So Labor Day weekend is once again upon us. Time to hang out with good friends and family and enjoy a little BBQ. It’s traditionally a celebration of the American Worker, who are the hardest working work force in the World. I mean, two weeks off for a years worth of work……That really makes you want to Stick it to the Man!

So thinking of Labor Day music is kind of interesting. I immediately think of early folk legends like Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger. They both really used their music as a vehicle for something much more substantial than money or fame. They were the pioneers of protest songs and their musical talent just helped spread the word. Woody Guthrie’s famous guitar with “This Machine Kills Fascists” emblazoned on it really stood for something. A time long lost and seldom thought about by today’s generation. And Pete Seeger during The McCarthy era being subpoenaed to testify in front of Congress about being a Communist, based solely on his song lyrics and beliefs. Music is, and always has been an extremely powerful vessel for getting a message across……and it continues to be so, although in a much less dramatic way than the 20th Century. Let’s turn back the clock a little this weekend and remember these two great Folk artists.

Woody Guthrie – Union Burying Ground

 Pete Seeger – Solidarity Forever