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R&B singer Kim Weston sings "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing" in front of a 100,000 at Wattstax--a festival at the Los Angeles Coliseum on ...
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R&B singer Kim Weston sings "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing" in front of a 100,000 at Wattstax--a festival at the Los Angeles Coliseum on August 20, 1972 organized by the Memphis Stax label to commemorate the 7th anniversary of the Watts riots and black power, pride, culture, tradition and heritage struggle. The party and peacefulness was seen by some as "African Americans answer to Woodstock". Be it charity or benefit, in order to encourage as many members of the black Americans community in LA to attend the event at Memorial Coliseum, tickets were sold at $1.00 each. Customs included advertisements and commercials in play for the event. There have been several recordings from this festival and a documentary film. It was a celebration to upstage all celebrations. Reverend Jesse Jackson gave the invocation, which included his "I Am - Somebody" poem, which was recited in a call and response with the assembled stadium crowd. There was a film directed by Mel Stuart which was nominated for a Golden Globe for Best Documentary in 1974.
The songs in the film, in order of appearance:
"What You See Is What You Get", performed by The Dramatics
"Oh La De Da", performed by the Staple Singers
"We the People", performed by the Staple Singers
"Respect Yourself", performed by the Staple Singers
"Star-Spangled Banner", performed by Kim Weston
"Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing", performed by Kim Weston
"Someone Greater Than I", performed by Jimmy Jones
"Lying on the Truth", performed by the Rance Allen Group
"Peace Be Still", performed by The Emotions
"Old-Time Religion", performed by William Bell, Louise McCord, Debra Manning, Eric Mercury, Freddy Robinson, Lee Sain, Ernie Hines, Little Sonny, the Newcomers, Eddie Floyd, the Temprees, Frederick Knight
"Son of Shaft/Feel It", performed by The Bar-Kays
"I'll Play The Blues For You", performed by Albert King
"Jody's Got Your Girl and Gone", performed by Johnnie Taylor
"Walking the Backstreet and Crying", performed by Little Milton
"I May Not Be What You Want", performed by Mel and Tim
"Picking Up the Pieces", sung by Carla Thomas
"The Breakdown", sung by Rufus Thomas
"If Lovin' You Is Wrong, I Don't Want to be Right", sung by Luther Ingram
"Theme from Shaft", sung by Isaac Hayes
"Soulsville", sung by Isaac Hayes
More on the song:
Lift Ev'ry Voice And Sing is often called "The Negro National Anthem" (or Black National Anthem)—was written as a poem by James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938) and then set to music by his brother John Rosamond Johnson (1873-1954) in 1900. It was first performed in public in the Johnsons' hometown of Jacksonville, Florida as part of a celebration of Lincoln's Birthday on February 12, 1900 by a choir of 500 schoolchildren at the segregated Stanton School, where James Weldon Johnson was principal.
Singing this song quickly became a way for African Americans to demonstrate their patriotism and hope for the future. In calling for earth and heaven to "ring with the harmonies of Liberty," they could speak out subtly against racism and Jim Crow laws — and especially the huge number of lynchings accompanying the rise of the Ku Klux Klan at the turn of the century. In 1919, the NAACP adopted the song as "The Negro National Anthem." By the 1920s, copies of "Lift Every Voice and Sing" could be found in black churches across the country, often pasted into the hymnals.
During and after the American Civil Rights Movement, the song experienced a rebirth, and by the 1970's was often sung immediately after The Star Spangled Banner at public events and performances across the United States where the event had a significant African-American population.
In 1990, singer Melba Moore released a modern rendition of the song, which she recorded along with others including R&B artists Anita Baker, Stephanie Mills, Dionne Warwick, Bobby Brown, Stevie Wonder, Jeffrey Osborne, and Howard Hewett; and gospel artists BeBe and CeCe Winans, Take 6 and The Clark Sisters. Partly because of the success of this recording, Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing was entered into the Congressional Record as the official African American National Hymn.
More on singer Kim Weston:
Kim Weston born December 20, 1939 in Detroit Michigan is a Motown Records alumna. She made an album for the label This Is America which included her popular version of the Black National Anthem "Lift Every Voice and Sing" was released as a single and featured in the movie Wattstax. All the money from the single was donated to the United Negro College Fund.
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