I can only approve of the caution displayed by McGrath of Harlow a couple of postings back. I think my own response if I had heard this statement, without even a hint of proof, would be to treat it with a degree of skepticism. In fact, my first response on reading the doubt expressed by McGrath of Harlow was a sense of horror. Perhaps I had made a mistake, misremembered. In my head I began preparing shamefaced withdrawals, grovelling apologies.

First I went back to my source. I had come across the Johnny Horton songs in WinMX,a shared files program – you know the kind of thing, a million or something people with access to the mp3's in each others' computer. I've just been back to it and I typed "Johnny Horton" into the search engine. There were over 600 results and there, along with "Running Bear", "North To Alaska" etc. was the scattering of racist songs that I mentioned.

Now it is true that these songs were recorded a half a century ago and it is unfair to judge the past by the standards of today but it is fair to remember that these songs come at the beginning of the Civil Rights movement. Songs were an important weapon in that struggle. And these racist songs were a weapon against humanity and common decency.

By the bye, I also noticed one called "Frank Black & the Catholics". I'm a little bit intrigued. What could it possibly be about? I was tempted to download it but there were 10 others in the queue. And life is short.