The Styrous® Viewfinder: 20,000 vinyl LPs 333: We Shall Overcome! (Documentary Of The March On Washington)

August 28, 2023

20,000 vinyl LPs 333: We Shall Overcome! (Documentary Of The March On Washington)

Various ~ We Shall Overcome

vinyl LP front cover

photo of cover by Styrous®

It was sixty years ago today, August 28, 1963, that the March on Washington took place and hundreds of thousands of people converged on Washington, D.C. The march was one of the largest political rallies for human rights in United States history.

March on Washington = August 28, 1963

US Government photo

This album is an audio document of that momentous day and includes the famous speech, "I Have a Dream", by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., standing in front of the Lincoln Memorial, the song, We Shall Overcome!, made famous by Joan Baez, Marian Anderson singing He's Got The Whole World In His Hands, Odetta with Oh! Freedom, Bob Dylan with his version of the Ballad Of Medgar Evers which was written by Reverend Matthew A. Jones, Sr., a SNCC field organizer who modeled its cadences on the folk song The Ballad of Jesse James. The version Dylan sings was written by Phil Ochs under the title, Too Many Martyrs.

Various ~ We Shall Overcome

vinyl LP back cover

photo of cover by Styrous®

The order of the speakers was as follows:

1. A. Philip Randolph – March Director
2. Walter Reuther – UAW, AFL–CIO
3. Roy Wilkins – NAACP
4. John Lewis – Chair, SNCC
5. Daisy Bates – Little Rock, Arkansas
6. Dr. Eugene Carson Blake – United Presbyterian Church and the National Council of Churches
7. Floyd McKissick – CORE
8. Whitney Young – National Urban League
9. Several smaller speeches were made, including by Rabbi Joachim Prinz – American Jewish Congress, Mathew Ahmann – National Catholic Conference, and Josephine Baker – dancer and actress
10. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. – SCLC. His "I Have a Dream" speech has become celebrated for its vision and eloquence.

Closing remarks were made by A. Philip Randolph and Bayard Rustin, March Organizers, leading with The Pledge and a list of demands.

Tracklist:

Side 1:

A1 - Joan Baez – "We Shall Overcome"
A2 - President Kennedy* - Press Conference
A3 - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. - Complete Speech (I Have A Dream)
A4 - Marian Anderson - "He's Got The Whole World In His Hands"

Side 2:

B1 - Odetta - "Oh! Freedom"
B2 - Rabbi Joachim Prinz - Complete Speech
B3 - Bob Dylan - "Ballad Of Medgar Evers"
B4 - James Farmer - (Speech)
B5 - Whitney M. Young Jr. - (Speech)
B6 - John Lewis (10) - (Speech)
B7 - Roy Wilkins - (Speech)
B8 - Walter Reuther - (Speech)
B9 - Peter, Paul & Mary - "Hammer Song"
B10 - Bayard Rustin - The Demands
B11 - A. Phillip Randolph - he Pledge

Credits:

    Design – Ronald Clyne
    Engineer – Ray Hagerty
    Producer – Martin L. Schneider

Notes:

Descriptive notes are inside pocket
Library of Congress Catalogue Card Number: R68-463

(c) 1964 Folkways Records and Service Corp.
43 W. 61st St., N.Y.C., U.S.A. 10023

Notes from the sleeve:

The Council for United Civil Rights Leadership is greatful to the Educational Radio Network for making its tape recordings available, and Joan Baez (Vanguard), Marian Anderson (RCA Victor), Odetta (RCA Victor), Bob Dylan (Columbia) and Peter, Paul and Mary (Warner Bros.) for their cooperation and support.

Participating Organizations:

- National Association For The Advancement Of Color People.
- National Urban League.
- National Council Of Negro Women.
- N.A.A.C.P. Legal Defence and Educational Fund, Inc.
- Congress of Racial Equality.
- Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
- Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee.

Barcode and Other Identifiers

    Matrix / Runout (Side A): FH 5592 AAX
    Matrix / Runout (Side B): FH 5592 BBX

Viewfinder links:

Marian Anderson

Joan Baez

Bob Dylan

Martin Luther King Jr.

Phil Ochs

Odetta

Net links:

CBS News ~ Rita Moreno recounts attending the March on Washington

CNN ~ Sixty years after the March

Don Gayhardt ~ 3 Most Well-Known Songs about Medgar Evers