Songs of Solidarity, Songs of Struggle: A Brief Introduction to Songs of Social Movements

A couple of weeks ago, I could not have predicted that I would come upon another way of crafting a Southern Songs and Stories podcast in this fashion. Regular or even casual listeners will be familiar with the go-to format of documentary style profiles of and interviews with music artists in this series; those of you who listen a lot will probably be familiar with some of the less traveled paths we have taken here as well, which include a remembrance for a friend and colleague who passed away unexpectedly, a survey of how western NC folks in the music business were coping in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Helene, as well as an old school, comedic Christmas radio drama, among others. Add to that list this episode, which is a live podcast, at least for part of it. And we are talking about a subject that is incredibly deep and wide, a subject which could easily fill a year’s worth of episodes. It is a subject that I will revisit again in more depth in coming months — perhaps not here, but at least in person. More on that in the podcast itself, which I hope you enjoy hearing as much as I did in making it.

Album art for the compilation Gastonia Gallop on Old Hat Records

Here, we excerpt two parts of a presentation I gave at Queens University in Charlotte as part of their Senior Scholars series on January 17th, 2025. This episode adds to that original talk with additional commentary, music, and new avenues of exploration for the topic, which is essentially the impact from music born of social movements, especially as it relates to radio. At Queens, I gave an overview of 13 songs associated with four social movements: Labor, Civil Rights, Feminism and Environmentalism. Here, we focus on the portions of my talk on Labor and Civil Rights, with example songs ranging from hillbilly music from a 1930s cotton mill man (“Cotton Mill Colic”) to the most controversial and simultaneously most successful song in Billie Holiday’s career (“Strange Fruit”), and more.

Host Joe Kendrick on stage during his presentation to the Queens University Senior Scholars series 1/17/25. Photo: Daniel Coston

Songs heard in this episode:

“Gastonia Gallop” by David McCarn, from Gastonia Gallop: Cotton Mill Songs and Hillbilly Blues

“Which Side Are You On?” by Pete Seeger, from If I Had A Hammer, excerpt

“Which Side Are You On?” by Ani Difranco, from Which Side Are You On?, excerpt

“Cotton Mill Colic” by David McCarn, from Gastonia Gallop, excerpt

“Cotton Mill Colic” by Mike Seeger, from Classic Labor Songs, excerpt

“Strange Fruit” by Billie Holiday, excerpt

“Blowin’ In the Wind” by Bob Dylan, from The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan, excerpt

“Blowin’ In the Wind” by Tangled Up In Bluegrass, from A Tribute To Bob Dylan

Thanks for joining us! We hope you can help spread awareness of what we are doing. It is as easy as telling a friend and following this podcast on your platform of choice. You can find us on Apple here, and Spotify here — hundreds more episodes await, filled with artists you may know and love already, or musicians and bands that are ready to become your next favorites.

This series is a part of the lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to Tom Hanchett and to everyone at Queens University, especially Steve Lauer, for their help in making this episode possible. Thanks also to Jaclyn Anthony for producing the radio adaptations of this series on WNCW, where we worked with Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs — you can link to his music here. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick

The Mystery of "Chest Fever" by The Band

It might seem like an unusual choice for a show named Southern Songs and Stories to focus on a group with all of its members being from Canada save for one American. But the roots of The Band go back to a roster of musicians from Arkansas, which included their drummer who hailed from the tiny town of Marvell, Levon Helm. The story of how all the Southerners in Levon’s first band Ronnie Hawkins & the Hawks evolved into The Band is a story in itself, and is summarized in this episode.

Beyond the Arkansas connection, The Band’s music was firmly rooted in forms that originated in the South, like blues and country. In a parallel with The British Invasion, The Band held up a mirror to the spirit of music of artists who preceded them from another place, reinvigorating those traditions through their own success.

In this episode, we welcome Armando Bellmas of the music newsletter Eclectico and public radio WNCW, and Rob Turner, a fellow Osiris Media colleague who co-hosts Inside Out with Turner and Seth, both of whom dig deep into The Band and their song “Chest Fever”, an enigmatic song that will come into at least a little bit better focus once your hear their takes on it here on Southern Songs and Stories.

Pictured above (L to R): album artwork for The Band’s album Music From Big Pink, Rob Turner, Armando Bellmas, Joe Kendrick

Songs heard in this episode:

“The Genetic Method” by The Band, Live at Academy of Music 12-31-70, from Rock Of Ages, excerpt

“Da Doo Ron Ron” by The Crystals, excerpt

“Pretty Persuasion” by R.E.M. from Reckoning, excerpt

“Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again” by Bob Dylan, from Blonde On Blonde, excerpt

“The Genetic Method”>”Chest Fever” by The Band, Live at Academy of Music 12-31-70, from Rock Of Ages, excerpt

“Chest Fever” by The Band from Music From Big Pink, excerpt

This is the second Southern Songs and Stories episode focusing on a song, with the first being Wagon Wheel: Anatomy of a Hit. Thanks to our guests Armando and Rob, and even though we did not get to the bottom of all the mystery surrounding this song, we had a great time shedding light on its riddles.

Thank you for listening, and I hope you enjoyed this episode. What did you think? You can contact us on our social media via Instagram, Twitter or Facebook (all linked in the banner here) and you can also drop a line by emailing southernsongsandstories@gmail.com. Please take a moment and follow the series on the podcast platforms you are using; it will help even more when you give us a top rating and even more so with a good review, because the show’s visibility to everyone using those platforms depends largely on followers, ratings and reviews. Southern Songs and Stories is a part of the podcast lineup of both public radio WNCW and Osiris Media, with all of the Osiris shows available here. You can also hear new episodes of this podcast on Bluegrass Planet Radio here. Thanks to Corrie Askew for producing the radio adaptations of this series on WNCW, and to Joshua Meng, who wrote and performed our theme songs. I’m your host and producer Joe Kendrick, and this is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it.

Wagon Wheel: Anatomy Of A Hit

Credit our guests Town Mountain with the idea. After our interview for their episode, the conversation drifted over to talk about all the times that they had an audience member shout out a “Wagon Wheel” request. Their method of dealing with it is to simply tell the person wanting to hear it that they will play it provided that person gets on stage to sing it. This takes care of hearing any more requests for it most of the time. Immediately it occurred to me that this Old Crow Medicine Show hit would be an excellent topic for a show. It is a white whale of a song. Everyone has a take on it, everyone has a memory associated with it — probably multiple takes and multiple memories.

The original version of “Wagon Wheel” released in 2004 was certified gold in 2011 and platinum in 2013, with a triple platinum and #1 charting cover version turned in by Darius Rucker soon after.

Writer and editor Garret Woodward, singer songwriters Dave Brewer, Reed Foehl, and music professional Zac Altheimer are among our guests on this episode, which traces the origins of the song that is in many ways bigger than the artists who made it. From music by the likes of Big Bill Broonzy and Arthur “Big Boy” Crudup that foretold it, to the almost forgotten sketch that Bob Dylan first gave it, to the ambitious original by a couple of homesick Southerners away at school in New Hampshire, and eventually its incredible run and high profile covers, you will hear the story of just how exceptional this piece of music is.

Thanks for visiting, and we encourage you to spread the word about this independent project and consider helping by subscribing, rating and commenting on the show where you get your podcasts, and by becoming a patron. You can find out more about Old Crow Medicine Show on their website here. Also, you can check out Dave Brewer’s band Possum Jenkins music on this website, and Reed Foehl on his site. This is Southern Songs and Stories: the music of the South and the artists who make it. - Joe Kendrick