Markuz said on December 28, 2003 13:13:

#01 :: Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit”

During the late 1930s the civil rights movement was in its infancy, and racially-motivated lynchings were still commonplace in American society. In 1939, blues diva Billie Holiday was persuaded by the owner of Café Society (New York City’s first integrated night club) to include a song called “Strange Fruit” in her act. Holiday agreed, and made history with her performance. The song’s graphic depiction of African-American bodies hanging from trees was a direct assault on the racial state of America at the time and sent shock waves through the country. In fact, white supremacists resented her public stand against the issue, and it was considered dangerous for Holiday to sing in many venues. When her record label refused to release the song, a smaller label (Commodore) took the chance and scored a jukebox hit nationwide. Throughout the rest of her career, Holiday battled with an addiction to alcohol and drugs and was kept under constant surveillance by police and federal prosecutors. She felt her performance of “Strange Fruit” was one of the major reasons why the police continually targeted her for harassment. Paranoid? Probably not. She was arrested for heroin possession while on her deathbed in 1959.

Though most people thought Holiday wrote “Strange Fruit,” the song actually came from a 1938 poem written by a New York City public school teacher named Lewis Allan. This sounds innocent enough, until you learn that Allan was actually Abel Meeropol, an active member of the American Communist Party. Meeropol went on to gain additional attention a few years later when, in 1953, he and his wife adopted the two children of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, the American spies executed for passing nuclear weapons secrets to the Soviet Union.

#02 :: Louis Armstrong and Dwight Eisenhower

Louis Armstrong has long been recognized as an American treasure, but has often been criticized by civil rights activists for what appeared to be apathy toward the subject. Armstrong’s happy-go-lucky demeanor and minstrel-like stage appearance caused many civil rights leaders to chastise him for perpetuating racial stereotypes and prejudices in front of mainly white audiences. Actually, Armstrong was a politically-minded individual, and he made that quite clear in 1957 when he refused to participate in a U.S. State Department goodwill tour of the Soviet Union. Armstrong was disgusted over President Eisenhower’s failure to respond to the blocking of the court-ordered desegregation of Central High School in Little Rock, Ark. Armstrong wrote Ike a letter condemning his slow response and actually stated that the World War II hero had “no guts.” When Eisenhower finally sent in federal troops, Armstrong wired him the following message: “If you decide to walk into those schools with the little colored kids, take me along, Daddy.”

Louis Armstrong demonstrated other strong personal stances in support of civil rights. He refused to return and perform in his hometown of New Orleans until after the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964. Also, Armstrong refused a 1968 request from President Nixon to attend a White House function because he felt he was only invited to be the token black celebrity in attendance.

#03 :: Pete Seeger and the House Un-American Activities Committee

When most people think of songs like “If I Had a Hammer” and “Where Have All the Flowers Gone,” they think of hippies, love, hope and peace. But Pete Seeger, the composer of those songs, was greeted with anything but that by the U.S. government for his activist views and left-wing leanings. Along with Woody Guthrie and other folk musicians, Seeger traveled through the United States supporting labor movements by blending music with political activism—at least until he found himself on the (very) bad side of FBI director J. Edgar Hoover. Not coincidentally, Seeger’s name appeared on a list of 150 entertainers allegedly involved in left-wing activities, prompting a ban from radio and television stations nationwide.

But the government’s harassment of Seeger didn’t end there. In 1955 he was subpoenaed to testify in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee concerning his political affiliations and associates. Although Seeger was determined not to share any information about left-wing movements in America with the courts, he refused to plead the Fifth Amendment, citing his First Amendment rights. Consequently, when he refused to cooperate, Seeger was indicted for contempt, found guilty, and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Thankfully, because of the worldwide outcry for justice, an Appeals Court declared that Seeger’s indictment was faulty and dismissed the case the following year. Even though Seeger’s case was overturned, he remained blacklisted throughout the 1960s.

#04 :: Rock Versus the PMRC

Ah, the birth of being “carded” to buy a CD! In 1985 a group of four Washington D.C. mothers founded the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC) in an attempt to curb alleged sexually explicit lyrics in contemporary music. Tipper Gore, wife of then-Senator Al Gore, and Susan Baker, wife of Secretary of Treasury James Baker, were among the organization’s founders. The PMRC proposed that record albums have different labels for different “offenses,” like containing references to sex, drugs and violence.

The PMRC persuaded the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation, of which Al Gore was a member, to convene a hearing on truth in packaging on record albums. A number of artists were invited to testify, including John Denver, Frank Zappa, Donny Osmond, and Dee Snider of Twisted Sister. While Denver, Osmond and Zappa were treated with respect by the Committee, Snider was singled out for questioning, especially by Senator Gore. The PMRC accused Twisted Sister of advocating sadomasochism, bondage and rape in their song “Under the Blade.” In turn, Snider accused the PMRC of reading into the lyrics of songs, insisting that the song “Under the Blade” was written for Eddie Ojeda, one of Twisted Sister’s guitarists, who was having throat surgery and feared the operation.

#05 :: Sinéad O’Connor and Pope John Paul II

The gal that’s never afraid to speak her mind, Sinéad O’Connor remains one of the most outspoken musicians of the last decade. The Irish singer started making waves back in 1990 when she said she would refuse to perform at a New Jersey concert if “The Star Spangled Banner” was played throughout the stadium prior to her scheduled performance. Entertainers like Frank Sinatra strongly denounced O’Connor’s apparent disdain for the United States, and O’Connor, naturally, didn’t hesitate to, well, protest the protest. To turn her nose up at the American entertainment industry, she cancelled an appearance on “Saturday Night Live” and withdrew her name from the four Grammy Award nominations she had received.

But far and away O’Connor’s best-known public stance took place on October 3, 1992, when she finally decided to appear on “Saturday Night Live.” After performing the Bob Marley song “War” (a bit of a scandal in itself), she proclaimed “Fight the real enemy!” and ripped up a photo of Pope John Paul II in front of the national television audience. The backlash was immediate: NBC received thousands of letters and calls; the National Ethnic Coalition of Organizations hired a steamroller and crushed her albums, tapes and CDs on Sixth Avenue in New York City; and, two weeks later, she was booed throughout her performance at a Bob Dylan tribute concert at Madison Square Garden. Interestingly, when reruns of the SNL show air, the rehearsal tape, in which O’Connor holds up a picture of a child, is used instead of the actual performance.

#06:: Society’s Child Janis Ian

In 1965, one year after the U.S. Civil Rights Act had been enacted, a 14-year-old singer/songwriter named Janis Ian wrote a song called “Society’s Child.” The tune’s lyrics told the story of an interracial teenage romance being destroyed by societal attitudes and parental pressures. Twenty-two labels rejected the opportunity to record it.

Finally, in 1966, the song was released. Although it received critical acclaim, the song garnered little airplay and few sales. But all that changed when composer Leonard Bernstein featured Ian on his national television special “Inside Pop: The Rock Revolution.” The song became an immediate hit and thrust Ian into the national spotlight. Not surprisingly, however, the subject and lyrics of the song created a racist backlash. Numerous radio stations banned the song and rumors spread about an Atlanta radio station being torched for playing it. Young Ian received racial hate mail and numerous death threats. Fortunately, guts paid off for this young musician. Ian went on to record nearly 20 albums and receive nine Grammy nominations.

#07 :: John, Yoko and the Bed-in for Peace

By the end of the 1960s the Beatles were immersed in their own individual projects. For John Lennon, that meant focusing his attention on the world of avant-garde art and, especially, the peace movement with Yoko Ono. On March 20, 1969, Lennon and Ono were married and the next week, in what was surely the strangest honeymoon of all time, held the first “Bed-in for Peace” in the presidential suite at the Amsterdam Hilton. “Yoko and I are quite willing to be the world’s clowns if by doing so it will bring some good,” John said at the time.

In May, they attempted to resume the bed-in in the United States, but the government refused them entry because of earlier drug charges. Instead, the bed-in took place at the Queen Elizabeth Hotel in Montreal. In front of a crowd of friends, supporters and 50 reporters, Lennon and Ono stayed in bed for a week, growing their hair for peace. During the week, recording equipment was brought in and the anti-war anthem “Give Peace a Chance” was recorded, featuring the likes of Timothy Leary, Tommy Smothers, Petula Clark and Dick Gregory (to name but a few) on backing vocals.

#08 :: Madonna’s Prayer

Madonna is no stranger to dramatic, erotic and sometimes outlandish behavior. Her lyrics, concerts and video performances have fueled her career and, in many cases, her critics. The 1989 video for “Like a Prayer” is the perfect example. In the video Madonna witnesses the murder of a white woman and the arrest of an innocent black man. Set in a church, the video is full of religious imagery, including stigmata and burning crosses. A statue of an African-American saint (the man accused of the murder) comes alive when she kisses his feet. The video is replete with strong religious, mystical and erotic messages.

As expected, Madonna’s message was lost in the public outcry over the openly erotic and perceived sacrilegious overtones of the video. Numerous calls and letters were sent to the networks asking the video to be removed from airplay. The Vatican censured the video, and Pepsi-Cola cancelled a multi-million dollar endorsement deal with the pop diva. Business-savvy Madonna had the last laugh, however, as she kept Pepsi’s $5 million payout even though her commercial only aired twice.

#09 :: Bob Dylan and the Hurricane

In 1967 Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, a successful professional boxer, was given a life sentence for the murder of three people in a Patterson, N.J., bar. Always proclaiming innocence, Carter felt he was the victim of a racist jury and corrupt white policemen. During his imprisonment, Carter wrote his memoirs, The Sixteenth Round, which garnered a great deal of attention, including that of folk singer/songwriter Bob Dylan.

Dylan met with the imprisoned Carter and was so impressed that he wrote the song “Hurricane” about the case. Dylan also staged two benefit concerts to raise money for Carter’s defense, the first in Madison Square Garden on December 8, 1975, and the second at the Astrodome in Houston on January 26, 1976. Two months after the latter concert, the New Jersey Supreme Court ordered a retrial for Hurricane Carter. Unfortunately, Carter was once again convicted and returned to prison. Finally, in 1985, Carter was released after his lawyers proved that he had been denied the right to a fair trial in his earlier court appearances.

#10 :: Bob Marley Gets Up, Stands Up

Among the gutsiest of all musicians was Bob Marley, rock’s social conscience of the 1970s. Marley interlaced social commentary with unique reggae sounds to protest the conditions of Jamaica’s poor and oppressed. In doing so, he became a major force in the country’s turbulent and sometimes deadly politics. In 1976 Jamaican Prime Minister Michael Manley organized a “Smile Jamaica” concert to promote the country’s cultural heritage. Marley agreed to headline the concert, but only if it was clear that the event was apolitical. A week after posters were put up announcing Marley’s appearance in the concert, the Prime Minister called a national election. Suddenly, it appeared as if Marley was supporting Manley’s affiliation, the People’s National Party. The Prime Minister’s critics (supporters of opposition leader Edward Seaga) were furious, and on the night prior to the scheduled concert, Marley was wounded in a failed assassination attempt. Defiantly, Marley went on to play the concert the next night with his arm in a sling.

In an effort to bring about reconciliation between the warring political factions in Jamaica, Marley held a concert in 1978 that brought together Prime Minister Manley and Edward Seaga. During the concert, both men joined Marley on stage and shook hands, an incredible development in Jamaica at the time. For his efforts, Marley received the United Nations Peace Medal later that same year. Unfortunately, music’s most visible spokesperson for peace and brotherhood died of cancer in 1981 at the age of 36.

(NOTE: My favourites: #5 and #8 - Cheers! Mkz)