Sing For Freedom: The Story of the Civil Rights Movement Through Its Songs

Various Artists SFW40032

Hymns, speeches, spirituals, gospel songs, and prayers...a moving civil rights collection drawn from 1960s field recordings in Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, and Tennessee. The compilation captures the irrepressible spirit of that era and reveals a determined and triumphant African American culture. A collection of glorious songs and heartstopping selections by The SNCC Freedom Singers, Martin Luther King, Jr., Ralph Abernathy, and others. "...[T]here is wonderful singing here, great conviction, and the immediacy of living truth...powerful documentation of the most important social movement of our time." — Sing Out!

Country(s) United States
Culture Group(s) African American; Anglo-American
Keyword(s) Folk songs--United States; Folksong revival; Protest songs
Language(s) English

Year of Recording 1990
Record Label Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
Source Archive Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage
Credits Notes Edited by Candie Carawan ; Produced by Guy Carawan ; Recorded by Guy Carawan ; Notes Edited by Guy Carawan ; Design by Nancy Jean Anderson

Download Liner Notes

101	We are Soldiers in the Army	The Montgomery Improvement Association	2:31
102	Keep Your Hand on the Plow	The Montgomery Improvement Association	2:11
103	This Little Light of Mine	The Montgomery Improvement Association	2:12
104	You Better Leave Segregation Alone	The Nashville Quartet	0:39
105	Your Dog Loves My Dog	The Nashville Quartet	1:59
106	Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Round	The Freedom Singers	2:30
107	I Woke Up This Morning with My Mind on Freedom	Ben Gay	3:37
108	Keep Your Eyes on the Prize	Charles Jones and Cordell Reagon	1:46
109	Oh Pritchett, Oh Kelly	Bertha Gober, Rutha Harris, Charles Sherrod, and Jamie Culbreath	2:27
110	Up Above My Head	Betty Mae Fikes	1:02
111	This Little Light of Mine	The Freedom Singers	3:46
112	Brown Baby	Cordell Hull Reagon	1:53
113	Which Side are You On?	The Freedom Singers	3:46
114	I'm Gonna Sit at the Welcome Table	Hollis Watkins	1:53
115	Mass Meeting and Prayer	Hollis Watkins	3:53
116	Guide My Feet	Dock Reese	2:06
117	I'm on My Way	Mamie Brown and Carlton Reece	3:41
118	Rev. Ralph Abernathy	Ralph Abernathy	1:31
119	Yes We Want Our Freedom	Cleo Kennedey and Carlton Reece	2:23
120	Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.	Martin Luther King, Jr.	3:41
121	Ninety-Nine and a Half Won't Do	Carlton Reece	2:15
122	Get on Board	Fannie Lou Hamer and Robert Parris Moses	4:53
123	No Danger in the Water	Robert Parris Moses	1:23
124	Medgar Evers Speaking	Medgar Wiley Evers	1:10
125	Keep Your Eyes on the Prize	Robert Parris Moses	1:10
126	We Shall Overcome	The Freedom Singers	2:42

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