Bernie Sanders - We Shall Overcome (1987)

Bernie Sanders - We Shall Overcome (1987) 01 Oh Freedom (Traditional) 02 The Banks are Made of Marble (Les Rice) 03 Where Have All the Flowers Gone? (Pete Seeger) 04 This Land Is Your Land (Woody Guthrie) 05 We Shall Overcome (Traditional, new words and music adaptation by Zilphia Horton, Frank Hamilton, Guy Carawan, and Pete Seeger) The Band Piano: Andy Shapiro Organ: Tom Berd Electric Guitar: Don Sidney Electric Bass: Mark Ransom Drums: Jeff Salisbury Guest musicians Howard Mitchell background vocals, chorus Ginny Peck background vocals, chorus Emily Wadhams background vocals, chorus David Weaver background vocals, chorus Steve Rainville background vocals Chris Bailey chorus Nancy Beaven chorus Marcia Brewster chorus Dexter Brown chorus Kathy Carbone chorus Danny Coane chorus Joanne "Little Joyce" Cooper chorus David Daignault chorus Frank Egan chorus Dana Lavigne chorus Tom Lyon chorus Joe Moore chorus Rick Norcross chorus Michael Oakland chorus Debbie Patton chorus Pamela Polston chorus KK Wilder chorus Narrative Bernie Sanders Arrangements Don Sidney musical Douglas Jaffe harmony vocals The idea for this album came to me over a cup of coffee at a Burlington café. The morning regulars thought I was out of my mind, but the more I thought about it, the more intriguing the idea seemed. Our mayor, Bernie Sanders, had established himself as a no-nonsense problem solver and someone who didn’t mince words -- but not the sort of person you would imagine making a record. This paradox appealed to me. When I approached Bernie with the idea, he saw it as an opportunity to tell a larger story, a story about the inequities of life in America. Suddenly, the project was more than a novelty. It had purpose. Bernie chose the music: five protest songs from the fifties and early sixties. I hired arranger Don Sidney to update the songs with contemporary rhythms. As word of the project spread among Vermont’s music community, artists lined up to volunteer their talents. By the time we began recording in November 1987, I had assembled a who’s who of the Vermont music scene: Nancy Beaven, Jon Gailmor, Dick McCormack, and Joanne “Little Joyce” Cooper, just to name a few. Thirty artists in all. When we recorded the title song, We Shall Overcome, the scene was reminiscent of the Michael Jackson "We Are The World" session. A 21-voice chorus stood on risers in the studio. A five-piece rhythm section included some of the finest players in the area. And Bernie stood at the ready in the vocal booth with his text in hand. Bernie is not a particularly musical person, but he more than made up for it with his delivery and sense of purpose. His presence in the studio electrified everyone, making this into a landmark Vermont recording