Following in Pete Seeger's Footsteps

Charlie King:
Following in Pete Seeger's Footsteps

http://www.annarbor.com/entertainment/charlie-king-following-in-pete-seegers-footsteps/

April 1, 2010
By Jeff Alson

One of the biggest thrills of my life was attending the 2009 Ann
Arbor Folk Festival and hearing my hero Pete Seeger. Pete had
recently performed at the huge Lincoln Memorial concert the weekend
before President Obama's inauguration, and was preparing to celebrate
his 90th birthday. In a mix of both joy that Pete had been able to
see "the arc of history" turn in a more positive direction and sorrow
that we might not ever see Pete perform again, thousands of us rose
to our feet helping Pete to sing an a capella version of Amazing
Grace. How sweet the sound, indeed.

Pete Seeger is a man of many legacies, ranging from teaching multiple
generations of kids to sing, to showing the courage to resist
intimidation during the McCarthy Era. Another Seeger legacy is
inspiring new generations of singer-songwriters to use their music to
support and sustain social justice movements.

On April 11, Ann Arbor has a chance to honor that legacy when Charlie
King returns to town to perform with Karen Brandow at a benefit
concert for the Interfaith Council for Peace and Justice (ICPJ). Now
in his 60s, Charlie is a generation younger than Pete, and he learned
from Pete that it was possible to make both a living and a difference
by using his musical talent. He learned not to chase "the chords of
fame," as Phil Ochs once put it, but rather to support progressive causes.

Though he lives on the East Coast, King has performed in Ann Arbor
almost every year since his first performance in 1979 at the "old,
old" Ark house on Hill Street before 35 people (I know, because I was there!).

Charlie has supported a wide range of local non-profits including the
late 1970s/early 1980s anti-nuke group Arbor Alliance, the Central
American solidarity group AMISTAD in the late 1980s, the Ecology
Center, and, for the last 15 years, the Interfaith Council for Peace
and Justice, a natural group for Charlie to support given the wide
breadth of issues that it addresses. Charlie and ICPJ members
rendezvous each year at the annual protests at the School of the
Americas (we prefer to call it the School of the Assassins), which
trained some of the leaders of the recent Honduran coup.

King has been at the heart of American folk music for over 40 years.
His songs have been recorded and sung by other performers such as
Holly Near, Ronnie Gilbert, John McCutcheon, Arlo Guthrie, and, not
surprisingly, Pete Seeger himself. Honors include an "Indie" award
for one of the top three American folk recordings of 1984. In May of
1998 the War Resisters League gave their Peacemaker Award to Charlie
and to Odetta.

But, King's biggest tributes have come from Pete Seeger himself. Pete
once called Charlie "one of the finest singers and songwriters of our
time." And Seeger personally nominated Charlie for the Sacco-Vanzetti
Social Justice Award, which he received in November 1999.

Charlie has been performing with Karen Brandow since 1998. While
doing human rights work in Guatemala from 1986-1994, Karen broadened
her musical repertoire to include Latin American music of the "Nueva
Canción" or New Song Movement. She performs songs in English and Spanish.

King and Brandow are musical storytellers and political satirists.
They sing and write passionately about the extraordinary lives of
ordinary people. Their concerts are a mix of Charlie's classic songs,
along with covers from some of the best songwriters around.

Their central vision as entertainers is to leave audiences with a
sense of optimism and possibility about the future. "We try to cover
a broad emotional landscape in our concerts. The stories we collect
and the songs we write take the listener on a journey of humor,
heartache and hope," says Brandow. King adds, "What we most value in
a song is the way it helps us see an old reality in a totally new
light." I think Pete would appreciate that.

The concert is on Sunday, April 11 at 7:00 pm at Temple Beth
Emeth/St. Clare of Assisi Episcopal Church at 2309 Packard Street in
Ann Arbor. Opening for Charlie and Karen is Joe Reilly, a local
singer, songwriter and guitarist, representing a younger generation
of talented, local singer-songwriters. Tickets are $15 and $50 for
concert benefactors--and if you purchase your ticket in advance you
also receive a $5 gift certificate to Ten Thousand Villages of Ann
Arbor. Call 734-663-1870 or go to www.icpj.net for advance tickets or
more information.

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