The Rodeway Nine

Annotation

The song "Bring Our Brothers Home", which pleaded with President Richard Nixon to end the conflict, and it criticised the government's claim that the war protected people's freedom. Words and music by George Herkert.

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Annotation — My Lai & Lt. William Calley Songs

A "GI movement" anti-war record (Paredon Records # P-1015), released on the label founded by Barbara Dane and Irwin Silber in 1969, whose objective was to "seek out the music and speech, documentary or dialogue, that spring from the conscious artist who relates to people's movements, and which pour from all people in struggle". All the songs on this album were written and sung by active-duty GIs at the Mountain Home Air Force Base, Idaho. The group, formed in the spring of 1971, started their own publication called "Helping Hand". (1) The song "The Rodeway Nine" referenced the My Lai Massacre, Lyndon B. Johnson (LBJ), and General Westmoreland. Composed by Mark Lane and Jim Shaffer, the record booklet said the following about this song: "outside the Rodeway Inn where the Boise Chamber of Commerce were honoring General Westmoreland in August in 1971. Nine Covered Wagon members were arrested for 'disturbing the peace' and three others with 'interfering with the police'. This song played an important part in the state-wide campaign to win an acquittal for them. After the charges were finally dropped, some of the defendants filed charges against the policy on behalf of the Covered…

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

About the artist

Group of active-duty US Air Force GIs based at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho (1971-72); recorded the antiwar album We Say No to Your War! (Paredon Records, 1972). [Source: Wikipedia / Discogs]

Themes

Anti-War · My Lai · LBJ · Westmoreland · Anti-Calley

In collections

My Lai & Lt. William Calley Songs · Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs · US Military & Veteran Songs