Music Minute - Freedom Highway Edition

Last time I posted, I talked about a new format for the Music Minute column. I've been thinking and studying and praying, and decided that instead of music reviews, we're going to focus on music in a different way.

Music has always been a huge part of my life. In the last 10 years or so I've been working hard on expanding my musical horizons. Finding a link between the musical past and present is endlessly fascinating, and I've gone through lots of musical "phases" that included everything from Hank Williams to Beethoven. I rarely find music I don't like. Music can trigger emotions, tell a story, encourage you to worship God, make you smile or laugh, take you back to being a little kid, or get stuck in your head and drive you crazy.

I've learned that lots and lots of different kinds of music have value—not just the stuff you like right now. And we're (hopefully) going to take a bit of a musical journey together that will include a lot of different kinds of music. We'll feature a playlist or two based on a particular topic. Sometimes it will be a taste of musical history. It might be stuff you've never heard of. Some of the music will be "Christian." Some of it will be mainstream music recorded and sung by Christians. (I'm also going to try to include some YouTube links to special performances, but I'll do this knowing that the comments section on YouTube isn't always clean—and you should know that while we sadly recognize that stuff is out there, we don't endorse it.)

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That said, our first all-new Music Minute is going to be about...the American Civil Rights movement music of the 1950s and 60s. It's Black History Month, and this music is so good y'all. I think it's a perfect start to our new setup. We're going to talk about black gospel music this time...specifically, the mix of gospel, soul and spirituals that became the anthems of the Civil Rights Movement.

Music is a product of its times. People write songs and sing about what they care about. Historically, the Southern black preachers in the 50s and 60s were community leaders-turned organizers of the Civil Rights Movement—peaceful demonstrations, marches, and protests aimed at bringing racial equality and voting rights and outlawing segregation in the American South. Church music became inextricably entwined in the march toward freedom, and many black gospel, R&B, and soul music stars were church folk who brought their musical and speaking styles to a wider audience.

For instance, Aretha Franklin grew up singing songs in the church her father pastored in Memphis, Tennessee. Dr Martin Luther King, Jr became pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery, Alabama at age 25. Sam Cooke was born in Clarksdale, Mississippi (often called the birthplace of the blues), the youngest of seven children of a Baptist minister. All three became pivotal figures in history, two because of music, one because of his preaching style and message of courage, peace and perseverance. (Who says the church doesn't change history?)

Today I'd like to re-introduce you to some songs about freedom, about courage, about longsuffering. The most famous of these songs is "We Shall Overcome," a song which probably makes you think of people standing in the way of fire hoses and tear gas. Originally titled "I Shall Overcome," this song was based on a gospel song by Charles Albert Tindley called "I'll Overcome Someday" combined with parts of an old spiritual called "No More Auction Block For Me," whose melody you might recognize if you've ever heard the song "Blowin' In The Wind." You'll recognize others, like "This Little Light Of Mine" and "Kumbaya."

So here's some listening, all online, all free:

• Find two free albums' worth of Black American Freedom Songs at emusic. You can preview and download all the songs.

• Go to this link and listen to Martin Luther King, Jr's "I Have A Dream" speech if you want a little context.

• Check out The Staple Singers. The R&B music you're familiar with today has its roots in black gospel music, and The Staple Singers' combination of gospel and soul is as good an introduction as any. In the late 1960s the band stopped recording only gospel songs and started recording protest songs as well. Listen to "I'll Take You There," another big hit from the Civil Rights era. And check out "Respect Yourself." (And for some good old-fashioned church music, listen to their version of "Glory Glory Hallelujah." It will make you want to stand up and praise God.) Their album Freedom Highway is currently on repeat in my iPod.

• Just because it's beautiful and sweet and full of emotion, listen to Mahalia Jackson singing "We Shall Overcome." (Also check out some crazy glasses a minute or two in.)

• And here's Odetta singing "No More Auction Block For Me." If you have time, check out her duet of "What A Friend We Have In Jesus" with Tennessee Ernie Ford.

Now you've had a bit of introduction, and I hope you'll spend a little time digging around on your own. You can put in one of these songs at a site like Last FM or Pandora and you'll find a bunch of related music.

I hope you've had fun during our first musical journey. I'll be back in two weeks with another playlist!