A Great American Music Break for July Fourth

The challenges the United States of America faces are unique and deadly serious. We have a rapacious leader who may or may not have all his marbles and followers who play along for money or to achieve their own political goals without regard to the broader consequences.

The unfortunate thing is that the folks in charge hit on an inside straight during the past decade. I won’t go down that rabbit hole right now–this is a music post–but a lot of it has to do with flaws and vulnerabilities in our electoral system that it took a Trump to expose. We’re also saddled with what seems to be a corrupt Supreme Court.

It’s a big mess. But this still is America. We will do what’s necessary to right the ship of state. America is so big and made up of so many different groups that those looking to subvert us will have a more difficult job than autocrats in smaller countries dominated by one religious or ethnic group.

American Music

It’s a holiday and time for a little break from these depressing thoughts. I ran a music website called The Daily Music Break for many years. It still exists because nothing disappears from the Internet. It’s like an abandoned house by the side of the road. The online versions of broken windows and faded paint are dead links and videos that have been taken down or blocked. But much of the site soldiers on. I did it for a long time and it contains a tremendous amount of great American music.

A happy thought struck me as I was preparing this post. At first, I was reticent to have a song (“This Land is Your Land”) represented more than once. After all, that would force me to leave out songs such as “Go to Sleep You Little Baby” performed acappella by Allison Kraus, Emmylou Harris and Gillian Welch or The Memphis Jug Band’s “On the Road Again” and “Stealin’, Stealin’ . “ (Clever way to sneak them in, huh?) My realization was that artists as different as Sharon Jones and Pete Seeger doing the same song reinforces the idea that there all kinds of Americans.

So here is a list of great songs that are deeply American:

First off is John Philip Sousa, who wrote martial music. The song is “The President’s Own.”

 “Soldiers’ Joy” and “Liberty” are from the Revolutionary War era. It’s a bit unclear, but the players seem to be Dave McKnew, Al Keller, Susan Waller and Fern Hoffman. Chester Simpson made the video.

Next up are two Civil War pieces that still are around: “Battle Hymn of the Republic” and “When Johnny Comes Marching Home.”

Here is Woody Guthrie’s great “Hard Travelin’ .” It features a nice slideshow by a man named John Vachon.

 The great “Feel it Still” seems like a poignant statement of a lefty growing old and perhaps more centrist because there are bills to pay. (I’m not looking at you, Bernie Sanders.) It’s by Portugal. The Man, the band that gives copy editors agita. The video is brilliant.

The second Guthrie-related clip is two other greats–Pete Seeger and Bruce Springsteen–leading the crowd in “This Land is Your Land” at Barack Obama’s first inauguration.

This link features videos of Chet Atkins and Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings doing “Stars and Stripes Forever” and “This Land is Your Land,” respectively.

Next is still another version of “This Land…” (Why spell it out?). This one features Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir and Los Lobos, probably before a July 4 Giants’ or Athletics’ game.

“Little Tin Box,” which is from the Broadway show “Fiorello,” is just great. There is a link to another song from the show, “Politics and Poker.” It’s just as good.

A barbershop quartet named Masterpiece offers what sounds like an authentic version of “Oh! Susanna.”

Here is a trip back in time to Soul Train and The Isley Brothers performing “Fight the Power.”

“I’ve Been Everywhere” is associated with Johnny Cash. There is much more to the story. The song initially is from Australia (of course with a different set of locales). It was rewritten for the states and made popular by Hank Snow–who was Canadian. A side note: I believe the guy has seen so many places because he is on the run. Check out the confession in the last words of the third verse:

I’ve been to Reno, Chicago, Fargo, Minnesota, Buffalo, Toronto, Winslow, Sarasota, Wichita, Tulsa, Ottawa, Oklahoma, Tampa, Panama, Mattawa, La Paloma, Bangor, Baltimore, Salvador, Amarillo, Tocopilla, Barranquilla, and Padilla, I’m a killer

The Blasters’ “American Music” has great lyrics.

It seems appropriate to finish this brief list with the McIntosh County Shouters.

Have a great July 4 weekend. Hydrate. Listen to great American music. Make plans to early vote if it is offered where you live.