We Shall Overcome - The Freedom Singers

We Shall Overcome

The Freedom Singers

Mercury MG 20879

1963

This is a post in honor of MLK day.  Lately during these divisive and tumultuous times, I have been listening to political music from the 1960s, much of it folk music.  The debut album by the Freedom Singers is one of my favorites.  The group came out of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee and several members were field secretaries for SNCC.  They were formed to spread the message of civil rights equality and to raise funds for SNCC activities.  I first encountered the group on an album called "Newport Broadside" which features political songs from the 1963 Newport Folk Festival.  I bought it because I was interested in the songs performed by Bob Dylan and Phil Ochs but the three tracks by the Freedom Singers greatly impressed me.  Aside from Joan Baez they are easily the best singers on the record which is otherwise comprised of music by white folkies.  Two of the tracks they performed are also on this record, "Dogs" and "Get on Board."  I was so impressed that I bought this record when I came across it in a record store many years ago.  The record opens with "Dogs" by civil rights activists James Bevel and Bernard Lafayette which uses the ability of different breeds and types of dogs to get along as a comparison for race relations.  The group performs acapella as they do throughout the album with only handclaps for percussive support.  They are applauded at the end of the song so I assume they had a small audience present when they recorded this album.  "Woke Up" is derived from an old gospel song but the lyrics have been adapted to focus on freedom rather than Jesus.  The group are superb singers and their harmonies are very invigorating to hear.  This is one of my favorite tracks on the album.  Next up they tackle the popular traditional folk song "I'm a Man of Constant Sorrow."  They have changed the setting of the song from Kentucky to Georgia where the group was formed and where most of them are from.  The song is not specifically about the civil rights struggle nor is Leadbelly's "Sylvie" which they perform after it.  The song is also known as "Bring Me Little Water Sylvie" and describes a thirsty farm worker seeking water.  The group deliver a powerful interpretation of the song that gets a strong reaction from the audience.  This is followed by another Leadbelly song "Pick a Bale of Cotton" which also has no obvious connection to the civil rights movement aside from perhaps the hardships suffered by black farm laborers.  I'm not complaining though as the group delivers a very spirited performance.  "We Shall Overcome" is such a cliché at this point I have trouble relating to it.  Whenever I hear Pete Seeger or Joan Baez singing it, I wince.  However the Freedom Singers are such skilled singers that they keep my attention as they deliver it and restore some of its potency for me.  Side two opens with "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around" which is derived from a gospel song but instead of heading to heaven they are marching to freedom with topical references to segregation and reactionary city commissioners.  It is a heartfelt and stirring performance.  "We Shall Not Be Moved" is another spiritual that has been adapted for civil rights activism and given an energetic interpretation by the group driven by their wonderful harmonies.   It is followed by a mournful version of "Cotton-Eyed Joe" that will be unrecognizable to fans of Rednex's high energy dance song.  I don't perceive any connection to the civil rights aside from the song's pre-Civil War origins as a song sung by slaves on plantations.  "Get On Board" is derived from a 19th Century gospel song called "The Gospel Train."  Instead of riding to Zion, the song encourages fighting for human rights and freedom with topical references to getting arrested and resisting angry mobs.  It is a very engaging rendition.  This theme continues on "Freedom Train" where the slow somber pace of the song showcases the remarkable vocal harmonies of the group.  The album concludes with an enthusiastic performance of the gospel song "This Little Light of Mine" that substitutes the light of freedom for the light of God and gives the record an impassioned and uplifting finish.  When I was younger I was a fan of more pointed and aggressive political music, but as I've gotten older I prefer more subtle music like this that stresses emotion over dogma.  Much of this music is not overtly political at all but I think its aura of brotherhood and decency is more effective than most political music that I have heard.  Even beyond the lyrical content, the remarkable singing skill and the warmth of the performances make this an enormously appealing album.  I find it makes an inspirational soundtrack for contemplating the legacy of Dr. King and the Civil Rights Movement and hoping that during the difficult days ahead that this country will still reach the promised land of racial equality.  Recommended to fans of the Impressions.