Some of our favorite PBS programs are based on books, are inspired by books, or are adaptations of books. Plus, people who are curious about the world seem to be both fans of public television and fans of reading – no scientific study has proven this, but we think it must be true! And thus “PBS + Books” was born, an occasional feature where we spotlight an upcoming PBS show.
In Performance at the White House: A Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement
A Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement
From In Performance at the White House on PBS
This show premieres February 11, 2010 at 8 pm ET
Watch on WETA and other public television stations nationwide (check local listings)
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Here at WETA we're quite proud to be co-producing In Performance at the White House: A Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Era.
As anyone who lived through the struggle for Civil Rights in the United States can tell you, and any serious student of history knows, music is not simply a way to put this period of our history in context. Music is the context.
From the early inauguration of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" as The Negro National Anthem to the popularization of previously "black" music through record labels like Motown on to the power of "We Shall Overcome," music was at the heart of the fight for racial equality.
We've put together a brief but eclectic reading list for those who are interested in supplementing their viewing experience with books. However, what will really make this list interesting is your own suggestions. Tell us which book or books you'd recommend in our Comments section, and once we've gotten a few, we'll put together an even bigger list to send out to PBS viewers -- and readers! -- like you.
-- Bethanne Patrick, managing editor
Watch the show preview
The Book Studio's Civil Rights music booklist
Intrigued by the show? Here are five books to explore!
Books
Bob Dylan's autobiography isn't just about the Civil Rights Era; it's about the famed singer-songwriter's journey to artistic truth. However, in detailing how he tried to move away from being the voice of a generation, Dylan manages to show how crucial the struggle for racial equality was to his inner troubadour and to -- yes -- that generation overall.
If the brilliant and mercurial Cooke had lived past 1964, he would have seen the realization of his musical hope "A Change Is Gonna Come." Unfortunately Cooke, whose fast-rising career intersected with some of the grittier aspects of touring as a black musician in the segregated U.S., died of a gunshot wound before he could become a mainstream superstar.
If you're asking why a book about three white "girls" is on a civil-rights list, you're not only unaware of the role Carole King and her first husband Gerry Goffin played in the history of Motown -- you're unaware of the role music played in bringing Caucasian-Americans closer to the cause of Civil Rights. King, Mitchell, Simon and their peers all played protest music.
Johnson's hymn was composed in 1900 and declared "The Negro National Anthem" by the NAACP in 1920. In this children's book, archival black-and-white photos of African-American men, women, and children are juxtaposed with Johnson's beautiful words, meaning that the book is worthwhile for citizens of any age.
There are many comprehensive histories of the Civil Rights Movement, but this is the only one that not only includes photographs but also two audio CDs that allow readers to hear songs, speeches, protest chants, and individual's stories recorded during and after the years between 1955 (when Emmett Till was murdered) and 1968 (when the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was murdered).
Links we like
Send us your favorite links in the comments section below!
- PBS's In Performance at the White House website
- "Lift Every Voice and Sing" and the Civil Rights Movement - Teacher's guide (PDF) from the GRAMMY Museum
- Voices of Struggle - Smithsonian Folkways
- "Lift Every Voice and Sing" performed by Kim Weston - YouTube
- Songs of the Civil Rights Movement - NPR
- Strange Fruit - Independent Lens
