Birmingham, Alabama, 1963: Mass Meeting

Martin Luther King, Jr., Ralph Abernathy, and the Birmingham Choir

Folkways Records – FD 5487

Series: Lest We Forget– Volume 2
Format: Vinyl, LP
Country: United States
Released: 1980
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Folk, Struggle & Protest
[Tracklist]
A1 Swing Down Sweet Chariot Melody: Cleo Kennedy and Choir (07:37)
A2 Ralph Abernathy speaking: Ralph Abernathy (13:18)
A3 I'm On My Way: Mamie Brown and Choir (03:30)
B1 City Called Heaven: Cleo Kennedy, Carlton Reese (09:37)
B2 Martin Luther King, Jr. speaking: Martin Luther King, Jr. (10:51)
B3 99 1/2 Won't Do: Carlton Reese and Choir (02:18)
B4 Ralph Abernathy speaking: Ralph Abernathy (02:46)
[Credits]
Liner Notes: Wyatt Tee Walker, Recorder: Candie Carawan and Guy Carawan, Photographer: Charles Moore
[Notes]
Songs played a large role in the movement to close the racial divide in America during the 1960s, and prayers, chants, sermons, and shouts were also fundamental to this task. Guy and Candie Carawan recorded Martin Luther King, Jr. and Ralph Albernathy speaking just after they were arrested for attempting to, as Caucasians, sing in a black church. Armed with only one microphone, they were fortunate enough to be released just in time to record the historic event heard here.

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

Smithsonian Folkways CD SF 40032

Format: CD, Compilation
Country: US
Released: 1990
Genre: Folk, World, & Country
Style: Foll, Protest
[Tracklist]
01 We are Soldiers in the Army: The Montgomery Improvement Association (2:31)
02 Keep Your Hand on the Plow: The Montgomery Improvement Association (2:11)
03 This Little Light of Mine: The Montgomery Improvement Association (2:12)
04 You Better Leave Segregation Alone: The Nashville Quartet (0:39)
05 Your Dog Loves My Dog: The Nashville Quartet (1:59)
06 Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Round: The Freedom Singers (2:30)
07 I Woke Up This Morning with My Mind on Freedom: Ben Gay (3:37)
08 Keep Your Eyes on the Prize: Charles Jones and Cordell Reagon (1:46)
09 Oh Pritchett, Oh Kelly: Bertha Gober, Rutha Harris, Charles Sherrod, and Jamie Culbreath (2:27)
10 Up Above My Head: Betty Mae Fikes (1:02)
11 This Little Light of Mine: The Freedom Singers (3:46)
12 Brown Baby: Cordell Hull Reagon (1:53)
13 Which Side are You On?: The Freedom Singers (3:46)
14 I'm Gonna Sit at the Welcome Table: Hollis Watkins (1:53)
15 Mass Meeting and Prayer: Hollis Watkins (3:53)
16 Guide My Feet: Dock Reese (2:06)
17 I'm on My Way: Mamie Brown and Carlton Reece (3:41)
18 Rev. Ralph Abernathy: Ralph Abernathy (1:31)
19 Yes We Want Our Freedom: Cleo Kennedy and Carlton Reece (2:23)
20 Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.: Martin Luther King, Jr. (3:41)
21 Ninety-Nine and a Half Won't Do: Carlton Reese (2:15)
22 Get on Board: Fannie Lou Hamer and Robert Parris Moses (4:53)
23 No Danger in the Water: Robert Parris Moses (1:23)
24 Medgar Evers Speaking: Medgar Wiley Evers (1:10)
25 Keep Your Eyes on the Prize: Robert Parris Moses (1:10)
26 We Shall Overcome: The Freedom Singers (2:42)
[Credits]
Liner Notes: Candie Carawan and Guy Carawan, Designer: Nancy Jean Anderson
[Notes]
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!