May has traditionally been celebrated as the beginning of summer in much of Europe, with many celebrations, like the Celtic summer celebration Beltane, centered on May 1. We’ll start the show with traditional British songs welcoming in May followed by songs celebrating Beltane.
May 1, also known as May Day, is observed as International Workers Day throughout much of the World, similar to the U.S. observation of Labor Day in September. We’ll hear songs celebrating Unions from folk singer-songwriters who dedicated themselves to portraying Labor struggles in song including Woody Guthrie, Joe Hill, Si Kahn, Utah Phillips, Pete Seeger, Anne Feeney, Paul Robeson, Joe Jencks, and Billy Bragg.
Cinco de Mayo and Mother’s Day are also observed in May, and songs celebrating both will close the show.
- KBOO