Write the History of Kent State (The Shot Heard Around the World)

Annotation — Kent / Jackson State Songs

Dick Gregory - an American comedian and social activist, who in 1968 ran for president for the Freedom and Peace Party. He was born 12 October 1932 in St. Louis, Missouri, USA, and died 19 August 2017 in Washington, DC, USA.12 He released a bunch of political comedy and spoken-word records, many of which referred to the Vietnam War. A series of spoken word and comedy sketches about Kent State appeared on this record in 1971, such as the track "Write the History of Kent State (The Shot Heard Around the World)" (Poppy # PYS 5600). Gregory suggested throughout the record that the 'Establishment', which traditionally attacked the minorities, such as African-Americans, Native Americans, and people of Italian, Irish, Jewish descent, were starting to turn there attention to white Americans who challenged traditional values.3 Sources1dickgregory.com (archived copy)↩2Callus on My Soul: A Memoir (Dick Gregory, 2003)↩3The Complete History of the Vietnam Conflict (Le Comédie Vietnamien) (V. I. Brown, 2011)↩

Annotation by Justin A. Brummer

Notes

2LP recorded at Kent State University; distributed by United Artists; design Milton Glaser (Push Pin Studios); producers Dennis and Kevin Eggers; engineer John Sadler.

About the artist

Dick Gregory (born 12 October 1932, St. Louis, Missouri; died 19 August 2017, Washington, D.C.) was a comedian and civil rights activist who ran for president in 1968 for the Freedom and Peace Party. [Wikipedia]

Themes

Kent State · Civil Rights · Anti-Government · Demonstration

In collections

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