A Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement

SHOWTIME! We continue our series of ‘In Performance at the White House’ – a series of concerts created to showcase the rich fabric of American culture in the exclusive setting of the nation’s most famous home. To see last weeks post, Paul McCartney (Gerswhin Prize for Popular Song), click here.

A Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement

“In Performance at the White House: A Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement” is a PBS music special taped in the East Room of the White House. President and Mrs. Obama hosted the concert in honor of Black History Month. Artists include Natalie Cole, Bob Dylan, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, John Mellencamp, Smokey Robinson, Seal, the Blind Boys of Alabama and the Howard University Choir. Morgan Freeman and Queen Latifah were the emcees.

The evening featured songs from the Civil Rights Movement as well as readings from famous Civil Rights speeches and writings. “The songs of the Civil Rights Movement capture the spirit of that critical period so memorably. To honor these songs at the White House and in a broadcast during Black History Month is a testament to that historic period in the American story, one that continues to change our lives,” commented Jacquie Jones, executive director of the National Black Programming Consortium.

Download these shows and add them to your music library

This is part of a 10-week series that we are running on our blog, with the music videos conveniently separated into individual performances so that you can save and download your favourite artists, or the whole show if you prefer. Creation 5’s YouTube feature lets you download videos so you can watch offline when you’re travelling and enjoy great music on-the-go. Don’t forget that you can download Creation 5’s YouTube In-app purchase absolutely FREE, which normally costs €4.49 ($4.99), as we currently have a promotion running in celebration of hitting 500,000 downloads on the App Store!

01 President Obama Introductory Speech
02 Yolanda Adams – Change is Going to Come
03 Yolanda Adams – How Great Thou Art
04 John Mellencamp – Keep Your Eyes on The Prize
05 Joan Baez – We Shall Overcome
06 Natalie Cole – What’s Going On
07 Smokey Robinson & Jennifer Hudson – People Get Ready
08 Jennifer Hudson – Someday We’ll All Be Free
09 The Freedom Singers – Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me ‘Round
10 Bob Dylan – The Times They Are A-Changin’
11 Smokey Robinson – Abraham, Martin and John
12 The Blind Boys of Alabama – I’m Free at Last