In 1957, Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus defied a presidential order and blocked the integration of the Little Rock school district. Bassist Charles Mingus, an outspoken civil rights advocate, i
mmediately wrote one of the greatest jazz protest songs of all time.
“Fables of Faubus” was set for release on his 1959 landmark album, “Mingus Ah Um.” Columbia Records, however, refused to allow the caustic vocal version to be included. Record execs were keenly aware of the growing volatility in American society and worried about taking a match to a powder keg. The full version, with lyrics, was finally recorded in 1960 for “Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus.”
As one music reviewer wrote, “the fact that the song caused such controversy shows what turbulent times these were and what touchy issues race relations were.” Other critics have gone so far as to proclaim “Fables of Faubus” the perfect jazz protest song and Charles Mingus’s defining contribution to the Civil Rights Movement. It is part lampoon of Orval Faubus as a fool, as Mingus calls him, and part a dissonant, sometimes atonal, reflection of the times and growing cultural tensions in America.
With the original lyrics, Here is Charles Mingus with “the Original Faubus Fables” from Charles Mingus Presents Charles Mingus.
“Soundtrack to the Struggle” is written and produced by Ron Adkins. Executive Producer Dennis Green. Host: Hollis Monroe.
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