PEOPLE S S on G's Bulletin of Pe Ople 'S Songs Inc., Organi Zed to Create, Promote and Vol
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, PEOPLE S S ON G'S Bulletin of Pe ople 's Songs Inc., organi zed to create, promote and Vol. I, No.2 distribute songs of labor and the· American people. " vM arch 1946 Singing In the News Popular Song Writers Committee Formed I The press generally has , re Popular songwriters have organized a working comm itte e ported the upsurge of singing in People's S ong s, , with Paul Secon a s secretary . The grou p in meetings~ on picket lines has held several meetings and memberS have written s ong s and in demonstrations. with socd.al themes, and jingles for radio spots. Discussions Soldiers overseas demon have been held on treatments of social problems wh ich wou l d strating in January f ·or speed be acceptablB to the commercial marKet, as well as for t he ing up demobilization were re growing trade union market. A represen tative of the y oiiti ported to have sung the old cal ~ction Committee of CIO has met with the g roup a nd de a rmy song, 'Gee, but I want to scribed the program of PAC for 1946 • . He s tres sed the urge nt g o home' -with new words com . need for new songs dea ling with h ous ing , full em p loymen t, poseq for the occasion. A high high .cost of living, and voters ' reg i s tration. army officer in Japan is said Songwriters wishing to join and work ~ith this group of to have been so irrit~ted by professional writers should write Paul Secon at the na tion a l this song that he threatened office. ' to jail the singers. The recent ' Western Union The National Archive of People's Songs picket line was noted for its constant use of" music via An yone paying regular membership fees to Peop le I s Son g s\ s ound truck. Many actors and can request material from the Archive. singers appeared in STAGE FOR WHAT IT IS: A collection of thousands of orig i nal ACTImr shows.The ll ew York met song.';" and books, folk- songs, new song s of the people , and r opolitan press featured sto historical material. Sample catalog titles: Steel, ~,1 i n er, r ies . of mass singing , on the Textile, Union Heroes, Union Dances, Jailhouse, Lumberjack, picket line and reprinted sev , Farmer. ' eral ver8'eS of songs. WHAT IT DO~S: B~ings together in one library all the Singi~g of the Jefferson n,ew, songs being written for today' s needs; ' makes available Chorus and of stage for 'Action to singers and writers the old and new material; provides a has been noted in the press as source of material for educational programs; for meetings, t hese groups have appeared on performances, etc. n ~erous picket lines. tHAT YOU CAN DO: Send us manuscrlpts of new song s you Philadelphia papers called are writing, to be filed in the Archive, and made availabl& "Union Maid"- the worst worn for use. All copyright and royalty regulations are strictly r ecord in the G'.E. strikers' observed. Send older song's that you have used in the past. collectron o,f union so~gs. The Even if they are out of date, they should be on record. Par wires of the sound system were ticularly needed are copies o f old union 'son gbooks and cut several times, presumably song sheets. Send listing s of material '/Ihich you have but by police. ' .'. cannot r e lease. Irony of our times: "Peat Bog Soldiers", the famous Ger Union Record Companr Established man' concentration camp song, l s now nuniber 1 -on the Be,rlin Union Records, a new record company, has jus t b e en e s IIHit Parade". tablished. Its purpose is stated in an ann ouncement from the cO,mpany: "The basic effort of the American pe ople fr om r evo lutionary days through 'Norld War II has been to keep an d To New Readers preserve the spirit of democracy. Union Recor d s will d ocu- ' Last month, in our first ment thin tradition of democracy as it is expressed in song Bulletin, we outlined our pur and story anq, speeches of statesmen." poses and our reason ,for exis . In keeping with this purpose, Union Rec~rd~ is starting t ence .Due ·to the fine response' out with three a ll?um,s ,Roosevelt 's Inaugural Addres s of ~ we are having this Bulletin first in a series of FDR's broadcasts. Picket Line S ongs, printed by offset. famous union songs sung by the Jefferson Chorus. Scent of We - send out , this call to Magnolias, a satire on southeTn prejudice by Joel Miner . - all union education director~, ~oody Guthrie, Josh White, Peter Se e ge r, ~ ary Lou Wil and to all farmer, labor, and liams" Huddie Leadbetter a-nd other well -known singers will people's organizations; to all be heard frequently on Union Records . poets and songwriters and mu All pressing s are on unbr e a }~ble plastic . sicians; to sing'ers, . perform (Union Records, 119 'Nest 46 St., N.Y. C. 19, N.Y.) ers, and chorus directors: He re are song s of democracy. We believe that sorigs shou~d be concerned with more than II June-m o on-croon " • There is a need for songs, about thinus in ~he world about us, and songs ' '!fe have set up PEO'PLE'S letin grow dusty. Put it into expressing the deepest aspira SONGS. as a national collection the hands of people who like tions bf all people for free point and outlet for this kind to sing s , and have them become dom and equality. :of song. Do not let this BuI- memb ers of PEOPLE'S SONGS. Peoples Songs Copyright, t9d-6, by ' ~b' PL,,' S SONGS Inc. Attention, Songwriters: r'ublished by P E O.PLI~' S Sm!GS, Inc., 130 ":est 42 St., LoY-C. Song writers should begin Pe ter Seeger, Executive Secretary thinking about songs that will Official Organ of P;!;OPLE' S SOl.!GS, Inc. be needed in the fall cam paigns. 'l' empor :1.ry n rganizing committee: Robert Claiborne, Horac'e Gre Writers should visit their ne ll, He rbe rt Haufrecht, Lee Hays, Lydia Infeld, George Le local PAC offices and talk v i ne, S i mon Ra dy, Peter Seeger. with union leaders about plans for the fall campaign. Songs Advi s ory committe e: Saul Aarons, Charlotte Anthony, Edith of general purpose, and songs Alla i r e, Bernie Asbel, Dorothy Baron, Oscar Brand, Agnes which may easily be adapted Cunningham, G. Gabor, Jack Galin, Tom Glazer, Michael Gold, for specific candidates and 'Noody Gu t h rie , Baldwin Hawes, Waldemar Hille, Zilphia Horton local issues should be prepar Bur l Ives , Robert Kates, Paul Kent, Rockwell Kent, Lou ed during the summer, and re Kl e inman , r.a lla r d Lam pe ll, John Leary, 1~ ildred Linsley, Bess cordings made at that time. Lomax , '.'1a lte r Low en fels, Frances Luban~ Jessie Lloyd O!Con IMMEDIATELY NEEDED: Songs nor, Shaema s O' Sh eel, David Reif, Earl Robinson , Bob Rus about Gerald L. K. Smith, the sell, Bett y Ga nder s , Pa ul Secol1, Naomi Spahn, Horman Studer, Freeport murders, the high 'Uke S tra tton, Jos h White , Hy Zaret. cost of living, picket lines, labor unity. Housing for vete Inc or p ora ted Feb. 1 946 under the laws of the State of New rans, the fight against Rankin Yor k by : Peter Seege r, Lee Hays, Robert Claiborne, Horace and Bilbo,Hearst and Pe g ler, Grenell, a nd Herbert Haufrecht. should be put into songs. Not to be neglected are the serious compositions sta ting "l ue s for Ac tiv e Uembers: ~5 per year the people's concern about a <-·u s t a ining Memberships: 'i(25 or more per year tomic power,about labor's role -' rou p ~.i emb e r s hips: 10 or more members of a chorus, dramatic, in the peace, and our concern union , fra terna l or other group may become memb e rs at fl for suffering minority peoples p·e r person. State name of person to receive all c0pies of everywhere. Bu l letin for d i s tribution. Choruses Must Get Together One of the main purposes of Don't Kill the Goose PEOPLE'S 501ms is to provide a central office to which trade Although the memb ership of PEOPLE ' s ~3or:G~, i n cludes many union choruses can a pply for s i ngers , it d oes not operate as an organization of perform- new material. We now send out a ~all to all such choruses to But since no organization dealing with t)1e special' prob help us establish this music lems of singers and writers of progressive songs exists at exchange. What arrangements do present, we feel obligated to call attention to a practice you have which may be used b y i n jurious both to these artists , and to the groupE which other groups? In a subseqL;ent nee d their service :] . issue we will announce the d u Pla nners of meetings or parties take it for granted that et, trio, quartet and choral their budget must include rent, advertising, tickets, and arrangements which have been l ike expenses. They rarely include a fee for entertainment made available.