This notice appeared in the Mt. Vernon Register-News on October, 25, 2016. You may access the original notice here.

MT. VERNON — The Jefferson County Historical Society will host a special program on protest music at 2 p.m. Saturday at the Historical Village.

Musician and labor historian Bucky Halker will perform and give commentary on a sampling of songs by Joe Hill, Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen. The presentation, entitled “Rebel Voices,” is presented by the Historical Society along with the Illinois Humanities Council.
“Many Americans count music as the key factor in inspiring and motivating them to become social activists, to take action to improve the world,” states an Illinois Humanities Council news release. “The family tree of songwriters in the protest camp since 1776 encompasses legions of known and unknown artists.”

According to the release, the compositions of 20th Century protest songwriters Hill, Guthrie, Dylan and Springsteen “stand out and command our attention.”
“These four writers arguably defined the modern protest song, and their combined impact continues to be heard in music around the world,” the release states.

Saturday’s program is free and open to the public but donations to the Historical Society are appreciated.

For more information, contact the Society at 246-0033.