Greetings, I’m Michele Myers, producer of KEXP Documentaries. We’re making a huge step with our new series “Blues for Hard Times”. These stories on blues songs and artists are going to be part of a class at the University of Washington! This special Wednesday evening class (also called “Blues for Hard Times”) is open to [...]
Also posted in KEXP | Tagged Blind Lemon Jefferson |
KEXP Documentaries is taking a new step! Our series Blues for Hard Times will be part of a class on the blues at the University of Washington. Music history professor Larry Starr will teach this Wednesday evening course Blues for Hard Times. The class starts 3/31 and is open to the public. You can sign [...]
Greetings, producer Michele Myers here. It’s my job to bring you a musical subject each week. And this week it’s the last episode of our 10-part series Civil Rights Songs: a story on the song “When Will We Be Paid For The Work We’ve Done” by The Staple Singers.
Also posted in KEXP | Tagged The Staple Singers |
April 5th, 1968, was the day after the murder of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. Most major cities in the U.S. were whirling with chaos. Looting, rioting, assault… A surprising reaction to the death of a man whose life was dedicated to non-violence.
Also posted in KEXP | Tagged James Brown |
Curtis Mayfield started out in music at the age of 7, singing in his grandma’s church in Chicago. He taught himself guitar, keyboard, piano, saxophone and drums. When he was 14 he wrote a song “Gypsy Woman” that would later hit the top of the charts. And at 16, he dropped out of [...]
Also posted in KEXP | Tagged Curtis Mayfield |
Sam Cooke grew up singing gospel music, and at age 19 landed a big gig with The Soul Stirrers, a group who toured the entire U.S. As African-American musicians, they were harassed in the Southern states, not allowed to sleep in many hotels or sit in restaurants.
Also posted in KEXP | Tagged Sam Cooke |
Nina Simone was a famous African-American jazz singer when horrifying civil rights struggles were happening on June 11, 1963, when President Kennedy made a speech to the nation. That same day he had sent national troops to Alabama so that two African-American college students could enter the University of Alabama without being killed by angry [...]
Also posted in KEXP | Tagged Nina Simone |
Hello, KEXP friends, Michele Myers here. Each week I bring you a musical subject in the time it takes to play just one song. These stories are called KEXP Documentaries. And this year we’ve done 4 series: Pop Goes Electronic, The New World, Psychedelics and our current series, Civil Rights Songs.
This past week [...]
Following a folk tradition started by artists like Woody Guthrie in the 1940’s, Bob Dylan started writing political songs in the 60’s. His compositions like “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “The Times They Are A Changin’” were some of the most powerful written during the Civil Rights era. And his music helped empower people [...]
Also posted in KEXP | Tagged Bob Dylan |
Hello KEXP friends, Michele Myers here. Every week I create a short story out of music and talking. We call these stories KEXP Documentaries. Our current series is Civil Rights Songs. And although it was one of the most difficult to research (because the crimes committed against African-Americans before and during the [...]
Also posted in KEXP | Tagged Odetta |
