robeson, Civil Rights 7 important a dynamic music would communities. They are of many be to the movement. That was the Activist: An Opinion kinds and range through many Hale Smith beginning of a movement, and we moods. The import.ant ones are the didn't know what was necessary Twentieth Century Civil 9 old, slow-paced spirituals and hymns and what wasn't. We weren't think­ Rights Collections in the that sing of hope and determination ing about it in terms of "what is Manuscript Division of the and the rhythmic jubilee spirituals going to inspire us?" Library of Congress: and bright gospel songs that protest When we did start seeking for A Selected Checklist boldly and celebrate eventual victory. songs to use at mass meetings, the Debra Newman Ham Many of these songs have new or re­ only thing we had among us that vised words to old familiar tunes. had any sense of life to it was church music. And some of the Having witnessed the civil rights church music didn't fit at all. For in­ era, most of us take for granted the stance, I was giving a movement notion of adapting well-known songs The Center for Black Music speech once and the choir followed to situations ol protest, and we do Research was established in with '1'IJ Fly Away." Now that not stop to question the emergence of 1983 to discover, dissemi- didn't fit at all. In fact, it was a di­ a powerful singing movement. But rect contradiction with what I was nate, preserve, and promote from our personal experience in the saying. How much different it could aspects of black music in all South in the early 1960s, we know have been if they had followed with its forms-from blues, jazz, that some very specific work went a movement song that was also reli­ gospel, and ragtime to opera into stimulating and nurturing the gious. and concert works. growth of the freedom repertoire. I don't think we had ever thought of spirituals as movement material. C. The publications of the Cen- Rev. T. Vivian, who pastored a When the movement came up, we ter for Black Music Research church in Nashville in the early 1960s couldn't apply them. The concept include: and is currently the director of the has to be there. It wasn't just to have Center for Democratic Renewal, re­ the music, but to take the music out Black Music Research Journal cently spoke to us about the early at­ of your past and apply it to the new CBMR Monographs tempts at group singing in the move­ situation, to change it so it really fit. Black Music Research Bulletin ment: CBMR Digest So how did this begin to happen? At the beginning of the move­ One place it happened was at the ment, we really didn't have any Highlander Folk School in Montea- 2 gle, Tennessee. In the early days, Highlander was one of the gathering ... places of the movement. Weekend I after weekend in the early 1960s, community leaders and activists from across the South came to the school to share information, to strntegize and to plan, and to bolster each others' spirits as they returned home to confront segregation. As the campaigns moved into the deepest parts of the South, the singitig reflected the rich­ ness of the traditions alive in the southernmost communities. At Highlander a basic lesson had been learned during the Labor Move­ ment-that group singing could be a strong unifying force in struggle and that commonly known songs were most effective, particularly southern gospel and religious songs with re­ petitive stanzas adapted with new words to fit the situation. For many years Zilphia Horton, the cultural co­ ordinator at Highlander, had worked with grassroots community people Frttdom singing in the 1960s. Photo by Ktn Thompson coming to Highlander. She drew from them their favorite songs and with Highlander. His repertoire as he meetings and at civil rights confer­ helped to shape them slightly differ­ sang with progressive movements in ences. ently to fit situations such as union the North included many songs from It did not take long for the practice campaigns. She also taught songs the South. He came to Highlander to of adapting songs to catch on and to that she knew from different parts of share his music and, in 1945, carried hit its stride. As Rev. C. T. Vivian the South, from other parts of the away from the school a labor version told me, country, and from abroad. In the of "We Shall Overcome" which had The first time I remember any 1940s and 1950s she and others car­ been developed by striking Food and change in our songs was when Guy Tobacco Union workers in Charles­ ried songs from Highlander to picket [Carawan] came down from High­ lines across the South and brought ton, South Carolina. lander. Here he was with this guitar back new songs from the various I [Guy] had been greatly influ­ and that tall frame, leaning forward union struggles. Others helped with enced by Pete, struck by his exciting and patting that foot. I remember this process. Zilphia, her husband way of playing the banjo and his col­ James Bevel and I looked across at Myles, and Lee Hays (who spent a lection of songs from grassroots each other and smiled. Guy had period working with her) knew, for Americans. In 1959, on his sugges­ taken the song "Follow the Drinking example, of John Handcox in the tion, we came to Highlander and Gourd," and I didn't know tho song, Southern Te nant Farmers Union who tried to carry on Zilphia's way of but he gave some background on it contributed effective union songs working with people. (Zilphia had and boom, that began to make based on familiar melodies. His "Roll died in 1956.) We met with groups sense. And little by little, spiritual after spiritual after spiritual began to the Union On," "There's Mean gathered there and learned their appear-with new sets of words, Things Happening in This Land," songs, helping to adapt them to the new changes. "Keep Your Eyes on and "Raggedy, Raggedy Are We" all movement activity in their communi­ the Prize, Hold On" or '1'm Gonna became widely known in the South ties. We were also invited to visit Sit at the Welcome Table." Once we and are still sung today. Pete Seeger people in their homes and churches had seen it done, we could begin to had been in contact with Zilphia and and asked to lead singing in mass do it. 3 As the movement spread, so did workers. (CORE, the Congress on Ra­ also fed into this cross-fertilization. the songs. The Nashville campaign cial Equality, had started the freedom The first had been held at Highlander was one of the first city-wide efforts rides and had been joined by riders in the summer of 1960 and had against segregation, and a variety of from other organizations when they brought together song-leaders from songs emerged from it to suit the sit­ were violently attacked and the rides some of the very early civil rights ins. There in the American Baptist were in danger of being canceled.) campaigns-including Montgomery Theological Seminary was a talented Many songs were created or and Nashville-with northern protest quartet of ministerial students who adapted in jail, and the freedom rid­ singers and songwriters. introduced humorous and satirical ers carried them back to their home rhythm & blues and rock & roll communities. We think of Cordell Called a "Sing for Freedom," songs to the movement's growing Reagon, for example, who began the event was jointly spon­ repertoire of spirituals and gospel singing freedom songs as a teenager sored by Highlander, SCLC, songs. Bernard Lafayette and James in Nashville during the sit-ins, came and SNCC and was organized Bevel (later to become leaders in to Mississippi as a freedom rider, and SNCC and SCLC) in particular then moved on to Albany where he by Bernice and Cordell Reagon, would carry the Nashville songs to taught songs and helped form the Dorothy Cotton, Andrew many new situations in the coming SNCC freedom singers.
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