Tag: music

No Pawn in the Game: Fannie Lou Hamer, Mississippi, and the...

Like Bob Dylan, Hamer’s life was marked by protest and songs of protest. Her protests, however, grew from her personal experience on the ground in Mississippi. Kate Clifford Larson’s Walk With Me demonstrates this rootedness in the local and Hamer’s commitment to place in meaningful ways.

Still Singin’

That this country boasts something called “The Great American Songbook” is one of the best jokes around. The Great American Songbook? Our songs—let alone...

Mama Gets a Bugle

It is a mark of the middle class to maintain a low-grade prowl on eBay or Craigslist for some odd thing. My prowl was...

In Praise of the Children’s Choir Accompanist

Every few weeks, in what I assume is a uniquely Protestant ritual, a dozen small children stand at the front of our church and...

Summertime Blues

Wichita, KS. I'm more than capable of putting on my localist and communitarian hat(s) during the fall, winter, and spring: I defend the public...

I Love Rock and Roll

Claremont, CA - The first thing you see, when you enter the Memphis Rock N Soul Museum, is a front porch. This front porch is...