Dr. Martin Luther King

Annotation

Swan Mellarks, blues group based in Chicago, Illinois, released a tribute to Martin Luther King Jr., following the assassination - thus from 1968, but there is no date on the record. In the song "Dr. Martin Luther King" (Valberst Records # TM 4739) the narrator noted the "interest he had in mankind" and that he had a "great dream...for America". Of particular note is the reference to the Vietnam War, calling on people "to live together", because "in the war they died together... in Vietnam they were dying".Note: on 4 April 1967, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered one of his most controversial speeches, "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence" at Riverside Church in New York, in which he took a strong position against the war, opposing the policies of Lyndon B. Johnson. He shortly followed this up with the speech "Why I Oppose the War in Vietnam", delivered at Ebenezar Baptist Church Atlanta, Georgia, on 16 April 1967, featured on the 1970 record Why I Oppose the War in Vietnam. Released on Black Forum Records (# BF-451) - a spoken-word sub-label of Motown Records. In 1971 this posthumously won the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album. King's opposition to the Vietnam War can be traced back to 1965, although most of his public speeches on the issue took place in 1967 and 1968, when he took part in many anti-war demonstrations, which caused tension between King and President Johnson. He opposed the war on the grounds of Vietnamese freedom, looking at the history of occupation under the French and Japanese. He also focused on the destructiveness of war - both for the soldier and civilians.

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Annotation — Blues songs

Swan Mellarks, blues group based in Chicago, Illinois, released a tribute to Martin Luther King Jr., following the assassination - thus from 1968, but there is no date on the record. In the song "Dr. Martin Luther King" (Valberst Records # TM 4739) the narrator noted the "interest he had in mankind" and that he had a "great dream...for America". Of particular note is the reference to the Vietnam War, calling on people "to live together", because "in the war they died together... in Vietnam they were dying". Note: on 4 April 1967, Martin Luther King Jr. delivered one of his most controversial speeches, "Beyond Vietnam: A Time to Break Silence" at Riverside Church in New York, in which he took a strong position against the war, opposing the policies of Lyndon B. Johnson. He shortly followed this up with the speech "Why I Oppose the War in Vietnam", delivered at Ebenezar Baptist Church Atlanta, Georgia, on 16 April 1967, featured on the 1970 record Why I Oppose the War in Vietnam. Released on Black Forum Records (# BF-451) - a spoken-word sub-label of Motown Records. In 1971 this posthumously won the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album. King's opposition to the Vietnam War can be traced back to 1965, although most of his public speeches on the issue took place in 1967 and 1968, when he took part in many anti-war demonstrations, which caused tension between King and President Johnson. He opposed the war on the grounds of Vietnamese freedom, looking at the history of occupation under the French and Japanese. He also focused on the destructiveness of war - both for the soldier and civilians.

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

English: K for kindness, Dr. King has in his heart, for his fellow man, regardless of their colour / For King, oh King, oh Dr. Martin Luther King / I is for inspiration, and the interest he had in mankind / Out of all the good things he done, still they tried to push him from behind / Oh King, oh King, oh, Dr. Martin Luther King / This is what Dr. King want us to do / To live together / To have a job everyday / Go to church on Sunday hand in hand / Because in the war they died together / Oh King, oh King, oh Dr. Martin Luther King... / For which he stood, he lived, and I believe he died / G is for greatness, the great dream he had for America / He lived, the whole world know he died... / In Alabama / In Mississippi they were marching for peace.. / In Georgia... In Vietnam they were dying... / Sleep on Dr. Martin Luther King

Notes

Valberst Records, Chicago, Ill., TM-4739, green label; "Dr. Martin Luther King" (Thomas L.), 4:15, BMI; T. Little Prod.; arranged by T. Loveless and G. McCoy. [From the record sleeve and labels]

About the artist

blues group based in Chicago, Illinois

Themes

Anti-War · Civil Rights · MLK · Demonstration

In collections

Blues songs · Civil Rights Songs · Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs [War Years]