Rumor has it that Marilyn Monroe’s vocal coach, very early in Monroe’s career, ordered her to buy all of Ella Fitzgerald’s records, and to listen to them 100 times in a row. This deep study of Fitzgerald’s singing made Monroe not only a pretty solid singer herself, but it brought about the beginning of a …
Category: Soundtrack to The Struggle
Soundtrack to the Struggle: Charles Mingus and the “Fables of Faubus”
It’s 1957, and Arkansas Governor Orval Faubus defies a presidential order and blocks the integration of the Little Rock school district. Bassist Charles Mingus, an outspoken civil rights advocate, immediately writes one of the greatest jazz protest songs of all time. “Fables of Faubus” was intended for his 1959 landmark album, “Mingus Ah Um.” Columbia …
Soundtrack to the Struggle: John Coltrane Grieves for Alabama
It’s Sunday, September 15, 1963, and four Klansmen have planted dynamite under the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama. The explosion killed four young girls and injured many others. History records this incident as a turning point in the Civil Rights movement. John Coltrane, his heart broken, was driven to tears, anger, and frustration. …
Soundtrack To The Struggle: Queens of the Blues
Three pioneering women lay claim to Blues royalty. Mamie Smith, Ma Rainey, and Bessie Smith made an impact on American culture that still resonates today. In 1920, Mamie Smith became the first Black musician to make vocal blues recordings. A savvy marketer, she exploited the new medium of radio to reach audiences across the country …
Soundtrack to the Struggle 2024
What promise did Marilyn Monroe make to secure a gig for Ella Fitzgerald? And which legendary jazz drummer’s “Freedom Now Suite” involved dozens of musicians in a musical demand for equal treatment? Find out during February on KCCK’s award winning daily show, “Soundtrack to the Struggle.” Each day during Black History Month, Hollis Monroe explains …
Soundtrack to the Struggle: Paul Robeson
Paul Robeson had been invited to sing at the Fourth Canadian Convention of the International Union of Mine, Mill, and Smelter Workers in Vancouver in February of 1952. An outspoken supporter of civil rights worldwide and an admirer of the Soviet Union, where he perceived there to be no racism, Robeson had been increasingly persecuted …
Soundtrack to the Struggle: The Green Book
1936, and New York City postman Victor Hugo Green publishes the first edition of the Negro Motorist Green-Book. This directory of hotels, restaurants, mechanics, and other services open to Blacks became an indispensable resource for travelers of color. Each annual edition grew in size and detail, mapping roads relatively safe from police profiling. “Driving while …
Soundtrack to the Struggle: Clyde Otis “This Bitter Earth”
It’s 1959 and Dinah Washington records the latest from hit-maker Clyde Otis. As she sings, she knows the song – “This Bitter Earth” – will be a classic. But neither Washington nor Otis could predict just how great an impact “This Bitter Earth” would have on American culture. Clyde Otis wrote over 800 songs during …