Jackson-Kent Blues

Annotation

The psychedelic rock track "Jackson-Kent Blues" (Capitol Records # SKAO-436) by the American group Steve Miller Band is one of the few songs to actually mention the killings of two African-American students at Jackson State College on 15 May 1970. Released on this album only, in July 1970, it reached # 23 in the Billboard chart.1 Most other songs on this list focused on Kent State - probably an accurate reflection of the media, political, and public attention received at the time, in which greater concern was shown for the white middle-class college students than for the African-Americans attending a community state college. Three African-American students killed earlier in 1968 at South Carolina State College (the "Orangeburg massacre"), during a demonstration against segregation, also received little attention.234 This song started with the narrator heading to Ohio for a demonstration "against the president's views" - that being a reference to President Nixon. So he tried to complain to his Congressman, who would not answer the phone because he / she was "worried about voters". Then the narrator attacked Nixon's "silent majority", referenced the students killed in Jackson State, and decided to march to Washington D.C. At the end of the track he declared his anti-war stance, saying that "nothing any good has ever come of a war" and that the country needed to "give peace a chance".Sources1stevemillerband.com (archived copy)↩2Billboard, July 1970↩3Billboard, July 1970↩4Billboard, July 1970↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Annotation — Kent / Jackson State Songs

The psychedelic rock track "Jackson-Kent Blues" (Capitol Records # SKAO-436) by the American group Steve Miller Band is one of the few songs to actually mention the killings of two African-American students at Jackson State College on 15 May 1970. Released on this album only, in July 1970, it reached # 23 in the Billboard chart.1 Most other songs on this list focused on Kent State - probably an accurate reflection of the media, political, and public attention received at the time, in which greater concern was shown for the white middle-class college students than for the African-Americans attending a community state college. Three African-American students killed earlier in 1968 at South Carolina State College (the "Orangeburg massacre"), during a demonstration against segregation, also received little attention.234 This song started with the narrator heading to Ohio for a demonstration "against the president's views" - that being a reference to President Nixon. So he tried to complain to his Congressman, who would not answer the phone because he / she was "worried about voters". Then the narrator attacked Nixon's "silent majority", referenced the students killed in Jackson State, and decided to march to Washington D.C. At the end of the track he declared his anti-war stance, saying that "nothing any good has ever come of a war" and that the country needed to "give peace a chance". Sources1stevemillerband.com (archived copy)↩2Billboard, July 1970↩3Billboard, July 1970↩4Billboard, July 1970↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Annotation — Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs

The psychedelic rock track "Jackson-Kent Blues" (Capitol Records # SKAO-436) by the American group Steve Miller Band is one of the few songs to actually mention the killings of two African-American students at Jackson State College on 15 May 1970. Released on this album only, in July 1970, it reached # 23 in the Billboard chart.1 Most other songs on this list focused on Kent State - probably an accurate reflection of the media, political, and public attention received at the time, in which greater concern was shown for the white middle-class college students than for the African-Americans attending a community state college. Three African-American students killed earlier in 1968 at South Carolina State College (the "Orangeburg massacre"), during a demonstration against segregation, also received little attention.234 This song started with the narrator heading to Ohio for a demonstration "against the president's views" - that being a reference to President Nixon. So he tried to complain to his Congressman, who would not answer the phone because he / she was "worried about voters". Then the narrator attacked Nixon's "silent majority", referenced the students killed in Jackson State, and decided to march to Washington D.C. At the end of the track he declared his anti-war stance, saying that "nothing any good has ever come of a war" and that the country needed to "give peace a chance".Songs referencing Jackson State shootings: "Jackson-Kent Blues" (Steve Miller Band) "Student Demonstration Time" (The Beach Boys) "H20 Gate Blues" (Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson) "41,000 Plus 4" (Ruth Warrick) "Kent" (Magpie) "What I Know" (KRS-One) (Unreleased)Other Vietnam War references to police violence against African-Americans: "Chicago Seven" (Memphis Slim) "Black Soldier" (The Last Poets) Sources1stevemillerband.com (archived copy)↩2Billboard, July 1970↩3Billboard, July 1970↩4Billboard, July 1970↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Lyrics

English: Headed for Ohio when I read the news about the people demonstrating against the president’s views / Four were shot down by the national guard troops / Just like Uncle Sam I put on my fighting shoes / With those low down, profound killin' four blues / Lookin' for my Congressman to make it all well known / But the politicians not in, won't answer his telephone / Making in his office while they're shooting kids down at home / Worried about the voters but he won't be there long / Silent majority still glued to the tube / Say CIA ain't lookin', FBI come unglued / Shot some more in Jackson / Just to show the world what they can do / While we're marching to D.C. cause there's too much to do / Nothing any good has ever come of a war / Got those low down,p rofound, killin' four blues / Give peace a chance, give peace a chance Headed for Ohio when I read the news about the people demonstrating against the president’s views / Four were shot down by the national guard troops / Just like Uncle Sam I put on my fighting shoes / With those low down, profound killin' four blues / Lookin' for my Congressman to make it all well known / But the politicians not in, won't answer his telephone / Making in his office while they're shooting kids down at home / Worried about the voters but he won't be there long / Silent majority still glued to the tube / Say CIA ain't lookin', FBI come unglued / Shot some more in Jackson / Just to show the world what they can do / While we're marching to…

About the artist

American rock band formed 1966 in San Francisco, California. [Source: Wikipedia]

Themes

Anti-War · Kent State · Silent Majority

In collections

Kent / Jackson State Songs · Peace, Protest, & Anti-War Songs [War Years]