(The Two Wars Of) Old Black Joe
1970 · House of the Fox HOF-2 · USA
- Artist
- Dr. William Truly, Jr.
- Title
- (The Two Wars Of) Old Black Joe
- Release
- (The Two Wars Of) Old Black Joe / King Is Not Dead
- Year
- 1970
- Label
- House of the Fox # HOF-2
- Format
- 7" · Single
- Language
- English
- Country
- USA
- Songwriter
- Dr. William Truly, Jr., Danny Rogers
- Genre
- Soul, Gospel & Funk · Soul
- Primary theme
- Home Front Perspective / Soldier's Perspective
Annotation
The monologue gospel / soul track "(The Two Wars Of) Old Black Joe" (House of the Fox # HOF-2), released on a Nashville, Tennessee label, was another Civil Rights / race relations track connected to the Vietnam War. It told the story of Old Back Joe, an African-American soldier who "had been to Vietnam", won a Purple Heart medal for bravery, and had slept and ate along with everyone, "like any other infantry man", no matter white or black. The soldier is killed in Vietnam, and his "flesh and bones" are returned to the US, "his country...his home" - thus highlighting that he was no different to the white soldiers. However, nobody greeted the body on its return, and the white people in his town do not want him buried next to their family, although they are eventually forced to by a judge. So this song primarily focused on the disparity between the treatment of African-Americans in the US, such as the continuation of segregation, and the role played by African-Americans in the Vietnam conflict. The sleeve of the record said that the song was dedicated to Bill Henry Terry, K.I.A. in the Vietnam War, but refused burial at Elmwood Cemetery in Birmingham, Alabama, because he was…
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Annotation — US Domestic Perspective Songs
The monologue gospel / soul track "(The Two Wars Of) Old Black Joe" (House of the Fox # HOF-2), released on a Nashville, Texas label, was another civil rights / race relations track connected to the Vietnam War. It told the story of Old Back Joe, an African-American soldier who "had been to Vietnam", won a Purple Heart medal for bravery, and had slept and ate along with everyone, "like any other infantry man", no matter white or black. The soldier is killed in Vietnam, and his "flesh and bones" are returned to the US, "his country...his home" - thus highlighting that he was no different to the white soldiers. However, nobody greeted the body on its return, and the white people in his town do not want him buried next to their family, although they are eventually forced to by a judge. So this song primarily focused on the disparity between the treatment of African-Americans in the US, such as the continuation of segregation, and the role played by African-Americans in the Vietnam conflict. The sleeve of the record said that the song was dedicated to Bill Henry Terry, K.I.A. in the Vietnam War, but refused burial at Elmwood Cemetery in Birmingham, Alabama, because he was…
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
About the artist
Unknown - '(The Two Wars Of) Old Black Joe' was issued on House Of The Fox HOF-2 in 1970; the credit is plausibly the Canton, Mississippi physician and civil rights figure Dr. William Truly, Jr., but no source directly links him to this record. [Source: Discogs (release only); Mississippi civil rights press (identification not confirmed)]
Themes
Soldier's Perspective · Purple Heart · Medals · Civil Rights
In collections
US Domestic Perspective Songs · Civil Rights Songs · Soul, Gospel, & Funk Songs