The power of music for protest and change
by Kristina Makansi
Growing up, my church-going, United Methodist parents listened to what I'd call Americana music, churchy hymns and gospel, and some country music. My maternal grandmother played piano by ear and played in Grandpa’s churches where he preached. My mom was a natural alto who could harmonize with any tune, and my dad had a fine voice and for a while sang in a barber shop quartet. When they were young, they both had music in their homes—my mom played the flute and piccolo and my dad played the trumpet and coronet. My brother still has my dad’s coronet.
Christina Bryant (Blank) and Harold J. Blank
I remember that after my dad died (at 42, when I was 9) my mom had a "hi-fi" and one of the albums she'd play was the Burl Ives collection of America's Musical Heritage with songs like Greensleeves, Blue Tail Fly, Froggie Went a Courtin’, and Shenandoah. We watched The Dean Martin Show, Bing Crosby specials, Ed Sullivan, Hee Haw, Lawrence Welk, Sonny & Cher, and Laugh-In, all featuring musical acts that my mother loved. Looking back, I think my parent’s music—especially my mother’s, instilled in me a love of tradition and a love of country.
But I also remember the night my father took me to see the Old Main building burn on Southern Illinois University - Carbondale campus in June of 1969, and I remember listening to my sisters’ music including songs like If I Had a Hammer, Blowin’ in the Wind, Fortunate Son, What’s Going On, and Ohio. I still loved America, but I learned that it was capable of doing very wrong things.
We all played an instrument too. My eldest sister played trombone, my other sister played piano, my brother played tuba and sousaphone well enough to play in the college marching band. I took piano lessons and played the flute, but didn’t make it past 8th grade on either one. My mom also bought me a Sears guitar, and I learned a few tunes on it. And I loved to sing—by myself and in the church choir.
I guess I mostly listened to pop and rock 'n roll in high school, and in college, I listened to a lot of classic country 'cause I was in Austin, TX, home of Willie himself. And then I stopped listening to country because it all sounded the same.
Or maybe I just told myself it did. I don’t know. Also, I married someone who didn’t like country music on principle and was instead into classical music (season tickets to Carnegie Hall, for instance) and “over-produced British rock & roll.” His description, not mine.
Anyway, after getting back into music in a big way in my late 40s, I began singing and playing guitar with a neighbor who also grew up on the old Methodist hymns, and we loved to try new songs and harmonize—she has a beautiful soprano voice and I inherited my mom’s alto.
Then we moved to Arizona and after the pandemic, I joined a guitar meetup and met some amazing people. Recently, the guitar group I play with was asked to play at a 60th birthday party. The birthday "girl" asked for country songs, so I've been revisiting some old favorites. I've been practicing Jolene and Always on My Mind among others, and it's a walk down memory lane.
Here’s a sample of the latest Jolene practice session. Please forgive my warbles and squeaks and flats as I just started trying this song last week. Thanks to Jason on viola and Sean on guitar for practicing Dolly’s classic with me.
As I’ve been reacquainting myself with country music, a lot has been going on in the world—and right here at home in America. As a news junkie, I’m trying to keep up with the flood of terrible news, but it’s hard. Hard to keep up and hard to take.
Because we have family in Nashville and my husband grew up in the Chattanooga area and we spent many good times there over the years, what’s been going on in Tennessee has been particularly difficult to swallow. White supremacy and bigotry has reared it’s ugly head and it’s sickening and scary and disturbing and depressing. As a big fan of political cartoonists, I think this one posted on May 14 by Nick Anderson sums it up.
See more cartoons like this here: https://www.threads.com/@andertoon
In the wake of the Southern states’ grab at gerrymandering Black voters out of their districts, one wag (I don’t know who) said, “In a contentious 6-3 decision, the Supreme Court has overturned the results of the Civil War.”
In the wake of all this, I wanted to know what country music artists are standing up for free speech, for art, for their fellow musicians—whether Black or Brown or LGBTQ—because I don’t want to practice and play songs by American Nazis. Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson are heroes and they’re on the right side of history, so I’m happy to sing and play their songs till the damn cows come home.
But I didn’t have a clue about other artists, so I did a little digging and discovered some new musicians. New to me, at least. You may already be huge fans, and I’m sure there are many more amazing talents out that who deserve support for speaking their truth and standing up for human rights.
These artists are standing in front of the crowd and speaking truth to power. We need to do the same. Everyone of us.
https://www.instagram.com/marenmorris/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4rr6LewdIU
https://music.youtube.com/watch?v=an59-WfVmGg
https://www.instagram.com/bryanandrewsmusic
https://www.instagram.com/chrishousmanmusic/
https://www.instagram.com/p/DYXWgUNgwNt/
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