Music played an incredibly important part of the Civil Rights Movement. As the civil right leader and current U.S. Congressman John Lewis has said, “Without singing, we would have lost our sense of solidarity.” Below you can find resources where you can listen to music from the Civil Rights Movement (To find other audiovisual resources, click here).
Streaming access to several excellent recordings of classic songs from the Civil Rights Movement is available on MLibrary through the Smithsonian Global Sound database (UM Login required). These recordings come from the Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, which is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution, the United States government’s collection of museums and research centers (click here for more information on the origin of the Smithsonian Folkways Recordings). While University of Michigan students enjoy free streaming access to the recordings, they are also available for purchase on the Smithsonian Folkways website.
In addition to the recordings available through the database, each record has extensive Liner Notes with detailed background information on the songs and their recording (UM Login not required to access these Liner Notes). Below are four important albums from the database, but they are only a selection of the many available.
Voices of the Civil Rights Movement: Black American Freedom Songs 1960-1966
Liner Notes for Voices of the Civil Rights Movement
This two-disc album contains 43 tracks mostly recorded in churches and other gathering places with a live audience. The extensive Liner Notes includes excellent background material on each of the songs, with an introductory article to the music of the Civil Rights Movement by the singer and social activist Bernice Johnson Reagon.
Sing For Freedom: The Story of the Civil Rights Movement Through Its Songs
Liner Notes for Sing For Freedom
These 26 tracks were recorded by Guy Carawan (the folk musician who popularized the song “We Shall Overcome” and helped it become the anthem of the movement) and his wife Carawan as they traveled throughout the South during the Civil Rights Movement. Locations visited by the Carawans included Montgomery and Birmingham, Alabama; Albany and Atlanta, Georgia; Nashville, Tennessee; Mississippi and Washington, D.C.. The Liner Notes offer background information on each location visited and the musicians featured.
We Shall Overcome: Songs of the Freedom Riders and the Sit-Ins
Liner Notes for We Shall Overcome
This album collects the songs, spirituals, and gospels which accompanied the historic Freedom Rider and Sit-In Movement, as performed by The Montgomery Gospel Trio (three high school students) and The Nashville Quartet (four seminary students). The recordings were arranged by Guy Carawan; he selected these two student groups as representatives of the many students singing groups which accompanied the movement. Liner Notes contain information on both musical groups and lyrics to the songs.
Liner Notes for Freedom Songs: Selma, Alabama
These documentary recordings were made on the spot during the Selma to Montgomery marches of March 1965. They include songs sung by marchers from March 15 through March 18. Liner Notes include lyrics to the songs and photographs of the marches.
American Song
Another database which provides streaming access to relevant music from the era is American Song (UM Login required). In addition to music from the Civil Rights Movement, American Song includes music from anti-war protests and other political campaigns.
Other Resources
An introductory article on the music of the Civil Rights Movement written by Bernice Johnson Reagon, a singer and activist, will prove useful to those beginning their research on the Freedom Songs. An informative video interview of her conducted by Bill Moyers is available to stream here.
The website Sweet Chariot: the story of the spirituals hosted by The Spirituals Project at the University of Denver, helps to put the Freedom Songs into the context of the old slave spirituals which preceded and inspired them. The site also lists more resources for those wanting to explore further this aspect of the Civil Rights Movement.
The entry for “Songs of the Civil Rights Movement” in the Encyclopedia of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute (hosted at Stanford University) provides a good overview of the use of music in the movement .
Lyrics to the most common Freedom Songs, such as “We Shall Overcome,” “This Little Light of Mine,” “Keep Your Eyes on the Prize” and others can be found here.