Freedom Sings rocks Bluebird with ‘Watergate Years’

Thursday, October 4, 2012

The 14th annual Freedom Sings concert last night at the Bluebird Caf in Nashville celebrated the thought-provoking music of the early 1970s.

Freedom Sings, a First Amendment Center program that strives to educate the public about First Amendment freedoms through topical and often controversial songs, began in 1999. It has since branched into a touring company that appears on college campuses, but the original concert remains an annual event.

Among the performances at this years concert, dubbed The Watergate Years:

Former Beatles were well represented, including songs by John Lennon and Paul McCartney. Lari White performed Woman is the Nigger of the World, explaining that Dick Cavett had to apologize for the song on his television show before Lennon and Yoko Ono were allowed to sing it. The song is recognized as one of the earliest pop songs about equal rights for women. Paul McCartneys Hi Hi Hi, banned by the BBC because a censor misunderstood the word polygon as body gun, was performed by Gordon Kennedy.

Other performers included Don Henry, Mark Volman, Bill Lloyd, Gretchen Peters, Suzi Ragsdale, Seth Timbs, Jason White, Craig Krampf, Dave Pomeroy and Walter Egan.

The evening closed with Jonell Mosser leading the assembled performers and audience in a rousing version of the OJays Love Train.

Tags: Freedom Sings, music, music censorship, music lyrics

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Freedom Sings rocks Bluebird with ‘Watergate Years’

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