“The Only Band That Matters” The promotional tagline bestowed upon them by their record label may seem like hyperbole, but at times they came close to scaling the lofty heights of being “The Only Band That Matters.” One of the reasons why they’ve mattered is that they were able to address real-world issues in fresh ways. Their music continues to […]
Learn more →“This machine kills fascists” It would be impossible to overestimate the impact that Woody Guthrie continues to have on American folk music. His contributions to the canon of protest songs are undeniable. His music rallies against fascism, racism and other injustices. Even though Guthrie initial attempts at a music career began in the early 1930s, he started to gain a […]
Learn more →The history of protest music is filled with tunes that are often misinterpreted. One example is Woody Guthrie’s “This Land Is Your Land”. Originally composed as “God Blessed America for Me”, instead of being a patriotic tune, it was meant as a caustic critique of Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America”. The tune’s most potent lyrics often get excluded: “There was a […]
Learn more →“Southern trees bear strange fruitBlood on the leaves and blood at the rootBlack bodies swinging in the southern breezeStrange fruit hanging from the poplar trees“ One of the most important songs ever composed and recorded, Abel Meeropol originally wrote “Strange Fruit” as a poem under the pseudonym Lewis Allan. He penned it in 1937 under the name “Bitter Fruit”, after […]
Learn more →Part of the objective of this website is to chronicle the historical developments of protest music. It is also my goal to eventually create what could be considered an online archive of artists, albums and songs that have notably contributed to the continually expanding cannon of protest songs. With that goal in mind I decided I create an online Protest […]
Learn more →As an online project to help chronicle the artists, songs and albums that helped shape protest music we are asking you to fill out an online poll. The reader selections with the most responses will be profiled in our online Protest Music Hall of Fame. Loading…
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