Topical
Show 71: The Protest Blues Tradition
Here the blues is not just heartbreak music but a witness stand. From labor songs and anti-racist statements to civil-rights fire and bitter social testimony, protest runs through blues and folk not as a side issue but as one of the music's recurring functions, not its only one.
Host Narration
Black Brown and White by Big Bill Broonzy followed by Abbey Lincoln and instrumentals by Max Roach with Drivin' Man
34Tracks
21Artists
5Theme Tags
5Genre Tags
Here the blues is not just heartbreak music but a witness stand. From labor songs and anti-racist statements to civil-rights fire and bitter social testimony, protest runs through blues and folk not as a side issue but as one of the music's recurring functions, not its only one.
Tracklist
| Order | Track | Artist | Segment | Bridge | Story |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black, Brown And White | Big Bill Broonzy | 1 | - | |
| 3 | No More Auction Block For Me | Odetta | 1 | - | |
| 4 | The Hammer Song | The Weavers | 1 | - | |
| 5 | Strange Fruit | Josh White | 1 | - | |
| 6 | Jesus Christ | Woody Guthrie | 1 | - | |
| 7 | Bourgeois Blues | Lead Belly | 1 | - | |
| 8 | The House I Live In | Paul Robeson | 1 | - | |
| 9 | Southern Exposure | Josh White | 1 | Yes | - |
| 10 | The Scottsboro Boys | Lead Belly | 2 | Yes | - |
| 11 | Freedom Road | Josh White | 2 | - | |
| 12 | When Will I Get to Be Called a Man? | Big Bill Broonzy | 2 | - | |
| 13 | Nine Foot Shovel | Josh White & His Carolinians | 2 | - | |
| 14 | Jim Crow Train | Josh White | 2 | - | |
| 15 | Uncle Sam Says | Josh White | 2 | - | |
| 16 | We Shall Be Free | Woody Guthrie | 2 | - | |
| 17 | Alabama Blues | J.B. Lenoir | 2 | - | |
| 18 | Down in Mississippi | J.B. Lenoir | 2 | Yes | - |
| 19 | Why? (Am I Treated So Bad) | The Staple Singers | 3 | Yes | - |
| 19 | Why? (The King of Love Is Dead) | Nina Simone | 3 | Yes | - |
| 20 | Blowin' in the Wind | Bob Dylan | 3 | Story | |
| 21 | The Times They Are A-Changin' | Bob Dylan | 3 | - | |
| 22 | People Get Ready | The Chambers Brothers | 3 | - | |
| 23 | Are You Sure | The Staple Singers | 3 | - | |
| 25 | Freedom Highway | The Staple Singers | 3 | - | |
| 26 | Alabama | John Coltrane | 3 | Yes | - |
| 27 | Say It Loud - I'm Black And I'm Proud - Pts.1 & 2 | James Brown | 4 | Yes | - |
| 29 | A Change Is Gonna Come | Aretha Franklin | 4 | - | |
| 30 | Backlash Blues | Nina Simone | 4 | - | |
| 31 | I Shall Be Released | The Brothers And Sisters;Gloria Jones | 4 | - | |
| 32 | Blues For Mr. Charlie | Sammy Davis Jr.;Count Basie | 4 | - | |
| 33 | This Land Is Your Land | Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings | 4 | - | |
| Driva' Man | Max Roach;Abbey Lincoln | - | |||
| I Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around/Nothing Less Than Jesus' Blood And Righteousness | Rev. Johnny L. 'Hurricane' Jones | - | |||
| Young, Gifted and Black | Aretha Franklin | - |