Tag Archives: music news

Richie Havens, Rest in Peace

Richie Havens passed away April 22, 2013. Rest in peace, Richie Havens.

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Dear Richie,

English: Richie Havens Live, Musikhalle Hambur...
Richie Havens

The loss of your bright shining heart and soul from our world is a shock.  I realized that that I had seen you perform four times.  More than I have seen any other nationally touring performer.

I first saw you at the Stephen Talkhouse in Amagansett, NY when I was barely out of college.  My best friend had gotten concert tickets from his older brother.  His brother decided he didn’t want to go to see some oldies acts.  We were psyched to see Country Joe and the Fish.   We reveled in his famous anti-war song.  Joe was fun.  We stayed to see the next act that — in our ignorance — we had never heard of.  We figured we were there anyway.  Why not give you a listen?

You blew us through the doors.

Continue reading Richie Havens, Rest in Peace

Celebrations for an icon of nonviolent political protest

Suu Kyi photo from Wikimedia

Now, this is news for the peace community, and for those of us who understand the power of music in world culture!

Bono is “on tour” with 1991 Nobel Peace Prize winner from Myanmar, Aung San Suu Kyi. They were in Dublin June 18th. (Story: here.)

Link to Aung San Suu Kyi’s speech at the Nobel Prize website: here.

Link to Action Alert from Amnesty International about political prisoners still jailed in Myanmar.

Story and picture at Boise State Public Radio, which offered the phrase “icon of nonviolent political protest”: here.

The AP story below includes quotes from Bono:

(excerpt from) The Seattle Times/AP
Suu Kyi walks on with U2’s `star-struck’ Bono

Aung San Suu Kyi and Bono joined forces Monday as the Myanmar democracy activist’s European tour moved from the home of the Nobel Peace Prize to the land of U2. Continue reading Celebrations for an icon of nonviolent political protest

Norwegian people announce “Peace Song of the Day” for 4/27/2012

As royalty (in the most whimsical of senses), the Duke and Duchess of Peace envision themselves as proclaiming the Peace Song of the Day. If you look around the news today, you see that the people of Norway have made the choice: The Peace Song of the Day is Children of the Rainbow” by Pete Seeger.

In a compassionate, defiant, community response to the actions and words of the right wing, mass murderer, who killed 77 people last year, 40,000 people gathered in Oslo to sing Pete Seeger’s song about love and tolerance, “Children of the Rainbow” (“My Rainbow Race”, English title.)

You can see video from the scene in Norway below. And underneath, is a story from Common Dreams, and the song lyrics. The song, in English, appears in Rise Up Singing: The Group Singing Songbook, the songbook which was part of the inspiration for our Peace Song of the Day project. We knew that the answer to world peace was somewhere between the covers of that amazing, inspiring, abundant collection of sing-a-long tunes.

Thanks to David Mitchell, for sending along the Common Dreams story, with the link to the authentic video, this morning.

Continue reading Norwegian people announce “Peace Song of the Day” for 4/27/2012

When I Go Away: Peace Song of the Day for 4/18/2012

As reported by on the official Levon Helm website
Levon Helm passed away on April 19, 2012:

Levon Helm
May 26, 1940 ~ April 19, 2012

“Levon Helm passed peacefully this afternoon. He was surrounded by family, friends and band mates and will be remembered by all he touched as a brilliant musician and a beautiful soul.”

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When I Go Away” by Levon Helm is the Peace Song of the Day for April 18, 2012.
I love this song, because peace is often ruined by fear, and everyone’s greatest fear is death. This song confronts our greatest fear. “When I Go Away” is a powerful song about the continuity of life, and the strength to deal with the fact that we will be gone someday.

The song is appropriate for today, because on 4/17, Levon Helm’s family has shared the fact that Levon Helm is in his final stages of cancer. I heard this song, and the sad news, on radio station WFUV/NYC.

Here is the message from Levon’s family, as posted at the official, Levon Helm website: Continue reading When I Go Away: Peace Song of the Day for 4/18/2012