For over six decades, Mavis Staples has spoken out against injustices with her music and activism. Both as a solo artist and a member of the legendary The Staple Singers, Staples has made countless contributions to the canon of socially conscious music. Still going strong at 79 years of age, she released the album, Live in London, on February 8, […]
Learn more →Music videos are a powerful medium in conveying powerful messages. Here is a sampling of 15 videos which are effective visual aids in complementing the lyrics of socially conscious tunes. 77 – Alice Bag This music video parodies the 1980 film 9 to 5, which is well suited to the song’s message of pay equality. Riot grrrl pioneers Kathleen Hanna (Bikini Kill, […]
Learn more →80 Years of Protest Songs Part 1: 1939-1958 80 Years of Protest Songs Part 2: 1959-1978 80 Years of Protest Songs Part 3: 1979-1998 The aftermath of 9/11 ushered in a new chapter for protest music. The Iraq war and George W. Bush became the Vietnam & the Nixon for the 2000s. The 2010s brought in a renewed emphasis in […]
Learn more →Music has always been a medium for crying out against social injustices. This fact is celebrated by Irish singer-songwriter Hozier in the titled track of his recently released EP. The tune name drops a number of socially conscious singers including Nina Simone, Billie Holiday, Curtis Mayfield, Marvin Gaye, John Lennon, James Brown, Bob Dylan, Woody Guthrie and Mavis Staples. The […]
Learn more →Yvonne Staples of the legendary The Staple Singers passed away on April 10, 2018 at the age of 80. The Staple Singers were important in helping to write the soundtrack of the civil rights movement. Their music continues to resonate many decades later. The youngest sibling, Mavis, is still going strong. Here is a small sample of ten of their […]
Learn more →Recently within the music industry there has been increased scrutiny over whether women are being granted equal opportunity. This was highlighted with the Grammy Awards where over the past five years women only made up 9.3 % of the nominees. The lack of recognition has nothing to do with lack of talent or resolve. For example a number of the […]
Learn more →Legendary soul singer and civil rights activist Mavis Staples just posted the music video for the title track off of her 2017 album If All I Was Was Black (which was one of the Top 25 Protest Albums of 2017). The powerful video was directed by Zac Manuel. The video deals with the removing of confederate statues and what they […]
Learn more →Mavis Staples 2017 album, If All I Was Was Black was one of the Top 25 Protest Albums of 2017. One of the album tracks, “Who Told You That” was one of the Top 50 Protest Songs of 2017. Another gloriously funky gem from that same album is “Little Bit”. The song explores the subject of police brutality, with poignant […]
Learn more →This is a continuation of the 2017: The Year In Protest series. Previous entries include Top 40 Protest Albums, Top 5 Protest EPs, and Top 12 Protest Music Videos. Now we’ll look at 50 tunes that helped provide the soundtrack of the 2017 protest movement. 50: What Makes Us Great – Joe Grushecky & The Houserockers (featuring Bruce Springsteen) Journeyman […]
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