Sherpa Music Vol 5. Justice

In the 60’s we marched for justice. Today, we’re marching again. 

On April 5th, 1963 I found myself in the audience at Town Hall in New York hearing Odetta powerfully sing about life, freedom, and the need for justice. I was thirteen, the March on Washington was four months away and the country was roiling with turmoil and poised for change.  

We marched then through the canyons of New York, our chants bouncing off of the granite walls. “Freedom Now” and later “End The War” were the watchwords of our movement. We marched, we shouted and we marched again and again.

All along the way there was music. Music born of that era and music from ages past. The songs gave us hope, lifted our spirts and reminded us to “keep our eyes on the prize”.

This collection of songs found their way together as if guided by an invisible hand. They are songs of change, freedom and justice, by a diverse group of artists; gospel hymns that turned into folk songs, blues chants, rock songs and jazz. They begin with Odetta at that Town Hall concert in ’63 and move through songs by Bill Withers and the voices of Nina Simone, The Staple Singers, The Weavers, Dylan, Garland Jeffreys, Leadbelly, John Legend and the Roots, Leon Bridges and others. They end with Pete Seeger singing We Shall Overcome at Carnegie Hall in June of ’63, with every ounce of spirit he can muster, at another concert that I was lucky to witness in person.

These are songs that need to be sung. They give us the inspiration to step up, get out and proclaim justice. 

May they provoke you to ask the hard questions, have the uneasy conversations, and take peaceful action.