American Power
1967 · Decca US 32162 · New York City, New York
- Artist
- Johnny Wright
- Title
- American Power
- Release
- American Power / Settle Back Down to Earth
- Year
- 1967
- Label
- Decca US # 32162
- Format
- 7" · Single
- Language
- English
- Country
- New York City, New York, USA
- Genre
- Country · Country
- Primary theme
- US 'Patriotic' / Pro-Government / Anti-Protest Songs
Annotation
The song "American Power" (Decca Records # 32162), released in July 1967 and written by the bluegrass songwriter Jim Anglin (member of the country duo the Anglin Twins), combined the issues of Vietnam with race relations, and thus also a Civil Rights song. Wright told the story of his friend's son dying in Vietnam. He then commented on a recent race riot, and called for people to unite and not to play into the hands of the enemy: "we must stick together or be destroyed from within". A female chorus led by Wright's wife Kitty Wells kicked the song off, telling the listener that "American power, not black and not white...regardless of race, let's respect one another". Wright followed this up with his spoken-word narrative. Perhaps hoping to repeat the major success of Johnny Wright's 1965 "Hello Vietnam" single, which held the # 1 spot in the Billboard Hot Country charts, the label Decca Records ran a full-page advert in Billboard, announcing the "release of a moving and meaningful record". The advert went on to boldly claim that "never before has a recording captured in music and lyric a performance with so timely a message. Listen to it! We sincerely believe it is one of the most…
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
Annotation — US 'Patriotic' / Pro-Government / Anti-Protest Songs
The song "American Power" (Decca Records # 32162), released in July 1967 and written by the bluegrass songwriter Jim Anglin (member of the country duo the Anglin Twins), combined the issues of Vietnam with race relations. Wright told the story of his friend's son dying in Vietnam. He then commented on a recent race riot, and called for people to unite and not to play into the hands of the enemy: "we must stick together or be destroyed from within". A female chorus led by Wright's wife Kitty Wells kicked the song off, telling the listener that "American power, not black and not white...regardless of race, let's respect one another". Wright followed this up with his spoken-word narrative. Perhaps hoping to repeat the major success of Johnny Wright's 1965 "Hello Vietnam" single, which held the # 1 spot in the Billboard Hot Country charts, the label Decca Records ran a full-page advert in Billboard, announcing the "release of a moving and meaningful record". The advert went on to boldly claim that "never before has a recording captured in music and lyric a performance with so timely a message. Listen to it! We sincerely believe it is one of the most important records of our time!".…
Annotation by Justin A. Brummer
About the artist
Born 13 May 1914, Mount Juliet, Tennessee, USA. Died 27 September 2011, Madison, Tennessee, USA
Themes
In collections
Civil Rights Songs · US 'Patriotic' / Pro-Government / Anti-Protest Songs