May Day - modern labor/union singers?

Subject: May Day - modern labor/union singers?
From: GUEST,Proud Wobbly
Date: 28 Apr 17 - 04:02 PM

Of course, Joe Hill is legendary.

Woody and Pete.

Utah Phillips.

Billy Bragg.

Who are the modern singers/writers focusing on workers, unions, etc?

Wondering who might be recording or just performing under the scope of the media's radar.

Subject: RE: May Day - modern labor/union singers?
From: Mark Ross
Date: 28 Apr 17 - 04:13 PM

Anne Feeney, John O'Connor, George Mann, The Low Tide Drifters, Monday Morning Denial, Maria Dunn (in Canada), Si Kahn, Joe Jencks, David Rovics,and of course myself, who's been at it now for 45+ years.

Mark Ross

Subject: RE: May Day - modern labor/union singers?
From: GUEST,PW again
Date: 28 Apr 17 - 04:25 PM

Am I to assume that most or all of these folks, yourself included, have recordings, etc that are available in some format?

I've heard of Si Kahn. I will research the rest gladly.

Subject: RE: May Day - modern labor/union singers?
From: Steve Gardham
Date: 28 Apr 17 - 04:41 PM

Quite a number of us in Hull, Yorkshire, UK, but none of us really on the national radar. We're all amateurs or semi-pro mainly doing local gigs but most of us have albums available. Most are on the fishing industry but we cover canals/maritime and the national political scene as well. You will find some labour songs on our website www.yorkshirefolksong.net but that's only a taster.

Subject: RE: May Day - modern labor/union singers?
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 28 Apr 17 - 06:08 PM

Liking that

Subject: RE: May Day - modern labor/union singers?
From: Mark Ross
Date: 29 Apr 17 - 12:44 AM

All the above, PW, have recordings available. Mine can be found here on Soundcloud;

https://soundcloud.com/you/tracks

Except for the one that comes first THEY'RE TAKING IT AWAY which is by Ian Robb.

And there are some cuts of me playing mandolin accompanying Spider John Koerner at the Elko Hobo Festival in 2000

Mark Ross

Subject: RE: May Day - modern labor/union singers?
From: FreddyHeadey
Date: 29 Apr 17 - 04:52 AM

Mark Ross, SoundCloud link

https://www.soundcloud.com/smokestack-mark-ross

Subject: RE: May Day - modern labor/union singers?
From: Mark Ross
Date: 29 Apr 17 - 11:09 AM

Thanks for th blue clicky Fred.

Mark Ross

Subject: RE: May Day - modern labor/union singers?
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 07 May 17 - 08:43 PM

I'm a bit late to this party, but I'll add Charlie King to the list.

Subject: RE: May Day - modern labor/union singers?
From: Deckman
Date: 07 May 17 - 11:13 PM

Thanks muchly for the link. NICE TO HEAR YOU AGAIN MARK ... bob nelson!

Subject: RE: May Day - modern labor/union singers?
From: Mike in Brunswick
Date: 07 May 17 - 11:40 PM

He's been gone for over ten years now but since he wasn't mentioned in the original post as one of the legends, I'll throw his name in - Joe Glazer.

Mike

Subject: RE: May Day - modern labor/union singers?
From: rich-joy
Date: 08 May 17 - 12:22 AM

In Australia, I am sure there are Union choirs still ....

When I lived in Darwin, NT, during the 80-90s, there was a Community Performance Choir celebration every May Day, which I was in a number of times.
Once I moved to Queensland in the 90s, I know there were similar choirs in Brisbane. Whether or not they are still going, I am not sure; I'm a bit out of the loop!

I'd be VERY surprised if Sydney wasn't represented though!

Cheers,
R-J

Subject: RE: May Day - modern labor/union singers?
From: GUEST,Gerry
Date: 08 May 17 - 01:30 AM

Sydney is well-served by the Solidarity Choir. Also, John Warner has written excellent union songs. Peter Hicks has written union songs, and some years ago he put together a fine CD of various Australian artists doing union songs, called Songs of Working Life – Power in the Union. I can't find any trace of that CD on the web, except in Peter's biography.

Subject: RE: May Day - modern labor/union singers?
From: GUEST,CupOfTea, no cookies at work
Date: 08 May 17 - 04:04 PM

Deb Cowan, John McCutcheon, and a WHOLE large group of "Solidarity Singers" in Madison, Wisconsin - Tom Kastle is one who introduced me to that movement.

Mark Dvorak is one of the most dedicated of the many promoters of the songs of Pete Seeger. Local friend Charlie Mosbrook has a good line in Woody Guthrie songs, among many, many who sing his labor songs.

Gordon Bok, Stan Rogers, are the go-to for many songs of the work life of sailors and fisherfolk. Whaling songs are so much a part of the past, but fishing and how difficult the sea is never change.

So many performers, even if they don't sing exclusively for labor/union events, have some labor songs, many traditional, on hand. Lately I've been saturating myself with Brian Peters' singing, and one he performs about textile mill work "Prospect, Providence" is shatteringly beautiful. One advantage to these cherry-picked songs out of large repertoires is that they're often more intensely moving than a steady diet of labor/protest/issue songs. Other than Si Kahn, (who I enjoy & endorse highly) how many singers would bill themselves exclusively as labor/union exclusively?

Joanne in Cleveland

Subject: RE: May Day - modern labor/union singers?
From: GUEST,AR
Date: 09 May 17 - 05:45 AM

Margaret Walters... Alistair Hullett.

Subject: RE: May Day - modern labor/union singers?
From: GUEST,padgett
Date: 10 May 17 - 03:38 AM

Brian Peters song ~ Prospect Providence, Perseverance etc is of course a Keith Marsden song ~ Keith was from Morley near Leeds and died in 1991 but a fine and I mean fine singer songwriter of traditional style songs industrial and Leeds and well observed working class life ~ died far too young

Check out Cockersdale group who continued to sing and present his songs too

Morley Main disaster ~ just typing this has brought tears to my eyes: I days ago saw the installation in Barnsley of the memorial statute to the Oaks mining disaster of 1866 when 361 men died the largest number on record in the UK

Keith's song on first hearing years ago I had to go out of the room ~ so moving

Ray

Subject: RE: May Day - modern labor/union singers?
From: GUEST,FloraG
Date: 10 May 17 - 09:37 AM

Don' forget the Tollpuddle set and the pitmen poets.

The Tollpuddle festival throws up a host of union singers.
FloraG.

Subject: RE: May Day - modern labor/union singers?
From: FreddyHeadey
Date: 10 May 17 - 09:50 AM

Tollpuddle 2017
Friday Saturday Sunday
14 15 16 July

http://www.tolpuddlemartyrs.org.uk/festival