Ballad of Daniel Ellsberg

Annotation

Born Raul Medina Garcia, most of his music was released under the name Johnny Chingas. He was born in Mexico, and immigrated to the US with his family as a child. (1) (2) The song "Ballad of Daniel Ellsberg" (Doré # 863) focused on the Pentagon Papers - a top-secret study on the history of US involvement in Vietnam, commissioned by the Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara in 1967, and leaked to the New York Times and other newspapers by Pentagon official Daniel Ellsberg in 1971. Garcia took an anti-war position, praising Ellsberg for leaking the "truth about the war" as the man "who let the people know the score".

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Annotation — Ellsberg & Pentagon Papers Songs

Born Raul Medina Garcia, most of his music was released under the name Johnny Chingas. He was born in Mexico, and immigrated to the US with his family as a child - and thus a Mexican-American representation. (1) (2) The song "Ballad of Daniel Ellsberg" (Doré # 863) focused on the Pentagon Papers and Ellsberg as suggested in the title - it took an anti-war position, praising Ellsberg for leaking the "truth about the war" as the man "who let the people know the score".

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

About the artist

Rulie Garcia was a stage name of Raul Medina Garcia (born 1939/40 in Chihuahua, Mexico; died March 1992 of complications from diabetes at his home in Mission Hills, California, buried at San Fernando Mission Cemetery). He left Mexico in the 1950s, led Raul Garcia and the Imperials, and in the early 1970s recorded as Rulie Garcia - releasing "The Ballad Of Daniel Ellsberg" b/w "Moon Rover" (Dore Records 863, 1971), confirmed in his Discogs credits - and as "Rulie Garcia And The East L.A. Congregation". He later found fame as Johnny Chingas ("No Hablo Ingles", 1980; "Pachuco Volume 1", 1981).…

Themes

Anti-War · Daniel Ellsberg · Pentagon Papers

In collections

Ellsberg & Pentagon Papers Songs · Mexican-American / Hispanic Songs · Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs