Songs for Justice: Music of the Civil Rights Movement

At the 1964 Berlin Jazz Festival, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stated, "[j]azz speaks for life. The blues tell the story of life's difficulties, and, if you think for a moment, you realize that they take the hardest realities of life and put them into music, only to come out with some new hope or sense of triumph. This is triumphant music."1

In honor of the civil rights movement, and in light of the execution of Troy Davis, Last Throes will be highlighting some of the most important songs that have accompanied the struggle and capture the essence of King's statement. Here is The Staple Singers' "When Will We Be Paid?"

1http://jazztimes.com/articles/24223-dr-martin-luther-king-jr-from-1964-berlin-jazz-festival-program