Why I'm making this page about the Almanac Singers
I'm making this page about the Almanac Singers first of all because they are one of the most overlooked groups in music history, and secondly because they sounded great and thirdly because their songs had both meaning and purpose. The Almanac Singers were started in the 40's and eventually morphed into the Weavers in the 1950s. The Almanac Singers concentrated on songs of protest, particularly for the labor movement which had started in the 1900's with Joe Hill.
The Almanac Singers at a glance
(info. gleaned from Wikipedia)
The Almanac Singers were a group of folk musicians based in New York City and specializing in topical songs, especially those connected with the labor movement. Founded by Millard Lampell, Lee Hays, Pete Seeger, and Woody Guthrie, .they thrived between 1940 and 1943. They joined the Popular Front, an alliance of leftists and liberals which included the Communist Party USA, and who vowed to put aside differences to fight fascism and promote...inclusiveness and workers' rights. The Almanac Singers felt strongly that folk music could help achieve these goals.Read the Wikipedia article
Read more about the Almanac Singers
The Celebrity 411: Spotlight on Almanac Singers, Including their Best Selling Albums such as Songs for John Doe, Dear Mr. President, Famous Hit Singles, and More
Amazon Price: $16.19 (as of 05/28/2012)
List Price: $20.75
Release Date: 12/31/1969
The start of The Almanac Singers:
(info. gleaned from Wikipedia)
- 1In March 1940, Pete Seeger and Woody Guthrie met at...a benefit for displaced migrant workers.
- 21940 or 1941, Millard Lampell, Lee Hays, Pete Seeger, and Woody Guthrie began playing together informally.
- 3in February 1941, Seeger, Hays, and Lampell sang at an American Youth Congress held at Turner's Arena in Washington, D.C., the sponsors of which had requested songs built around the slogans "Don't Lend or Lease our Bases" and "Jim Crow must Go"
- 4The group decided to call themselves the Almanacs based on Lee Hays' statement that back home in Arkansas farmers had only two books in their homes: the Bible, to prepare them for the next world, and the Almanac, to tell them about this one.
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5They played at parties, benefits, unions meetings, rallies, and informal "hootenannies."
For more, Read the Wikipedia article and/OR listen to Pete Seeger talk about the Alamanc Singers on YouTube.
The Almanac Singers' first album
In February or March 1941 The Almanac Singers recorded an album called "Songs For John Doe" on three 78s, consisting of six songs following the Communist Party line urging non-intervention in World War II. This album was short-lived due to Hitlers Attack in June.
Subsequent albums by The Almanac Singers
In 1942, they released a new topical album supporting the war effort called "Dear Mr. President"
Dear Mr President
Amazon Price: $0.99 (as of 05/28/2012)
Take a listen to the Almanac Singers:
Get The Almanac Singers' songs on iTunes
| Track | Artist | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Talking Union | The Almanac Singers | Classic Labor Songs from Smithsonian Folkways | |
| Which Side Are You On? | The Almanac Singers | The Original Talking Union and Other Union Songs | |
| We Shall Not Be Moved | Pete Seeger and the Song Swappers | The Original Talking Union and Other Union Songs | |
| Solidarity Forever | Pete Seeger and the Song Swappers | The Original Talking Union and Other Union Songs | |
| Union Maid | The Almanac Singers | The Original Talking Union and Other Union Songs | |
| I Don't Want Your MIllions, Mister (All I Want) | The Almanac Singers | The Original Talking Union and Other Union Songs | |
| Roll the Union On | Pete Seeger and the Song Swappers | The Original Talking Union and Other Union Songs | |
| You've Got to Go Down and Join the Union | Pete Seeger and the Song Swappers | The Original Talking Union and Other Union Songs | |
| Get Thee Behind Me, Satan | The Almanac Singers | The Original Talking Union and Other Union Songs | |
| Union Train | The Almanac Singers | The Original Talking Union and Other Union Songs | |
| Casey Jones (The Union Scab) | Pete Seeger and the Song Swappers | The Original Talking Union and Other Union Songs | |
| Dear Mr President | The Almanac Singers | Power To The People - Protest Songs | |
| The Strange Death Of John Doe | The Almanac Singers | Power To The People - Protest Songs | |
| Miner's Lifeguard | Pete Seeger and the Song Swappers | The Original Talking Union and Other Union Songs | |
| C For Conscription | The Almanac Singers | Power To The People - Protest Songs | |
| Plow Under | The Almanac Singers | Power To The People - Protest Songs |
OR on Amazon MP3
Check out my favorite songs! I've handpicked these MP3s from Amazon. Take a listen. If you like, you can click to buy them on Amazon.
The end of The Almanac Singers:
(info. gleaned from Wikipedia)
- 1From the start, due to their pro-union and anti-war songs. The Almanac Singers were looked upon with suspicion by the right wing.
- 2Army intelligence and the FBI determined In 1942 that the Almanac singers and their anti-draft message were a seditious threat to recruitment and the morale of the war effort.
- 3The Almanac Singers were hounded by hostile reviews.
- 4Their Communist ties were exposed and gossip items appeared in the New York tabloid press for the rest of their performing career..
- 5In 1944.They recorded their last album, "Songs of the Lincoln Battalion." So far, it can't be found on Amazon, iTunes or eBay.
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6Eventually due to public hostility, they had to change their name. They resurfaced in 1950 with some new personnel, as The Weavers."
Read the Wikipedia article.
More Almanac Singers' Albums
Blog posts about the Almanac Singers
- Happy Birthday, Pete Seeger
- In 1941, at age 22, Seeger formed the Almanac Singers with Lee Hays and Millard Lampell, later joined by Guthrie, Bess Lomax (daughter of musicologist John Lomax), and several others who rotated in and out of the group. The Almanacs drew on traditional ...
The Almanac Singers on eBay
What do you think of the Almanac Singers?
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tamiran
Jan 28, 2011 @ 5:07 am | delete
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