SONGS of SOCIAL CHANGE the Artists They Motivated The
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RALLYING CRY: SONGS OF SOCIAL CHANGE The Artists They Motivated The Movements They Inspired By Cindy Omstein Presented to the Liberal Studies Faculty at the University of Michigan-Flint in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies in American Culture August 26, 2013 First Reader Signature Date Marva t/urman, Ph.D. Second Reader Signature _ Date / S Sepi. Lois Alexander, Ph.D. RALLYING CRY: SONGS OF SOCIAL CHANGE The Artists They Motivated The Movements They Inspired I. Introduction 3 II. Joe Hill 9 III. Woody Guthrie 36 IV. “Strange Fruit” 80 V. “We Shall Overcome” 106 VI. Sing Out!, People’s Songs and the Folk Revival 133 VII. Bob Dylan 147 VIII. Woodstock 171 IX. Conclusion 209 X. Works Cited 226 2 CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION WHAT MOVEMENTS? WHAT SONGS? WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE? There is an American musical conversation we have inherited, that grew out of the native and immigrant traditions of our nation, and especially those who immigrated here against their will—the African slaves. While this musical conversation reflects all aspects of American life over the history of our nation, perhaps nowhere has it been more powerful, more iconic and of higher impact than when it was used to voice protest for social and justice issues of our world, our society and the average working American. This musical conversation happened in a variety of ways. The genesis and evolution of the lyrics and music themselves represent a sharing and passing down of musical ideas, frequently born of old hymns, spirituals and slave songs. Early American music borrowed ideas and phrasing from earlier music. It was commonplace, as you will read repeatedly in this study, for twentieth century American songs to represent a musical conversation between songwriters, living and dead, that reflected shared ideas and gave homage to the works from which they grew. The musical conversation also occurred between and among those who sang the songs. The conversation had roots in the fields, where slaves used song to send messages to those with whom they were forbidden to commune, and to sustain spirits in the often- unspeakable conditions in which they lived. The conversation often was two ways, with call and response creating a dialogue, which later echoed in the gospel music of black churches that sprouted up in the South. The music was converted to serve the needs of poor blacks indentured in the prison farm system of the post-Civil War South, who used the music to make the tedious and back-breaking work go by, and to share stories of family, dreams, losses and despair. In his book, Talkin' ‘Bout A Revolution, Dick Weissman wrote of the impact of African American music on all later music styles, “Most every genre of music that later developed and influenced the music of the entire world appeared in African American culture during the last half of the nineteenth century. Work songs, hollers, blues, ragtime, and even the building blocks that would lead to jazz all appeared during this time. As the dreams and hopes of the recently freed slaves turned into nightmares of repression, persecution, and prosecution, music became an increasingly important avenue for the transmission of ideas, emotions and dreams” (74). During the first half of the twentieth century, two sources of music developed separately, and gradually intersected as they influenced both popular and protest music. The music from slave songs and black churches was transformed into songs for agricultural workers rights and, then, civil rights. Another strain of American song, coming out of religious and folk music, was reshaped to become songs in support of the industrial labor movements of the North, Midwest and West. As means of communication and sharing of music were enhanced, all of these conversations began to merge and influence each other. In the middle of the twentieth century, voices from all movements began to share musical sources during a period of great social change. A more informed society bred concerns about how and why war was being waged, and resulted in a joining of forces across racial divides to make the case for equal civil rights and against institutionalized racism. Another segment of the population, primarily youth, sought social freedoms, and questioned the sexual and cultural mores of 4 its elders. Others questioned the power structure of American society, and songs were used to raise consciousness about Black Power and Women’s Rights. As Dorian Lynskey points out in his book 33 Revolutions Per Minute, the variety of protest songs, their style and emotions, and the motivation of the songwriters are enormously diverse: “The songs...tend to stem from concern, anger, doubt, and, in practically every case, sincere emotion. Some are spontaneous outpourings of feeling, others carefully composed tracts; some are crystalline in their clarity, others enthralling in their ambiguity; some are answers; some just necessary questions; some were acts of enormous bravery, others the beneficiaries of enormous luck. There are as many ways to write a protest song as there are to write a love song” (xv). By the 1970s, “protest” music was endemic to American popular music, particularly folk, blues, rhythm ’n blues, soul and rock ‘n’ roll. Later, rap, indie and electronica joined a diverse mix of music styles that sometimes included “protest” content. However, after the Woodstock era, the use of protest as a mass rallying force was not prevalent. A few notable voices still engaged deeply with protest content, perhaps none more than Bruce Springsteen, but the commentary was diverse, and frequently individualized, representing the personal reflections of the artist more than an activist’s call for change. However, the birth of protest songs throughout history often was personal, as the stories of the songs and songwriters in this study will show. Consider what Woody Guthrie wrote next to an asterisk at the bottom of the original manuscript of “This Land Is Your Land,” “all you can write is what you see.” Many of the authors of protest songs would echo Guthrie’s sentiment, repeated later in statements 5 by Bob Dylan, in which he eschewed the efforts of others to label him as a protest singer or as the voice of his generation. Whether a personal statement about injustice or human conditions, or designed for shared voices, protests of all kinds are woven into the content produced by today’s songwriters. Music is a core manner of sharing ideas or howling to the moon. While it is true that certain artists today are associated more than others with protest content, almost any songwriter may have protest content in his arsenal of songs. This study explores what are commonly called “protest songs.” Groups involved in mass social movements often use protest songs to create a sense of solidarity, or to make a statement at public demonstrations. Such songs are usually simple, with a common refrain. However, the study also will include more complex songs that do not have the simple words and structures of typical protest songs, and were primarily performed by a professional musician or played in recorded form (as opposed to being sung by large groups of the public at mass rallies), but were written and performed with the intention of making a statement and impacting the public’s point of view on issues of social and/or political significance. This paper looks across several key songs and songwriters, and will illuminate interconnections, patterns and insights into how such songs evolved over the course of time, principally the first three-quarters of the twentieth century. Illuminated here is a web of artists, beginning in the early twentieth century, who have been strongly influenced by each other and have borrowed from each other’s work and ideas. Also included are those who nurtured and supported the development of much of the musical work discussed here. 6 Three people, one a musician/songwriter, and the other two acting in multiple supportive roles, stand out as individuals whose stories are woven deeply into the fabric of twentieth century protest music. The lives of producer and manager John Hammond, ethnomusicologist Alan Lomax and songwriter and cultural icon Pete Seeger, could be viewed together as encompassing a great deal of the story of this genre, as their influence and actions played such a major role in shaping its content. While their stories are not celebrated with dedicated chapters in this study, their importance is evident and is demonstrated repeatedly through the many touch points and relationships described in the pages that follow. As a talent scout, manager and record producer, John Hammond was instrumental in both supporting the careers of many key figures and enabling their music to be shared with a larger public. Alan Lomax, initially in partnership with his father John Lomax, laid the foundation for much of the ethnomusicology work that followed by researching and collecting traditional music, recording in the field, preserving the recordings at the Smithsonian Institution and bringing together musicians who had a profound impact on the lives and works of one another. Dick Weissman sums up Lomax’s effect: “Alan Lomax played a unique role in the development of the protest songs. Alan was a sort of godfather and facilitator of the entire American folk song revival. He was a song collector, a record producer, a concert organizer, a radio program producer, an author, and a sort of overall guru of American folk music” (189). Pete Seeger influenced and worked with scores of musicians, and carries the torch for many who are long gone, such as Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly. As a result, at ninety-four he is a living legend and the unquestioned patriarch of all who pursue music for social good.