I'm a Demonstratin' G.I. From Fort Bragg

Annotation

Also known as The SNCC Freedom Singers, formed December 1962 in Albany, Georgia, USA, they performed Civil Rights and protest gospel and spiritual songs. Its members included Cordell Reagon (tenor), Rutha Mae Harris (soprano), Charles Neblett (bass vocals), Bernice Johnson Reagon (alto), Matt Jones, and Bertha Gober. They were active in the Civil Rights protest movements, taking part in famous demonstrations, from the March on Washington to the Selma to Montgomery marches - documented on several records, such as "WNEW's Story of Selma". Also of note is that Bernice Johnson Reagon released the album Give Your Hands to Struggle: The Evolution of a Freedom Fighter (1975), which contained two songs referencing the Vietnam War: "Room in the Circle" and "There's a New World Coming". Also of note, Matt Jones, released the song "Hell No! I Ain't Gonna Go" (1970), which also dealt with the Vietnam War and Civil Rights. This featured on the album "Broadside Ballads Vol. 5: Time Is Running Out". The LP front cover featured images of the KKK and a burned-out school bus, and other symbolic pictures of the Civil Rights-era. The song "I'm a Demonstratin' G.I. From Fort Bragg" directly dealt with the issue of the Vietnam War and Civil Rights - composed by Matt Jones (born 17 September 1936 in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA, died 30 March 2011 in New York, NY, USA), after hearing about an African-American soldier who had participated in an anti-war demonstration in uniform: "if I can defend it overseas, why don’t you set my people free".1 Note that this was a similar theme to Jones' 1970 songs "Hell No! I Ain't Gonna Go" - about the mistreatment of Black Americans at home, and thus questioning why they should fight in the war to kill Vietnamese people.Sources1sncclegacyproject.org: In memoriam matthew jones↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Annotation — Civil Rights Songs

Also known as The SNCC Freedom Singers, formed December 1962 in Albany, Georgia, USA, they performed Civil Rights and protest gospel and spiritual songs. Its members included Cordell Reagon (tenor), Rutha Mae Harris (soprano), Charles Neblett (bass vocals), Bernice Johnson Reagon (alto), Matt Jones, and Bertha Gober. They were active in the Civil Rights protest movements, taking part in famous demonstrations, from the March on Washington to the Selma to Montgomery marches - documented on several records, such as "WNEW's Story of Selma". The LP front cover featured images of the KKK and a burned-out school bus, and other symbolic pictures of the Civil Rights-era. The song "I'm a Demonstratin' G.I. From Fort Bragg" directly dealt with the issue of the Vietnam War and Civil Rights - composed by Matt Jones (born 17 September 1936 in Raleigh, North Carolina, USA, died 30 March 2011 in New York, NY, USA), after hearing about an African-American soldier who had participated in an anti-war demonstration in uniform: "if I can defend it overseas, why don’t you set my people free".1 Note that Jones had released several songs about the mistreatment of Black Americans at home, and thus questioning why they should fight in the war to kill Vietnamese people. This included the 1970 song "Hell No! I Ain't Gonna Go". This also featured on the album "Broadside Ballads Vol. 5: Time Is Running Out".Sources1sncclegacyproject.org: In memoriam matthew jones↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

English: I’m an American fighting man / I’ll defend this country as long as I can / And if I can defend it overseas / Why don’t you set my people free / I’m a demonstratin’ GI from Fort Bragg / And the way you treat my people, it makes me mad / You know that I couldn’t stand still / Because my home is in Danville

Notes

Mercury MG-20924, Monaural (back cover "SR 60924/MG 20924", front "Hi-Fidelity MG 20924"), red label, "Vendor: Mercury Record Corporation"; "I'm a Demonstratin' G.I. From Fort Bragg" is side 2, track 1, 5:15. The back cover states "All Selections written or adapted by The Freedom Singers", publisher for all selections MRC Music, Inc., produced by Franklin Fried and Chad Mitchell, A. & R. Chad Mitchell, edited by Milt Okun. Sleeve notes by Studs Terkel describe the recording made at the 4th Annual Conference of SNICK (the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee), Atlanta, spring 1964, with John Lewis addressing the gathering, and introduce this song as the young MC's story of "the Negro soldier from Danville, Virginia" who "could not help demonstrating, in uniform or out". The front cover is a torn-paper montage of civil-rights photographs in red: a closed lunch counter, a child…

About the artist

The SNCC Freedom Singers, formed December 1962 in Albany, Georgia, USA

Themes

Anti-War · Civil Rights

In collections

Civil Rights Songs · Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs [War Years] · Soul, Gospel, & Funk Songs