Southern Man

.This is my raw & unrehearsed attempt at the Neil Young classic Southern Man.
I never did learn this song until now and this is a rough first pass at it. Flailing away and making up the guitar parts as I go. Long ago in High School I once did some research on Slave society and read books on what life was really like for the slaves back then. For centuries the system of slavery was considered a normal way of doing business.

Some historical perspective from Wikipedia:

After The Civil War:
The Jim Crow laws were state and local laws in the United States enacted between 1876 and 1965. They mandated de jure segregation in all public facilities, with a supposedly "separate but equal" status for black Americans. In reality, this led to treatment and accommodations that were usually inferior to those provided for white Americans, systematizing a number of economic, educational and social disadvantages.

Some examples of Jim Crow laws are the segregation of public schools, public places and public transportation, and the segregation of restrooms and restaurants for whites and blacks. The U.S. military was also segregated. These Jim Crow Laws were separate from the 1800-66 Black Codes, which had also restricted the civil rights and civil liberties of African Americans. State-sponsored school segregation was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court of the United States in 1954 in Brown v. Board of Education. Generally, the remaining Jim Crow laws were overruled by the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Here's some info about the song from Wikipedia:

"Southern Man" is a song by Neil Young from his album After the Gold Rush. The album was released in 1970.

The lyrics of "Southern Man" are vivid, describing the racism towards blacks in the American South. In the song, Young tells the story of a Southern man (symbolically the entire South) and how he mistreated his slaves. Young pleadingly asks when will the South "pay them back" for years of abuse and racism.

The source of the initial inspiration for the song is debated, but is commonly believed to have stemmed from an incident in a roadhouse in Alabama visited by Young in 1969. As he was having a drink, two local men came up to him, took him outside, and beat him up because he had long hair.

Southern rock band Lynyrd Skynyrd wrote their song "Sweet Home Alabama" in response to "Southern Man" and "Alabama" from Neil's 1972 album Harvest. Young has said that he is a fan of both "Sweet Home Alabama" and Ronnie Van Zant, the lead vocalist for Lynyrd Skynyrd. "They play like they mean it," Young said in 1976. "I'm proud to have my name in a song like theirs."[1] Young has also been known to play "Sweet Home Alabama" in concert occasionally. To demonstrate this camaraderie, Van Zant frequently wore a Neil Young Tonight's the Night T-shirt while performing "Sweet Home Alabama."[2] Crazy Horse bassist Billy Talbot can often be seen reciprocating by wearing a Jack Daniels-styled Lynyrd Skynyrd T-shirt (including at the Live Rust concert).

Lynyrd Skynyrd tried to arrange to have Neil Young come on stage during a performance of "Sweet Home Alabama," where he would have sung "a Southern man don't need me around anyhow," but the performers were never able to arrange this performance due to conflicting touring schedules.

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Music

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• Stills

[hawaiiankillahulua]

they actually owned more slaves up north..learn your history..blacks were selling blacks to the whites back in africa..BUT...bro this song cover is AWSOME!!! 10 OUT TEN...damn good...

[lakeladymel]

Superb ! You did the song beautifully and the video fits the song...perfectly ! Very emotional !

*Mel*

[jonhedenstedt]

Oh i've been waiting for this one!! good job !!

[ib2fast2]

Nice Job!

[Ahwahneechee]

Historical Photos Wow, Nice Blend of History and Song!

[drnorris56]

loved this

[citadels]

nice one