, 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.