We lost a great figure in American music, culture, and politics when Harry Belafonte died April 25 at age 96. He was a supporter of the Civil rights movement in the 1960s who helped organize and fund the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom where Martin Luther King, Jr gave his famous I Have a Dream speech. He had Martin and Bobby Kennedy as guest when he was guest host for Johnny Carson on the Tonight Show in 1968. He was a pioneering black figure in popular music in the 1950s and fought for justice his entire life. The show begins with a musical tribute to Harry Belafonte that includes Bob Dylan’s first recorded work.
Next up are 3 sets of songs from the Transatlantic Sessions, gatherings of Celtic and American folk country bluegrass and roots musicians and singers recorded in manors throughout Scotland from 1995 to 2013. The music is amazing!
The show closes with some music to get you in the mood for Cinco de Mayo.
Featured artists include Harry Belafonte, Iris Dement, Karan Casey & James Taylor, Kathy Mattea & Dougie MacLean, Sarah Jorosz & Alison Krauss, Mary Chapin Carpenter & Aoife O’Donovan, Mary Black & Emmylou Harris, Nanci Griffith, Kerri Powers, Guy Clark, Ry Cooder, and Floc Jimenez.
- KBOO