Tag: music

Aretha Franklin (seated on the left) and Jerry Wexler (standing on the right, leaning over)

The Fairplay Committee

Mitch Mitchell recounts the legacy of the Fairplay Committee, a group aiming to improve the conditions of black workers in the music industry.

Alan Freed: Mr. Rock ‘n’ Roll

Alan Freed, one of the earliest promoters of rock ‘n’ roll, was hated by the US establishment for helping to break segregation in the music industry.

Our key workers keep us strong

A May Day tribute to the key workers who are keeping us going in the face of the coronavirus crisis, and to remember those who have died.
Vernon Dalhart

Music of the people: Country & Western

Mitch Mitchell (‘the Fenland Kid’) is back with another people’s music playlist. This time he’s here with a brief history of Country and Western.
Trixie Smith

Music of the people: The Blues

Mitch Mitchell is back with another people’s music playlist. This time he’s here with a brief history of The Blues

Music of the people: Skiffle

Mitch Mitchell is back with another people's music playlist. This time he's introducing Skiffle.

Music of the people: Doo Wop

Mitch Mitchell introduces a new series of playlists of 'music of the people'. He starts this week with Doo Wop.

Review: Stolen Moments

Mark Winter welcomes a new exhibition celebrating Namibia's unsung musical heroes, and remembers the time when the artist Jackson Kaujewa came to stay with his family.

Move On Up. Curtis Mayfield – Music and message

Emerging from the civil rights movement in the USA, Curtis Mayfield is one of the best exponents of radical soul music and his music lives on, as remembered by John Wheeler.

LGBT History in 21 pieces of music

For LGBT History Month, Colin Wilson presents a history of queer music in 21 tracks.

Latest articles

Police Trafalgar square

Resist the crackdown on demonstrations

The lockdown has ended but the crackdown on protests goes on and on. We need to share skills and solidarity to resist police repression.

‘The fight of our lives’ | Interview with Marian Mayer

Marian Mayer, candidate for Vice President of UCU, spoke to rs21 about the fightback in the higher and further education sectors

Review: The Covid-19 Catastrophe

Stacey Williams reviews The Covid-19 Catastrophe, by leading UK medical writer Richard Horton
Protests in Minsk

Interview: Organised and disorganised labour in the Belarus uprising

Siarhei Biareishyk speaks to rs21 about the uprising in Belarus following the falsified re-election of Aliaksandr Lukashenka on 9 August 2020.
Trump rally in 2016

Fascism beyond Trump

Historical comparisons can lead to unhelpful conclusions if not used carefully
Beirut port destroyed

Interview: Beirut blast exposed a global system

Rima Majed spoke to rs21 about the blast that devastated Beirut in the context of an existing political and economic crisis.

Reopening schools is bad science

Mike Downham explains the poor science behind the government plans for schools reopening. 

Interview: Neighbourhood organising in Edinburgh

Activists in Edinburgh share their experiences of fighting to save lives, save jobs, and save the planet within a local community hit by Covid-19.

Review: Radical Happiness

Lynne Segal’s most recent work, Radical Happiness, addresses the relationship between political action and personal fulfilment.

Tik Tok: is time running out for Tory style education?

Ava, a sixth form student, describes how she helped to instigate the protests last weekend which led to the government U-turn.  

Highlights

Protests in Minsk

Interview: Organised and disorganised labour in the Belarus uprising

Siarhei Biareishyk speaks to rs21 about the uprising in Belarus following the falsified re-election of Aliaksandr Lukashenka on 9 August 2020.
Beirut port destroyed

Interview: Beirut blast exposed a global system

Rima Majed spoke to rs21 about the blast that devastated Beirut in the context of an existing political and economic crisis.

Review: Fortunes of Feminism

Leslie Cunningham reviews Fortunes of Feminism by Nancy Fraser, a critical account of changes in feminist thought in the era of neo-liberalism.
Ravenscraig

Post-war to post-industrial Scotland

Successive British governments have restructured the Scottish economy in damaging ways. Now we need a radical plan for a de-carbonised and independent Scotland.
Westferry printworks

Johnson’s bonanza for private capital

The Tories are increasing spending, but the money is going to the rich. Adam Blanden argues that this represents the acceleration of Britain’s transformation into a ‘speculator state’.