I'll get the conversation started. My choice for a remarkable singer/activist is Tori Amos!
Back in 1994, Tori co-founded RAINN (the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), a toll-free nationwide help line connecting callers with their local rape crisis center. She was also the organization's first national spokesperson. RAINN (www.rainn.org) has since gone on to become the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization, and their National Sexual Assault Hotline (1-800-656-HOPE) has helped over 3.7 million survivors and their loved ones.
So, in addition to being an incredible songwriter and performer (I've seen her in concert many times), Tori Amos has literally helped millions of people. Cheers. To. That!
Somebody I've always admired as a singer/activist is the amazing Peter Gabriel. In fact, I joined Amnesty International when I was about 12 because of his work with them, particularly to help end apartheid in South Africa. In 1980 he founded WOMAD (World of Music Arts and Dance), which has presented 170 festivals in over 30 countries around the world.
Here's a great synopsis of his long career as an activist from Playing for Change:
Love Peter Gabriel! Amnesty International, WOMAD and Playing for Change are three fantastic organizations as well! (By the way, I just read that the 2023 WOMAD Festival opened yesterday. Wish we were there!)
I have to say i love listening every week, since i so miss visiting with you both, and in the modern world this seems our only chance to do so. I have to say Sun Ra, as i was just blessed with two nights of his legacy, i don't know if he qualifies as an activist, but i think he certainly was in his own right.
Thank you, brother! We so miss visiting with you too. We too hope someday soon we can be in the same room together again. In the meantime, thank you for listening and supporting our madness! Sun Ra was definitely an activist in every sense, a pioneer whose very presence in the world inspired change! Thank you for sharing your choice. Love you Brother Ford!
Thank you for your kind words! Love your choice! Sun Ra is another one of our favorite artists of all time. I daresay Sun Ra was a cosmic activist: "I never wanted to be a part of planet Earth, but I am compelled to be here, so anything I do for this planet is because the Master-Creator of the Universe is making me do it. I am of another dimension. I am on this planet because people need me." - Sun Ra
OMG I so wish I’d known you were going to see a Simone concert in 1998 or 99 when we were working together. I used to play that CD in Szmania’s constantly.
It was actually the summer right before I started at Szmania's in 98 at the Summer Nights at the Pier. Otherwise, I totally would have invited you! And it was just a couple days before my birthday, so it was an absolute treat. By far one of the best concerts I've ever been to!
Great episode. I've been mad about Sinead all week. Very few people ever had her back. Maybe I'll be mad for the rest of my life. I don't even have the language for it yet. On that note, I'm gonna give flowers to the other side of the same coin, Dolly Parton. Born with that body, the butt of all the jokes, she leaned all the way into it and made a complete spectacle of it with her big hair, makeup, sequins, and boobs for days. She's sharp-witted, business savvy, and pure southern charm and she dares you not to like her while speaking truth: "I understand people having to make themselves known and felt and seen. And of course Black lives matter. Do we think our little white asses are the only ones that matter? No!”. Her songs, her charities, her politics are all about treating people with genuine kindness. https://www.billboard.com/lists/dolly-parton-good-deeds-timeline/
Dolly is amazing! She's an inspiration and a fierce ally and a feminist icon. Thank you for sharing that quote as well! And we both feel the same about Sinead, it's utterly heartbreaking.
I'll get the conversation started. My choice for a remarkable singer/activist is Tori Amos!
Back in 1994, Tori co-founded RAINN (the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), a toll-free nationwide help line connecting callers with their local rape crisis center. She was also the organization's first national spokesperson. RAINN (www.rainn.org) has since gone on to become the nation's largest anti-sexual violence organization, and their National Sexual Assault Hotline (1-800-656-HOPE) has helped over 3.7 million survivors and their loved ones.
So, in addition to being an incredible songwriter and performer (I've seen her in concert many times), Tori Amos has literally helped millions of people. Cheers. To. That!
Great choice!
Somebody I've always admired as a singer/activist is the amazing Peter Gabriel. In fact, I joined Amnesty International when I was about 12 because of his work with them, particularly to help end apartheid in South Africa. In 1980 he founded WOMAD (World of Music Arts and Dance), which has presented 170 festivals in over 30 countries around the world.
Here's a great synopsis of his long career as an activist from Playing for Change:
https://www.playingforchange.com/artists/peter-gabriel
Love Peter Gabriel! Amnesty International, WOMAD and Playing for Change are three fantastic organizations as well! (By the way, I just read that the 2023 WOMAD Festival opened yesterday. Wish we were there!)
I have to say i love listening every week, since i so miss visiting with you both, and in the modern world this seems our only chance to do so. I have to say Sun Ra, as i was just blessed with two nights of his legacy, i don't know if he qualifies as an activist, but i think he certainly was in his own right.
Thank you, brother! We so miss visiting with you too. We too hope someday soon we can be in the same room together again. In the meantime, thank you for listening and supporting our madness! Sun Ra was definitely an activist in every sense, a pioneer whose very presence in the world inspired change! Thank you for sharing your choice. Love you Brother Ford!
Thank you for your kind words! Love your choice! Sun Ra is another one of our favorite artists of all time. I daresay Sun Ra was a cosmic activist: "I never wanted to be a part of planet Earth, but I am compelled to be here, so anything I do for this planet is because the Master-Creator of the Universe is making me do it. I am of another dimension. I am on this planet because people need me." - Sun Ra
OMG I so wish I’d known you were going to see a Simone concert in 1998 or 99 when we were working together. I used to play that CD in Szmania’s constantly.
It was actually the summer right before I started at Szmania's in 98 at the Summer Nights at the Pier. Otherwise, I totally would have invited you! And it was just a couple days before my birthday, so it was an absolute treat. By far one of the best concerts I've ever been to!
That’s fantastic!
Great episode. I've been mad about Sinead all week. Very few people ever had her back. Maybe I'll be mad for the rest of my life. I don't even have the language for it yet. On that note, I'm gonna give flowers to the other side of the same coin, Dolly Parton. Born with that body, the butt of all the jokes, she leaned all the way into it and made a complete spectacle of it with her big hair, makeup, sequins, and boobs for days. She's sharp-witted, business savvy, and pure southern charm and she dares you not to like her while speaking truth: "I understand people having to make themselves known and felt and seen. And of course Black lives matter. Do we think our little white asses are the only ones that matter? No!”. Her songs, her charities, her politics are all about treating people with genuine kindness. https://www.billboard.com/lists/dolly-parton-good-deeds-timeline/
Dolly is amazing! She's an inspiration and a fierce ally and a feminist icon. Thank you for sharing that quote as well! And we both feel the same about Sinead, it's utterly heartbreaking.