Original subtitles

The following programme contains disturbing scenes

Downloaded from YTS.MX

and explores the theme of racism.

Official YIFY movies site: YTS.MX

# Well there's two trains runnin' #

# Well there's two trains runnin' #

# Well they ain't never... #

# Going my way #

# Well, now, one runs at midnight, # and the other one... #

# Well, now, one runs at midnight, # and the other one... #

# Runs just 'fore day #

# Oh, well, there's two... #

# Oh, well, there's two... #

# Trains runnin' #

# And they're running this way #

# And they're running this way #

# Oh there's one # leaves at midnight #

# The other at the break of day #

# The other at the break of day #

# Yes, at the break of day #

# Yes at the break... #

The blues earliest days are lost to time,

The blues earliest days are lost to time,

and many of those who made the first blues recordings

disappeared soon after,

leaving only their names to future generations.

leaving only their names to future generations.

Until, improbably,

a few young men decided to go off in search of these legends.

Their quest brought them to Mississippi in the summer of 1964,

Their quest brought them to Mississippi in the summer of 1964,

just as another group, drawn by the civil rights movement

was also venturing south.

was also venturing south.

Both would awaken America to the value of Black life,

but at a cost.

There were two trains running that summer,

There were two trains running that summer,

and they would meet one fateful Sunday, in June.

February 1st, 1960,

Negro students launched a movement that electrified the nation:

the sit-in.

It's not jazz around here anymore, it's folk music.

Welcome to Hootenanny's!

Welcome to Hootenanny's!

The National Guard troops were moved into Oxford, Mississippi

The National Guard troops were moved into Oxford, Mississippi

to enforce the Supreme Court edict that a negro must be registered

at the University of Mississippi.

And I say, segregation now,

And I say, segregation now,

segregation tomorrow,

and segregation forever.

By 1963,

Negro groups decided to make voting a major goal.

When you come down into the flat-top country of the South,

you hear a different kind of music.

A great change is at hand.

Those who do nothing are inviting shame as well as violence.

June 12th, 1963,

a sniper's bullet killed Medgar Evers.

August 28th, more than 200 thousand people

August 28th, more than 200 thousand people

marched on Washington for jobs and freedom for Negros.

The filibuster on Civil Rights is now in its ninth day.

Debate on the motion to take up the Civil Rights Bill

is continuing as we talk here.

is continuing as we talk here.

This is, surprisingly enough, Phil Spiro here at last.

This is Folkside, and we're on WTBS in Cambridge.

You have some unbridgeable gaps in the world.

Race, I think, is certainly one of them, for some people.

Race, I think, is certainly one of them, for some people.

The US, as a whole, was a segregated society at that time.

But, I was a prototypical white college kid at MIT.

It didn't really seem to impact me very much.

The Civil Rights Movement was very much in the air.

Well, I was conscious of it.

My background was northern kind of Yankee.

My background was northern kind of Yankee.

The African American way of life was very far removed from my world,

The African American way of life was very far removed from my world,

the world, I think, pretty much, over the folk revival.

The blues really was not a part of Cambridge.

The blues really was not a part of Cambridge.

It was mostly that Irish/English folk song tradition.

Very little Black music.

Very little Black music.

I was interested in the old-timey stuff,

white and Black.

It moved me in ways that I still can't really explain.

It moved me in ways that I still can't really explain.

Before, I knew it, my grades were going downhill.

Phil Spiro had won a scholarship to MIT,

Phil Spiro had won a scholarship to MIT,

and planned a career in Aeronautical Engineering.

But with his grades suffering, he dropped out

and took an entry level job

and took an entry level job

programming the world's earliest computers,

leaving his nights free

to concentrate on what mattered most to him.

And he found a roommate who had also chosen music over college.

I knew Al Wilson through the Club 47.

I knew Al Wilson through the Club 47.

He had dropped out of the Music Programme at Boston University.

The things they offered weren't the things that Al wanted to learn.

The things they offered weren't the things that Al wanted to learn.

# Frankie was a good girl #

# Everybody knows #

# She paid 100 dollars # for Albert's suit of clothes... #

# She paid 100 dollars # for Albert's suit of clothes... #

We couldn't afford a telephone between us.

But, we had a lot of music there. We had records.

Al had all sorts of music that I knew nothing about.

# Got a brand new Shetland #

# Man, already trained #

# Man, already trained #

# Brand new Shetland, baby, # already trained... #

People like Charley Patton,

People like Charley Patton,

Blind Willie Johnson, Robert Johnson,

Son House, Skip James,

they were recorded in the '20s and '30s,

they were recorded in the '20s and '30s,

but these were electrifying cuts. Alvin Y Hart

# I got something to # tell you baby #

# When I get the chance #

# When I get the chance #

# I got something to tell #

# Baby when I get a chance #

# Baby when I get a chance #

# Well, I don't wanna marry #

# Well, I don't wanna marry #

# Baby won't... #

This is music that we call Delta blues or Country blues.

To the extent that any record existed of that in the '60s,

To the extent that any record existed of that in the '60s,

it was in old 78s, you know, from the '30s.

Library of Congress anthologies and so forth,

you know, kind of frozen in amber.

you know, kind of frozen in amber.

They were these very scratchy dubs that you could barely hear,

but they were so profound and so unearthly.

but they were so profound and so unearthly.

And you thought, "Man...

"..that's just back in the day when giants walked the Earth."

NARRATOR: Country blues was so obscure,

NARRATOR: Country blues was so obscure,

you might say it had disappeared from America.

It had long since fallen out of favour with African Americans.

In the 1960s,

In the 1960s,

Black audiences were even turning away from electric blues

as soul became more popular.

But, as the folk revival gained momentum,

But, as the folk revival gained momentum,

a handful of small labels began reissuing

the records made during the Depression.

And in college towns like Cambridge,

a renewed interest in the Country blues sprang up.

a renewed interest in the Country blues sprang up.

It was like being in a secret society.

You know, now Robert Johnson has been put on a postage stamp.

You know, now Robert Johnson has been put on a postage stamp.

But, at that time, it was just, "Who?!"

These guys were obsessed with this sound.

It's not easy music to master.

It also spoke to them of another way of life

outside of the deadening post-war suburban life

outside of the deadening post-war suburban life

they were born into.

# I'm a motherless child, # I'm a long way from my home #

# I'm a motherless child, # I'm a long way from my home #

There was another life that was more expressive,

that was more erotic,

that was more dangerous.

And that was it, I mean, oh God.

And that was it, I mean, oh God.

I didn't listen to Rock and Roll for years.

Anywhere this led me, anywhere the blues led me,

Anywhere this led me, anywhere the blues led me,

I was ready to go. And at the start,

who could ever imagine that we'd ever see any of these people.

I think they really loved that music,

wanted to get closer to it.

But the story of the blues is riddled with inaccuracies

But the story of the blues is riddled with inaccuracies

and you know, all this kind of mythology.

It was all a mystery.

If there was any chance of these people

If there was any chance of these people

still being alive,

it was worth whatever effort we had to put in

to get them in front of a microphone again.

They had the records, they had the recordings,

but there was still so much we didn't know.

If you were going on the information that was available to you

on 78 rpm records. You know, it's not a lot.

on 78 rpm records. You know, it's not a lot.

And then, amazingly,

And then, amazingly,

Mississippi John Hurt was found by Tom Hoskins.

Because, John Hurt recorded a song in the '20s

Because, John Hurt recorded a song in the '20s

called "Avalon Blues".

# Avalon my hometown, # always on my mind... #

Now you're living here in Avalon, Mississippi.

Now you're living here in Avalon, Mississippi.

Yes, Avalon, Mississippi.

Carroll county? Carroll county.

You're living with your wife Jessie. That's right.

And, are those two children yours? Grandchildren.

And, are those two children yours? Grandchildren.

Grandchildren. Grandchildren.Yes sir.

# Pretty Mama's in Avalon, # Want me there all the time... #

This was the first time a major performer

from the '20s or the '30s had been found,

from the '20s or the '30s had been found,

and we were thrilled.

The re-emergence of Mississippi John Hurt

was a defining moment in the folk revival.

was a defining moment in the folk revival.

And as improbable as it was to find a lost bluesman through song lyrics,

the idea stuck with a brilliant young guitarist in California,

the idea stuck with a brilliant young guitarist in California,

John Fahey.

This was a man who knew more about the blues

This was a man who knew more about the blues

than I ever learned.

And no one could even play that stuff on the guitar.

Fahey spent years trying to learn how to play

the way that people played on the records.

the way that people played on the records.

In 1963, after John Hurt was located,

Fahey used a line in a song about Aberdeen, Mississippi

Fahey used a line in a song about Aberdeen, Mississippi

to track down another Depression-era legend,

Bukka White.

# I was sittin' down in Aberdeen #

# I was sittin' down in Aberdeen #

# With New Orleans on my mind #

By April, '64,

Bukka was playing the folk music circuit.

Bukka was playing the folk music circuit.

Bukka White had some concerts in Cambridge,

and was staying with my friends Alan Wilson and Phil Spiro.

and was staying with my friends Alan Wilson and Phil Spiro.

Al and I were interviewing Booker.

We more or less had a list of blues artists

We more or less had a list of blues artists

that we had heard all the records of.

We posed the name Son House,

and he knew who Son House was.

and he knew who Son House was.

He said, you know a friend of mine

saw him coming out of a movie theatre,

saw him coming out of a movie theatre,

or told me that she saw him, uh, in Memphis.

This was a remarkable thing to hear.

Among adherents of the Country blues,

Among adherents of the Country blues,

Son House was most of the most celebrated figures.

Rumoured to have been a Preacher, he sang with uncommon intensity,

as if the blues was both the source and cure of some unholy cosmic ill.

as if the blues was both the source and cure of some unholy cosmic ill.

But his last recordings dated to the years of World War 2,

and it was unknown what became of him since.

and it was unknown what became of him since.

I got home and Al said,

"The most amazing thing has happened.

"Booker says that a friend of his in Memphis

"Booker says that a friend of his in Memphis

"saw Son House coming out of a theatre last year."

We didn't even know he was still alive.

We didn't even know he was still alive.

He was last "spotted", so to speak, in 1942,

in Robinsonville, Mississippi.

in Robinsonville, Mississippi.

And no one, in the folk circles anyway,

had any knowledge of whether he was still alive,

whether he was in Robinsonville, or had moved,

whether he was in Robinsonville, or had moved,

or what had happened to him in those 22 years.

But, on the basis of that,

a second-hand report of a sighting of Son House

a second-hand report of a sighting of Son House

coming out of a movie theatre,

they wanted to organize an expedition.

I decided that we had to go look for him.

"We" being Evans, and Al, and myself.

I was a student, so I couldn't go.

I was a student, so I couldn't go.

Al had a gig coming up, and couldn't do it.

Phil, I think, needed somebody with a tape recorder and some money.

Phil, I think, needed somebody with a tape recorder and some money.

I call Tom Hoskins, the guy who had found John Hurt.

He was not interested. He wouldn't say why,

He was not interested. He wouldn't say why,

but he probably had better sense than I did.

I asked him if he knew anybody who might be interested.

And yes, he knew Nick Perls, who was a record collector.

And yes, he knew Nick Perls, who was a record collector.

And Perls had a tape recorder,

and Perls had a car.

and Perls had a car.

I called him, and yes he was interested.

We needed a second driver, since I never have driven.

And that somebody was Dick Waterman.

And that somebody was Dick Waterman.

I was 29.

I was a sports writer at the time.

I was a sports writer at the time.

I was writing also on the folk music business of Cambridge.

They had a publication called "Broadside".

Dick was a photographer to boot,

Dick was a photographer to boot,

and a journalist, he could write it up.

So, I told him that I had a hot lead on Son House.

"Son who?" he said.

I knew Louie Armstrong and Kid Ory,

and Johnny Dodds, and New Orleans Swing.

and Johnny Dodds, and New Orleans Swing.

I knew all of that. But Country blues? Uh-uh.

He hadn't heard of House, but that didn't surprise me,

He hadn't heard of House, but that didn't surprise me,

because very few people had.

# I wanna be a Baptist preacher #

# Just so I won't have to work #

# Just so I won't have to work #

This is the man who recorded for Paramount in 1930,

recorded a few songs for Alan Lomax in Mississippi, '41, '42,

recorded a few songs for Alan Lomax in Mississippi, '41, '42,

and vanished.

Now here we are in '64,

and Bukka White said, "I just went to the movies with him."

Well, I think there's a story there.

Well, I think there's a story there.

So, I contacted the "National Observer".

They said, "If you find him, we buy the story.

They said, "If you find him, we buy the story.

"If you don't find him, no interest."

Well, that's all it took.

# If you haven't any hay, # Get on down the road #

While Spiro and Waterman prepared to leave Boston,

While Spiro and Waterman prepared to leave Boston,

John Fahey was also planning a trip to Mississippi.

Word had come to him of something that might lead to

Word had come to him of something that might lead to

the most mysterious and elusive bluesman of all.

# If I go to Louisiana, Mama, # Lord, Lord they'll hang me sure #

Skip James had recorded in Grafton, Wisconsin

Skip James had recorded in Grafton, Wisconsin

for Paramount records in the early 1930s.

Among bluesmen of that era, James was special.

Among bluesmen of that era, James was special.

He played guitar and piano with equal command.

His songs drifted between extreme states of feeling,

from jaunty celebrations of life,

from jaunty celebrations of life,

to the most haunting tales of bitterness and desperation.

A lot of Skip songs have to do with money problems

A lot of Skip songs have to do with money problems

and the darkness of life.

Universal themes that have never changed,

and probably never will.

and probably never will.

# You know, people are drifting #

# But you can't find no heaven, # I don't care where they go #

# But you can't find no heaven, # I don't care where they go #

# Ah-ha, uh-huh... #

# Ah-ha, uh-huh... #

# When you hear me singing # this old lonesome song #

# You know these hard times # can last us so very long #

# You know these hard times # can last us so very long #

# Ah-ha, uh-huh... #

# Ah-ha, uh-huh... #

# Ah-ha, uh-huh... #

Like Son House, Skip James was a phantom.

His birthplace was a subject of debate,

no photographs of him were known to exist.

no photographs of him were known to exist.

And no one, not even John Fahey,

could decipher the tuning in which he composed his songs.

Fahey had searched for James before, with no luck.

Fahey had searched for James before, with no luck.

Yet he had reason to believe

the summer of 1964 would be different.

Finally springtime comes

Finally springtime comes

and it's time for me to make my annual journey

through the South land, looking for Skip James.

On all these trips,

I asked everyone I met about blues singers,

I asked everyone I met about blues singers,

nobody I talked to had ever heard of Skip James.

But the blues grapevine informed me that

Ishman Bracey had turned up in Jackson, Mississippi.

Ishman Bracey had turned up in Jackson, Mississippi.

Bracey had recorded for the same company as James

at about the same time.

I set about organizing one more trip.

I asked two friends, Henry Vestine and Bill Barth

to go collecting with me.

As Fahey and his friends started for Mississippi,

Phil Spiro and Dick Waterman arrived in New York.

Phil Spiro and Dick Waterman arrived in New York.

They were about to meet the third member of their team.

The situation with Nick Perls was really quite unexpected.

The situation with Nick Perls was really quite unexpected.

His family was extremely rich,

the bottom floor was a gallery, an art gallery,

the bottom floor was a gallery, an art gallery,

the Perls Gallery.

And the residence were the four floors over the gallery.

Literally, five stories of fine art.

Literally, five stories of fine art.

My parents were not impressed by the blues.

My parents were not impressed by the blues.

They didn't think that Black or African American culture

was very interesting or, um, something that

was very interesting or, um, something that

their family should be involved in.

But my brother was not too interested in

But my brother was not too interested in

doing what other people wanted him to do.

What he wanted was blues.

He loved to listen to the bluesmen from the '20s and '30s.

He loved to listen to the bluesmen from the '20s and '30s.

Put on his headphones, smoke a little grass,

get a little high. And then just drift away.

get a little high. And then just drift away.

United by the dream of making contact

with the blues mythical origins,

with the blues mythical origins,

both groups of searchers were now on their way.

# Going down south, # I'm going down south #

# Going down south, # I'm going down south #

# Going down south, # I'm going down south #

# Chilly wind don't blow #

# Chilly wind don't blow #

We left in the second week of June,

three dudes in a Volkswagen bug with New York plates.

three dudes in a Volkswagen bug with New York plates.

# I'm going with you babe, # I'm going with you babe #

# I'm going with you babe, # I'm going with you babe #

# I'm going with you babe, # I'm going with you babe #

# I don't care where you go #

The thought of getting in a car and kind of pointing it south,

and thinking that it would be easy enough to find

and thinking that it would be easy enough to find

a performer like Sun House? I mean, it's like Bigfoot hunting.

There was so little information for them to go on.

There was so little information for them to go on.

You look back on it and you say,

"I must have been batshit to do things like that!"

They may have been aware of what was happening in Mississippi,

They may have been aware of what was happening in Mississippi,

but the absolute danger in violence

that was a reality for local Black Americans,

was an abstract notion for the average white college student.

was an abstract notion for the average white college student.

To go into Mississippi in the summer of 1964,

To go into Mississippi in the summer of 1964,

you had to be either very brave,

very stupid, or very uninformed.

very stupid, or very uninformed.

If I had known what was going on, I sure as hell

would not have wanted to go to Mississippi at that point.

would not have wanted to go to Mississippi at that point.

We can see what's happening in this country

wherever segregation breaks down,

the social structure breaks down at the same time.

the social structure breaks down at the same time.

In 1964, several things were happening.

In 1964, several things were happening.

One was that Blacks were of course being denied the right to vote,

and their basic rights as citizens in the country.

And there was very little attention being given to that.

And there was very little attention being given to that.

Segregation was blatant.

I mean, you had no question about the roles people had to play.

I mean, you had no question about the roles people had to play.

And those Blacks who were making a stand,

or trying to make a stand, were dying. They were being killed.

For 250 years,

For 250 years,

the white man acted, and the negro reacted.

And now the roles are being reversed.

And now the roles are being reversed.

But, as we are acting,

the white man's reaction becomes a lynch mob, the rope,

the gun, the bomb,

the gun, the bomb,

the threatening telephone call, the cross.

There was just a terror

associated with the word "Mississippi"

in Black America.

in Black America.

I mean, the policemen were members of the clan,

daily violence was committed with impunity,

and if you spoke out against the system

it was 10 times worse.

it was 10 times worse.

To us it was war, we were in a war.

The country couldn't see itself

in all those murders that were happening.

in all those murders that were happening.

That's basically what the issue was.

How do we get the country to actually take a good look at itself.

Freedom Summer was this idea that we need to gain citizenship,

and one avenue and expression of that is going to be voting rights.

But, there was never going to be

But, there was never going to be

mass voting for Black people in the South,

unless there was federal help.

We were getting shot, we were getting beat,

We were getting shot, we were getting beat,

we were getting killed. But it wasn't making no difference.

So, the idea came up,

that we got to bring white folks to Mississippi.

We knew that was the only way we were going to get attention.

We knew that was the only way we were going to get attention.

And it's not just any white people, right?

It needed the sons and daughters

of the people who were actually running the country.

of the people who were actually running the country.

The country could take a look at itself through their eyes.

NARRATOR: Almost 1,000 college students

volunteered to spend the summer of 1964 in Mississippi.

volunteered to spend the summer of 1964 in Mississippi.

One was Andrew Goodman, a sophomore at Queens College.

He had participated in a few civil rights demonstrations

He had participated in a few civil rights demonstrations

in New York, and wanted to do more.

Even, if it meant entering the most dangerous part of the South.

Even, if it meant entering the most dangerous part of the South.

When your child says, "I want to go, I want to do it.

"I want to register voters. I want to buck the clan."

You know, your heart sinks.

You know, your heart sinks.

But, I wasn't going to tell him not to go.

And so, he had a duffle bag,

and I would throw in bandages and iodine.

and I would throw in bandages and iodine.

I thought, "Well, you know, he'll probably get into some trouble,

"and maybe they'll beat him up or something like that.

"He ought to have something to take care of himself."

"He ought to have something to take care of himself."

The idea was to keep the spotlight on Mississippi.

I knew there were risks, but we had real tasks to do,

I knew there were risks, but we had real tasks to do,

running the Freedom School, doing voter registration.

This was serious work.

So, you had white college students coming from California and New York

So, you had white college students coming from California and New York

to move down to Mississippi for one summer, to devote

all of their time and effort to overturning Jim Crow segregation.

all of their time and effort to overturning Jim Crow segregation.

The first volunteers would arrive in Mississippi

on Sunday, June 21st.

And in the weeks before, the state went on alert.

And in the weeks before, the state went on alert.

We are not going to permit

any outside group to come into this state,

and to drive the wedge of division and dissension,

and to drive the wedge of division and dissension,

and to subvert the very foundation pillars

of the great government of the State of Mississippi,

of the great government of the State of Mississippi,

and of her people.

It was tense, and we drove into this.

We found a motel,

a very modest motel south of Memphis,

just over the line in Mississippi by about a mile or so.

just over the line in Mississippi by about a mile or so.

And we used that as our headquarters

for about 10 days that we were there.

for about 10 days that we were there.

To begin, they sought out Lilian Glover,

the friend of Bukka White's

who was said to have seen Son House coming out of a movie theatre.

It turned out to be a total dead end.

It turned out to be a total dead end.

There was... nothing,

it began and ended with her running into Son

it began and ended with her running into Son

coming out of a theatre a year ago.

And she could learn nothing further.

So here we were, we're here.

What do we do now?

# Lord, that 61 Highway #

# Lord, that 61 Highway #

# Is the longest road # that I know #

# Lord, that 61 Highway #

# Is the longest road I know #

# Is the longest road I know #

# She run from New York City #

# Down the Gulf of Mexico #

# Down the Gulf of Mexico #

That was our only lead.

We had no plan B, we had no back-up.

We had no plan B, we had no back-up.

We were just three guys who barely knew each other,

who were sharing a very hair-brained idea of

who were sharing a very hair-brained idea of

"Let's go down to Memphis,

"and see what we can learn about Son House."

# I said please... #

# I said please... #

# Please see somebody for me #

# I said please... #

# Please see somebody for me #

Henry Vestine, Bill Barth and John Fahey

first stopped in Jackson. They were going to talk Bracey.

first stopped in Jackson. They were going to talk Bracey.

Bassman Bracey was the bluesman I had found a year earlier.

Gayle Dean Wardlow was a rare thing in 1964,

a white Mississippian with the love of the blues.

a white Mississippian with the love of the blues.

And while no one in Boston or Berkeley knew it,

he had been looking for Son House and Skip James for months.

he had been looking for Son House and Skip James for months.

I was determined, I'm going to find out where these guys are from,

if they're alive or dead.

I learned how to find death certificates,

use city directories, courthouse records.

use city directories, courthouse records.

It was like an obsession, I admit it.

Along the way,

Wardlow had discovered the name of Skip James' hometown.

But he could not keep that piece of information to himself.

But he could not keep that piece of information to himself.

I made the mistake of telling Bracey one time, when I visited him,

I found out where Skip James was from, Bentonia.

I found out where Skip James was from, Bentonia.

That's all I said to him.

Henry told me the story later on. He said, we paid him $30,

all our money we had, for information,

all our money we had, for information,

and we asked him about where's Skip James from.

And he said, "Go to Bentonia."

Here we were in Memphis,

Here we were in Memphis,

not knowing which end was up, but that we were there,

and we ought to do something that looked like looking for Son House.

We had almost no information about Son.

We had almost no information about Son.

The records, such as they were, had information

that his name was Eugene, he wore a cowboy hat,

that his name was Eugene, he wore a cowboy hat,

and he was fat.

Son House was last known to have lived in Robinsonville,

just below the Mississippi/Tennessee line.

just below the Mississippi/Tennessee line.

Let's go to Robinsonville.

Black people who we did speak to were guarded, of course,

because we were white.

because we were white.

And they had no reason at all to trust us.

Three white kids in their 20s,

with New York license plates, and New York accents?

with New York license plates, and New York accents?

No, none of the Black people were going to talk to them.

I mean, Mississippi for young white people

who might have come from New England, or California,

who might have come from New England, or California,

was really like a new world. You couldn't imagine it.

We can't go out on the plantations, really.

You know, you can't just go out there and tell a Negro

You know, you can't just go out there and tell a Negro

to come off the plantation and go to the courthouse.

What happens is in the town,

we organize the town people,

we organize the town people,

and then they have friends on the plantations.

The volunteers gathered in Oxford, Ohio for training,

beginning on Sunday, June 14th.

These are college students who are used to proms,

These are college students who are used to proms,

and-and pleasure, and nightlife.

And they're going to be living basically in another century,

in another culture.

in another culture.

It's rigidly segregated,

racial etiquette is harshly enforced.

And by "racial etiquette", we mean, you know, tipping your hat

when white people pass by,

when white people pass by,

certainly, uh, only speaking when you're spoken to.

Never, being close to white women if you're a Black man,

Never, being close to white women if you're a Black man,

really under the threat of death.

It was important for civil right's workers to realize

that the white people felt as though they were under siege,

that the white people felt as though they were under siege,

and the way in which they behaved was illegal and violent.

They will arrest you and then hold you for a couple of hours

They will arrest you and then hold you for a couple of hours

and dream up a charge,

because they don't have any particular one to arrest you on.

You must be prepared to face continual and constant arrest.

You must be prepared to face continual and constant arrest.

They will fingerprint you and photograph you,

and wire your photograph around the state

so in case you show up any place else,

so in case you show up any place else,

they will know exactly who you are, where you're from,

and all personal data about yourself.

Try to bring your knees all the way up to your elbows,

Try to bring your knees all the way up to your elbows,

don't cross your legs or arms.

Most likely a cop won't try to chunk you in here.

But, he will hit you across here.

But, he will hit you across here.

You can generally take those licks.

We were quite aware of the danger

that the volunteers that would be coming down would be facing, whites.

They'd be faced with the same danger as the Blacks who lived there.

They'd be faced with the same danger as the Blacks who lived there.

We knew people had been beaten, we knew people had been murdered.

We were talked with about the potential of that to happen.

We were talked with about the potential of that to happen.

If you were in an interracial car for example,

and you were driving into some little village,

and you were driving into some little village,

you had to make sure you weren't there, after dark.

INSTRUCTOR: Stay off the streets at night.

Darkness seems to be an encouragement

Darkness seems to be an encouragement

to many of these people to do a little bit more dirt.

And another thing I suggest we be a bit more serious about this thing.

I know it don't even seem real to you now,

I know it don't even seem real to you now,

but it will when you go down to Mississippi.

We were having training in Oxford,

for the kids to get ready to come down,

for the kids to get ready to come down,

so the Clan had decided they were going to

make some examples of what's going to happen if you come down here.

And on Tuesday, June 16th,

one of the churches that had agreed to be a Freedom School,

one of the churches that had agreed to be a Freedom School,

had been burned,

and the members of that church who had been holding a meeting,

had been beaten outside by the Clan.

had been beaten outside by the Clan.

NARRATOR: During orientation in Ohio,

Andrew Goodman was approached by the organizers

who had been working in the area surrounding the burned church,

who had been working in the area surrounding the burned church,

James Chaney and Mickey Schwerner.

They invited Goodman to join them for the summer.

Chaney was a native of Meridian, Mississippi,

Chaney was a native of Meridian, Mississippi,

Schwerner a New Yorker who had moved to the state at the start of 1964.

I assigned them to the Meridian project office,

I assigned them to the Meridian project office,

where they went in and set up a Freedom School and Freedom Library,

and began to work on the voter registration pieces

between Meridian and Philadelphia, Mississippi.

between Meridian and Philadelphia, Mississippi.

By June of 1964,

the Clan had already begun to plot Mickey Schwerner's murder.

the Clan had already begun to plot Mickey Schwerner's murder.

Outsiders were not welcome,

and would not be tolerated.

It doesn't matter if you're looking for blues artists,

or blues records,

or blues records,

or if you are trying to register voters,

you are an outside agitator

to white segregationists in Mississippi.

The people were unwelcoming and obviously,

they didn't want to see cars with license plates from Massachusetts,

they didn't want to see cars with license plates from Massachusetts,

or Illinois, or New York.

Since their own investigating had come to nothing,

Perls, Spiro, and Waterman

Perls, Spiro, and Waterman

appealed to another blues singer from the old days.

Robert Wilkins had been a wonderful, wonderful bluesman

Robert Wilkins had been a wonderful, wonderful bluesman

with a long recording history from the late '20s.

# I'm going home #

# Friends, sit down # and tell my mama... #

# Friends, sit down # and tell my mama... #

Dad had played all over the Delta.

You know, he had played all over the Mississippi area, you know,

singing the blues from the hilltop to the bottom, you know.

singing the blues from the hilltop to the bottom, you know.

He was an ordained minister,

and had converted many of his best blues cuts

into religious songs.

into religious songs.

# That's no way # for me to get along... #

He knew a lot of musicians, you know?

So, he knew just about where they were playing at.

So, he knew just about where they were playing at.

And I think that's how they felt like

Daddy should know these guys that were playing

in these country tonks and all that kind of stuff.

He remembered Son from the old days, and he agreed to help us.

He remembered Son from the old days, and he agreed to help us.

# And that'd be a way # to get along... #

# Well, a poor boy #

# Well, a poor boy #

# Got all he had and # started on down the road #

# Started on down the road #

# Got all he had and # started on down the road #

# Got all he had and # started on down the road #

# Got all he had and # he started on down the road #

# And that'd be # a way to get along... #

# And that'd be # a way to get along... #

We went looking through Robinsonville and Lake Cormorant,

which the locals call Lake Carmen.

He would roll down the windows

He would roll down the windows

and talk to an older Black person

about who we were looking for.

So, they would speak to us through him.

So, they would speak to us through him.

# Got away from home #

# Spent all that he had, # spent all that he had #

# Got away from home # and spent all that he had #

# Got away from home # and spent all that he had #

# Got away from home # and spent all that he had #

# And that's no way to get along #

# And that's no way to get along #

Can you imagine?!

Three white kids and one Black guy in a Volkswagen!

Yeah, in a Volkswagen.

He guided us in what to do, and what not to do.

And when in doubt, we kept our mouths shut

and let him lead.

He had ideas about where to look and who to talk to,

that we had no notion.

# Far down the road # as his father sees #

# Far down the road # as his father sees #

# And that'd be a way to get along #

Driving around in a New York bug, with a Black minister,

Driving around in a New York bug, with a Black minister,

was perhaps not the smartest thing we could have done,

but he was willing to do it, and so were we.

but he was willing to do it, and so were we.

There was one episode that's really indelible in my mind.

There was one episode that's really indelible in my mind.

We were going way out in the field, totally rural, totally rural.

Just out in the cotton fields.

Just out in the cotton fields.

And there was a pickup truck

with a couple of white men lounging on the hood.

And Reverend Wilkins said, "Stop here, and I'll ask."

And Reverend Wilkins said, "Stop here, and I'll ask."

We didn't want any part of this.

But, if he said we're going to ask, we're going to ask.

We stopped the car, and the Reverend opened the door and got up,

and said, "I'm looking for such and such street,

"can you tell me where it is?"

"can you tell me where it is?"

They looked at him and then they went back to talking.

And he said to them, "Look here, I'm talking to you.

And he said to them, "Look here, I'm talking to you.

"I'm looking for such and such a street."

"I'm looking for such and such a street."

The silence was palpable.

They looked at him and they said...

"Go down the road so far, take a left, and go so far."

"Go down the road so far, take a left, and go so far."

And the Reverend touched his hat,

and he said, "Thank you, I'm much obliged to you gentlemen."

He nodded his head, got back in the car, drove away.

We get to Bentonia,

we find some of Skip James' relatives who try to help us,

we find some of Skip James' relatives who try to help us,

but really can't.

Even relatives of James find him hard to pin down.

Even relatives of James find him hard to pin down.

An aged uncle tells us that James lives in a town or a city

near Tunica, Mississippi.

The first letter of the name of this town is he thinks a D,

The first letter of the name of this town is he thinks a D,

Dunker, Dubbs, Dundee, Denton, but he's really not sure.

Of one thing he's certain,

Of one thing he's certain,

the end of the rainbow is near Tunica.

On Friday, June 19th

after a three-month-long filibuster,

the Civil Rights Act finally passed the Senate.

Segregation was now illegal in America's restaurants, hotels,

Segregation was now illegal in America's restaurants, hotels,

and other public spaces.

We say to Lyndon B. Johnson,

and all the Jews, and niggers...

and all the Jews, and niggers...

..that they can take this Civil Rights Act

and if they hold on to it and light it up...

..and the rest of it.

..and the rest of it.

They'll get burned before it's over with.

Many southerners pledged defiance of the law,

Many southerners pledged defiance of the law,

and those leaving for Mississippi

could expect no help from the government.

We most certainly do not, and will not give protection

to Civil Right workers.

to Civil Right workers.

In the first place, the FBI is not a police organization.

J Edgar Hoover made this open statement

that we're not going to be protecting people.

that we're not going to be protecting people.

In other words, he was saying it was open season. Go get them.

The nation's not a democracy simply because I can vote

when I become 21 in New York City,

when I become 21 in New York City,

but only if everyone can vote,

uh, and practice his right as a citizen,

and the Federal government, I think has betrayed its responsibility

and the Federal government, I think has betrayed its responsibility

to enforce the constitution of our country in Mississippi.

Did you talk this over with your parents

before you made the decision? Yes, Fred.

before you made the decision? Yes, Fred.

I discussed it with them,

and they felt, of course, what I feel

and that is fear of what might happen there.

and that is fear of what might happen there.

Arrest is actually the least of my worries.

This chase is thoroughly difficult

because we do not even comprehend what we are looking for.

because we do not even comprehend what we are looking for.

There is danger lurking around us.

Something big, growing bigger,

Something big, growing bigger,

the civil rights storm.

Everywhere we go, there are eyes watching.

The hunters are being hunted.

"Whitey thinks we're going help give the vote to Blacks."

We couldn't possibly be looking for old blues singers.

Nobody does that, not even crazy people!

Nobody does that, not even crazy people!

Several times we will be accosted by police.

Guns drawn and pointing,

Guns drawn and pointing,

"What are you boys doing fooling around with our Negros?

"Don't you know you can get in trouble

"for fooling around with our Negros?"

"for fooling around with our Negros?"

When Mickey decided to go back to Mississippi,

When Mickey decided to go back to Mississippi,

he went back at the most dangerous time.

Which, was just before everybody was going back.

Which, was just before everybody was going back.

Mickey left the training one day early,

because he wanted to get back down there,

and go out and talk to the people in that church

about what had happened. So, he drove down and took

about what had happened. So, he drove down and took

James Chaney and Andrew Goodman from Queens College with him.

He said, "Mom, there's a church that's burned.

"So there are a couple of kids who are driving down there,

"So there are a couple of kids who are driving down there,

"and I'm going with them."

And I thought, "Oh God."

And they drove down in a station wagon

on Saturday, June 20th,

on Saturday, June 20th,

the day after the Civil Rights Bill passes the Senate.

When I met Andy Goodman,

he was with Mickey Schwerner and James Chaney

he was with Mickey Schwerner and James Chaney

on the way back from Oxford.

And I was surprised to see Goodman in the car.

Goodman was really insistent on riding with Chaney and Schwerner.

Goodman was really insistent on riding with Chaney and Schwerner.

I shook his hand, and spoke to him, and welcomed him to the state.

So, I knew he was going to Meridian. But, I had no idea,

So, I knew he was going to Meridian. But, I had no idea,

because I would have objected to his going to Philadelphia,

because he was too green.

And so, they went off to Meridian

and I went the opposite direction to Shreveport.

and I went the opposite direction to Shreveport.

20 miles from Tunica, near Dubbs,

we stop at a gas station.

I engage the young Black gas pumper in conversation,

I engage the young Black gas pumper in conversation,

leading up to the person of my quest.

I had been doing this for years to no avail.

I had been doing this for years to no avail.

But now, something very interesting happens.

"I don't know if this is the right guy that you're looking for.

"But, one night I was over at Benny Simmon's Barber Shop in Dubbs,

"But, one night I was over at Benny Simmon's Barber Shop in Dubbs,

"and this crazy drunk old man came over and started yelling

"and screaming at us. But, one of the things he raved about,

"was that he used to be a famous and great blues singer,

"was that he used to be a famous and great blues singer,

"and that he played guitar and piano.

"Said, he made all kinds of records in Wisconsin.

"Said, he made all kinds of records in Wisconsin.

"Kept yelling at us, saying he was a genius."

Finally, the key words:

"crazy", "genius", "guitar and piano", "Wisconsin".

"crazy", "genius", "guitar and piano", "Wisconsin".

It had to be James!

At the same time only 30 miles away,

At the same time only 30 miles away,

the team looking for Son House, seemed to have a lead.

Thanks to Reverend Wilkins they found a man

whose ex wife was believed to be Son House's step-daughter.

whose ex wife was believed to be Son House's step-daughter.

Now, she lived in Detroit.

We called that number, and we said,

"Your mother is married to Eugene House, the blues singer?"

"Your mother is married to Eugene House, the blues singer?"

"No, she's married to a man who used to sing the blues,

"No, she's married to a man who used to sing the blues,

"but it's not Eugene, it's Eddie."

"Well, we'll take that. Now where is he?"

"Oh he lives in Rochester, New York."

"Oh he lives in Rochester, New York."

We almost gave up at that point.

So, on Sunday, June 21,

So, on Sunday, June 21,

we spoke to a man named Eddie House,

we had a list there.

"Eddie House, do they call you Son?"

"Eddie House, do they call you Son?"

"Yeah, they call me Son."

"Did you know Charlie Patton and Robert Johnson?

"Did you record for Lomax?

"Did you record for Lomax?

"Did you go to Grafton, Wisconsin and make records for Paramount?"

There's this long pause, and he said,

There's this long pause, and he said,

"Say, who is this anyway?"

And we said, "We're just blues fans. And we just want to know."

"Yeah, I did them things. I know them fellas."

"Yeah, I did them things. I know them fellas."

And we went, "Rah, we got him. We got him!"

And we went, "Rah, we got him. We got him!"

He was as surprised as we were.

Nobody had expressed the slightest interest in his music

for over 25 years.

for over 25 years.

He said, "I'll put my wife on the phone."

She said, "Ah, he's an old man, he don't play no more."

We said, "Well, there could be some money in it for him.

We said, "Well, there could be some money in it for him.

"He could go back to making records and making money."

She said, "Well, I suppose we could talk about THAT."

She said, "Well, I suppose we could talk about THAT."

When John Fahey, Bill Barth and Henry Vestine,

When John Fahey, Bill Barth and Henry Vestine,

acting on the tip given to them at the gas station,

reached Benny Simmon's Barber Shop that same Sunday, June 21st,

reached Benny Simmon's Barber Shop that same Sunday, June 21st,

they were shown to a house across the street.

On its porch sat Skip James' wife.

She told them that her husband was in Tunica's hospital

She told them that her husband was in Tunica's hospital

recovering from a cancer operation.

A Black nurse takes us to the Black ward.

A Black nurse takes us to the Black ward.

"How are you feeling Mr James?

"There's, some boys here who want to talk with you about music.

"Is that alright?"

"Is that alright?"

The silent figure nods his head.

It was Skip James!

It was Skip James!

What a tremendous and exciting moment

for those three guys to find that man.

It's incredible, I mean, it's really incredible.

It's incredible, I mean, it's really incredible.

# And the doctor came, # he's looking very sad #

# The doctor came here # looking very sad #

# Doctor came here # looking very sad #

# He diagnosed my case # and said it was awful bad... #

For the three, this was the climatic moment,

the fulfilment of an impossible quest.

the fulfilment of an impossible quest.

And they spun a grand design,

talking of a record contract, and a tour to go with it.

James eyed his searchers doubtfully, unsure if he could trust them,

James eyed his searchers doubtfully, unsure if he could trust them,

and days removed from an operation, the doctors forbade his release.

Come back later he said.

Come back later he said.

# I got a long trip, # I'm just too weak to ride #

# I got a long trip and # I'm just too weak to ride #

# I got a long trip and # I'm just too weak to ride #

# I got a long trip and # I'm just too weak to ride #

# Now it's a thousand people # standing at my bedside #

# Now it's a thousand people # standing at my bedside #

# You take a stone # you can bruise my bone #

# You take a stone # you can bruise my bone #

# You take a stone # you can bruise my bone #

# Next morning # you can bruise my bones #

# Next morning # you can bruise my bones #

# But you really gonna miss me # when I'm dead and gone #

It was somewhere in the vicinity of the church

that James Chaney was arrested on a traffic violation, Sunday,

by a Sheriff's Deputy.

Chaney and his white companions Mickey Schwerner and Andy Goodman,

Chaney and his white companions Mickey Schwerner and Andy Goodman,

were taken to the Neshoba County jail

where Chaney was booked on the traffic charge,

the others held for investigation.

the others held for investigation.

Their names appear on the docket for that day.

I got a call in,

it was about 6 o'clock that evening, on the 21st.

it was about 6 o'clock that evening, on the 21st.

They had not heard from Mickey and them.

So, I asked what time were they supposed to check in.

And so, they said, "4 o'clock."

And I told- I knew...

Um...

The fact is that he and James Chaney,

if he said 4 o'clock, they were going to check in at 4 o'clock.

The people in the office called the police,

The people in the office called the police,

they called hospitals, they called other places,

and they could not be located.

The police didn't admit that they had them,

The police didn't admit that they had them,

and they couldn't be found.

Eventually, about 10:30pm, a deputy says,

they were released after Chaney paid a $20 fine.

they were released after Chaney paid a $20 fine.

The deputy says the trio left the jail by car.

He accompanied them in another car through part of Philadelphia,

and got them onto Mississippi Route 19 for Meridian,

and got them onto Mississippi Route 19 for Meridian,

and the point from which they had started.

So far as is known, the three never got there.

So far as is known, the three never got there.

Chaney, Goodman and Schwerner disappeared

on Sunday June, 21st,

on Sunday June, 21st,

the same day Son House and Skip James were found.

As the Summer Project got underway,

the search for the missing activists began.

the search for the missing activists began.

# Every day, # nothing seems to change #

# Every day, # nothing seems to change #

# Everywhere I go, # I keep seeing the same old thing #

# And I... #

# I can't take it no more #

# Oh, I would leave this town, # but I... #

# I ain't got # nowhere else to go... #

# I ain't got # nowhere else to go... #

The danger of Mississippi was no longer a rumour.

While waiting for Skip James to get out of the hospital,

While waiting for Skip James to get out of the hospital,

Fahey and his friends were mistaken for civil right's workers

and thrown in jail.

Spared the fate of their counterparts in Philadelphia,

they were released after one night.

they were released after one night.

Pleased to meet all of you. So happy to have you.

As Fahey and James prepared to leave Mississippi,

the Freedom Schools and registration drives opened,

the Freedom Schools and registration drives opened,

despite more bombings and beatings.

# I wake up in the morning #

# More bad news #

# More bad news #

# Sometimes I feel like # I was born to lose #

# And I... #

# And I... #

# It's driving me out of my mind #

No, I do not have any regrets

No, I do not have any regrets

because if I did, it would mean I didn't believe ardently

in the reason that they are down there.

# Oh, I'll be ready now #

# Oh, I'll be ready now #

# I'll be ready for my train #

# Oh, I'll be ready now #

# I'll be ready # when my train comes in #

# I'll be ready # when my train comes in #

# I know my time ain't long # and I... #

# I know my time ain't long # and I... #

# I can't live this life no more #

June 23rd, we were at 61 Green Street in Rochester.

June 23rd, we were at 61 Green Street in Rochester.

This is it boys, two weeks on the road.

Here it is.

Here it is.

There was a thin guy sitting on the stoop.

We said, "Do you know if Mr and Mrs Eddie House

"live on the fourth floor?"

"live on the fourth floor?"

"Yes, they do, they do."

So, as we started up the steps,

he said, "But, he ain't in there."

he said, "But, he ain't in there."

We turned and said, "He's not? How do you know?"

And the man said, "Because, I'm him!"

And the man said, "Because, I'm him!"

So, we had finally met Son House.

When we went off looking for Son,

we didn't know if he was 40 or a 100.

We didn't know if he ever cared to record again.

We didn't know if he ever cared to record again.

Anything could have been the result.

We asked him if he would play.

We asked him if he would play.

He hadn't played in many, many years.

His hands were shaking, tremors.

But, he took the guitar,

and he looked down at his hand for a long time.

And then...

# Yeah, I got a letter # this morning #

# Yeah, I got a letter # this morning #

# How you reckon it read? #

# It said "Hurry, hurry!" #

# "The girl you love is dead" #

# "The girl you love is dead" #

# Got a letter this morning #

# Yeah, how you reckon it read? #

# It said, "Hurry, hurry! #

# "Because the girl # you love is dead" #

# "Because the girl # you love is dead" #

I had heard Reverend Davis,

and Mississippi John,

and they were just like children,

and they were just like children,

and the MAN had walked in.

# I grabbed up my suitcase #

# Mm, and I took off # down the road #

# Mm, and I took off # down the road #

# I say, when I got there #

# She's laying on a coolin' board #

# She's laying on a coolin' board #

# You know, # I thought I'd never love #

# You know, # I thought I'd never love #

# But four women in my life #

# My mother, my sister #

# My dead girl and my wife #

# I thought I'd never love, # I say, but four women in my life #

# I thought I'd never love, # I say, but four women in my life #

# I say, my mother and my sister #

# I say, my mother and my sister #

# Mm, my dead girl and my wife #

So, here's Son, 34 years from the original 1930s recordings,

So, here's Son, 34 years from the original 1930s recordings,

rusty as hell, but, recognizably Son House.

rusty as hell, but, recognizably Son House.

We felt great at that point.

We felt great at that point.

We looked at each other and we said, "Wow!

"What have we found? What have we got here?"

"What have we found? What have we got here?"

The obvious thing to do was to see if we could get him on

at the Newport Folk Festival, which was a few weeks away.

The Newport Folk Festival, held in Rhode Island in July,

was the most important event of the folk revival.

Its four days of concerts and workshops attracted an audience

Its four days of concerts and workshops attracted an audience

that was slowly morphing into the counter-culture

for which the '60s would be known.

Newport was Woodstock before there WAS Woodstock.

The place where Joan Baez became a star,

and where Mississippi John Hurt,

and where Mississippi John Hurt,

enjoyed the first days of his triumphant second act in 1963.

So, we called the Newport people

So, we called the Newport people

and we said, "We just found Son House.

"The great Son House has been found."

And they said, "Yeah, we just had a call that Skip James has been found.

And they said, "Yeah, we just had a call that Skip James has been found.

"Three guys from California found him the same day

"in a Tunica hospital."

I said, "What are you talking about?!

"We just came from two weeks in Tunica, right outside of Tunica."

"We just came from two weeks in Tunica, right outside of Tunica."

It was a Newsweek magazine saying that

It was a Newsweek magazine saying that

two great blues icons had been recently discovered,

Skip James and Son House.

That's where I found out.

That's where I found out.

It broke my heart man.

They happened to find the right person

who knew where James was living.

who knew where James was living.

Whereas I had been up there two or three times,

didn't find that person. It is- in a sense it's luck,

but you know what? You make your luck.

# Mm, gonna buy me a hammock #

# Mm, gonna buy me a hammock #

# Set it down beneath a tree #

# Mm-hmm... #

# Mm-hmm... #

# Gonna buy me a hammock #

# Set it underneath a tree... #

# Set it underneath a tree... #

Basically, I got a phone call saying,

"We found Skip and we need to bring him up north."

And so, I went there to do that.

And so, I went there to do that.

# So when the wind blows #

# The leaves may fall on me... #

After meeting John Hurt and Bukka,

After meeting John Hurt and Bukka,

I kind of expected another outgoing person.

And then suddenly, here was Skip

And then suddenly, here was Skip

and he was totally different.

Skip was an intellectual.

He was interested in time and motion studies.

And so, he was not as empathetic, I guess you would say.

And so, he was not as empathetic, I guess you would say.

He was more reserved, on his own.

Skip really thought of himself as an artist,

and had a big disappointment that he should have been a star.

He's on his deathbed practically by the time people find him.

He's on his deathbed practically by the time people find him.

It was almost like he was waiting for somebody from out there,

to kind of get the memo,

to kind of get the memo,

that I'm important and that you need to recognize this.

And that was his stance.

I just wondered where you learned that song?

SKIP JAMES: Well, it's not yours to know,

SKIP JAMES: Well, it's not yours to know,

but if you want to learn it, then you copy after my playing.

Oh, see now, that- You can get an idea from me,

but where I learned it, you might not never know.

but where I learned it, you might not never know.

Unless, you tell me. I don't want to go there.

Unless, you tell me. That's why I'm asking you.Well...

I use my own words, and I compose my own things.

I use my own words, and I compose my own things.

Yeah.

A record doesn't talk back,

A record doesn't talk back,

it doesn't make demands of you.

It's an easy thing to love,

it's an easy thing to control.

It's really different when you have a musician

It's really different when you have a musician

you know, sitting a few feet away from you.

You just have to deal with all the messy complications

of who this person is as a human being.

of who this person is as a human being.

The contradictions, you know, the paradoxes.

They actually are not frozen in amber, you know.

Now just to tell the truth about it,

Now just to tell the truth about it,

I was brought up in church from a little boy on up,

and I didn't believe in no blues, or none.

and I didn't believe in no blues, or none.

I was too churchy.

I didn't believe in that. And I talked against it.

Son House, you know he had a problem, I guess,

Son House, you know he had a problem, I guess,

coming to terms with, you know, the church and the blues,

and just kind of not going together.

and just kind of not going together.

And the way he played, he would just, you know,

And the way he played, he would just, you know,

just go some place else.

# Oh, oh, Lord he was sick #

# Oh, oh, Lord he was sick #

# Oh my, don't be so #

We found later that Son was an alcoholic,

We found later that Son was an alcoholic,

he needed the booze to play,

and he needed medication to keep from the shakes.

I couldn't believe how bad it could get,

I couldn't believe how bad it could get,

and would we be able to do anything

that would prepare him for Newport.

Most of those guys on a Saturday night fish fry,

Most of those guys on a Saturday night fish fry,

you'd drop your dimes and nickels in the hat as he played.

And as soon as you get enough, he would look

and go get a quart of beer, a bottle of wine, a jug of wine.

and go get a quart of beer, a bottle of wine, a jug of wine.

And they played for fun all night.

Son House did that all his life,

so how can you change a 75-year-old man

so how can you change a 75-year-old man

into a 26-year-old rockstar, superstar.

Just don't let him try nothing,

don't let him get enough drink until he go to the stage.

don't let him get enough drink until he go to the stage.

Charlie Patton, Willie Brown and Robert Johnson,

they- they died, one, uh, just right one after the other,

they- they died, one, uh, just right one after the other,

and then that scared me, and I said, "Well maybe, oh Lord, I'm next."

And I got scared and quit playing for 16 years

And I got scared and quit playing for 16 years

until Mr Dick Waterman found me

and gave me nerve enough to try it again.

and gave me nerve enough to try it again.

We went down there and asked these people to come up with us

We went down there and asked these people to come up with us

without a thought that this might be a strange thing to do,

or a stupid thing to do.

Just this must be done.

Just this must be done.

We didn't have any plan B. You know?

If the gigs didn't come through we didn't have any money either.

For Son House and Skip James, it couldn't have been more marginal

to go the Newport Festival at that point in time,

given how important it was to white America.

given how important it was to white America.

"Boogie Chillen".

It does give them that national, historical stage.

They have the opportunity to connect with

They have the opportunity to connect with

a broad American public.

# Yeah, my mama didn't allow me #

# Just to stay out all night long #

# Just to stay out all night long #

# I didn't care # what she didn't allow #

# Lord, I would # boogie-woogie anyhow... #

Newport is full of these big old houses,

and one of them later became called the "Blues House".

and one of them later became called the "Blues House".

When we arrived there a day ahead of schedule,

there was already a party going on,

there was already a party going on,

and that party lasted for days.

Probably the greatest gathering of acoustic bluesmen

ever assembled.

ever assembled.

# I'm going down to the river #

# I said I'm gonna drown... #

Son was there, Skip was there.

John Hurt,

Fred McDowell from Como, Mississippi.

# I'm gonna let the waves of water #

# I'm gonna let the waves of water #

# Lord, be to wash my trouble down #

Each bluesman had his own bedroom.

You would listen to Fred McDowell do a song or two,

You would listen to Fred McDowell do a song or two,

then go down the hall,

and Sleepy John Estes would be playing.

Sleepy John Estes, Hammy Nixon.

Elizabeth Cotton, a wonderful woman, great guitarist.

Elizabeth Cotton, a wonderful woman, great guitarist.

Robert P Williams from Louisiana.

Jesse Fuller was there.

Jesse Fuller was there.

Muddy Waters was there, too.

# Oh, I wish I was in heaven... #

# Oh, I wish I was in heaven... #

And coincidentally Reverend Robert Wilkins

had been booked to play at the festival.

And it was nice to see him again.

# Oh, angels, oh my Lord, # Lord, I wish I was in heaven... #

# Oh, angels, oh my Lord, # Lord, I wish I was in heaven... #

Son came to Newport, but he took sick,

Son came to Newport, but he took sick,

and he was immediately hospitalized.

So, he didn't appear there.

He had a pain in his abdomen,

that was never fully diagnosed.

that was never fully diagnosed.

But, it didn't cause any kind of a ripple,

because if you had never heard him,

you didn't know what you weren't going to hear.

you didn't know what you weren't going to hear.

# Oh, put yo knees together #

# And let your backbone move #

# It ain't no woman in town # can shake 'em down like you #

# It ain't no woman in town # can shake 'em down like you #

# Lordy, must I low #

That weekend, the only thing I can compare it to

was the first year that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame began.

And Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and James Brown, Fats Domino,

they were all inducted at the same time.

they were all inducted at the same time.

You'd be walking around and you'd say, "Oh, there's James Brown!

"Oh, there's Jerry Lee Lewis!" You know?

That was what it was like at Newport.

It was, it was like walking round among the stars.

It was, it was like walking round among the stars.

But all of it paled, all of it was obliterated for me

But all of it paled, all of it was obliterated for me

by Skip James performance that afternoon.

In '64, the Blues Workshop was the place to be.

In '64, the Blues Workshop was the place to be.

They played on a low pallet,

and there was just people, probably a couple of thousand people.

and there was just people, probably a couple of thousand people.

At that workshop, that Saturday afternoon,

where Skip appeared... I mean, when he came out,

where Skip appeared... I mean, when he came out,

there was no idea what to expect.

He had made some scratchy 78s in 1931,

and now 33 years later,

and now 33 years later,

a legend coming back in the flesh to make music.

He's up there on stage

and he's got a guitar that clearly isn't his,

that he had borrowed. And he's wearing

this Black preacher's hat, and this little suit,

and there's this pause...

# I'd rather be the devil #

# I'd rather be the devil #

# I'd rather be the devil #

# I'd rather be the devil #

# Than be that woman, man #

# Just be a man, be a man #

# I'd rather be the devil #

# Than be that woman #

# Than be that woman #

# You know, nothin' but the devil #

# Nothin' but the devil #

# Nothin' but the devil #

# Changed my baby's mind #

# Was nothin' but the devil #

# Changed my baby's mind #

# Changed my baby's mind #

We just hear this unearthly falsetto floating across the field.

We just hear this unearthly falsetto floating across the field.

# I'd rather be the devil... #

I felt like I was at a truly historic moment.

I felt like I was at a truly historic moment.

Greatness such as this will not pass my way again.

# Than to be that woman, man #

# Than to be that woman, man #

Traditionally, the biggest event of the year

Traditionally, the biggest event of the year

in Neshoba County, Mississippi, is the county fair,

time for a full week of horse racing, merry making,

and political speeches.

But, this year, there was another big event here,

a tragic one.

Three civil rights workers were murdered six weeks ago,

and their bodies were discovered last week

and their bodies were discovered last week

a scant two miles from the fairgrounds.

They found the bodies.

The police and the Clan

The police and the Clan

were the people responsible for their deaths.

I'd had it.

And then I go to the memorial services,

and I get up to talk,

and I see Billing Chaney sitting there.

and I see Billing Chaney sitting there.

And I could see everybody,

And I could see everybody,

and I just lose it. I just lost it.

As I stand here, a lot of things pass through my mind.

I can remember the Emmet Till case.

I can remember the Emmet Till case.

What happened to him,

and what happened to the people who killed him.

And I'm sick and tired and I can't help but feel bitter, you see.

Deep down inside, I'm not going to stand here

and ask anybody here not to be angry tonight.

and ask anybody here not to be angry tonight.

Each and everyone of us as individuals are going to have to

take it upon ourselves to become leaders in our community,

block by block, house by house,

block by block, house by house,

city by city, county by county,

state by state, throughout this entire country.

Your neighbours down there who are too afraid to come to this memorial,

Your neighbours down there who are too afraid to come to this memorial,

take them to another memorial.

Pick them up and take them down there.

Make them register to vote, and YOU register to vote.

Make them register to vote, and YOU register to vote.

I doubt if one fourth of this house is registered.

Go down there and do it!

# Times is hard here # and everywhere you go #

# Times is hard here # and everywhere you go #

# Times is harder # than ever been before #

If It hadn't been for Mickey Schwerner and Andy Goodman,

If It hadn't been for Mickey Schwerner and Andy Goodman,

and regardless of what I thought or what I say,

that I don't believe that my son would have been known

or would have been found today.

or would have been found today.

Nobody, they would have just went on.

They would have never known nothing happened.

No matter all that work we did, all the suffering we were doing,

all the jail arrests, and beatings, and murders.

all the jail arrests, and beatings, and murders.

We weren't getting no attention.

When those two kids got killed,

those two white boys from New York got killed, you saw it.

those two white boys from New York got killed, you saw it.

# People you know, # these hard times... #

And that is the tragic truth of the Freedom Summer Project,

And that is the tragic truth of the Freedom Summer Project,

that you have to use the white volunteers

in order to capture the attention of the American public

and in order to challenge

and in order to challenge

the collective consciousness of white America.

# If I ever can get up off # this killin' floor #

# If I ever can get up off # this killin' floor #

# I'll never get this low no more #

It was all over the news.

It was all over the international news.

It was all over the international news.

It did bring about the desired focus

on what was going on in the Deep South.

It forced the country to say

It forced the country to say

voting is a matter of life and death in Mississippi.

It created an enormous momentum for what became

the Selma Movement, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

the Selma Movement, and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The country was shamed into doing this.

I don't think it was because the people who passed it

I don't think it was because the people who passed it

said this is the right thing to do, or felt that way.

But, they had said this is the thing we GOT to do

in order to preserve our status in the world as a free country.

in order to preserve our status in the world as a free country.

And so, that's what happened.

We forced the hand of the country to do what was right.

We forced the hand of the country to do what was right.

One of the big mistakes in my own thinking was that

I never anticipated how resistant the other side would be,

I never anticipated how resistant the other side would be,

and that they would never give up. So that we could win things,

and then if we were then complacent about winning the right to vote,

and then if we were then complacent about winning the right to vote,

or improving education,

the other side would turn around and try to undercut it.

It took the left wingers and the integrationists 58 years

It took the left wingers and the integrationists 58 years

to get the Supreme Court to change its mind

to get the Supreme Court to change its mind

and reverse the separate but equal concept.

But, I'm sure, Ladies and Gentlemen

it won't take us that long to reverse the Black Monday decision.

it won't take us that long to reverse the Black Monday decision.

In fact, it won't take us that long, my friends,

to change the Supreme Court of the United States.

These things are an infection

These things are an infection

that's in the subconscious of American culture.

So Black Americans are constantly trying to affirm

and prove their humanity.

And, other people are actively working in the other direction.

You have to keep telling the story, you have to keep reaching out,

You have to keep telling the story, you have to keep reaching out,

and you have to keep an eye on what those people are doing

to take back what they feel that they lost.

In the '60s, a lot of attention was brought to the way

in which Black lives were made not to matter institutionally.

in which Black lives were made not to matter institutionally.

Black people kind of emerged in the public eye as a community,

as a people who were definitely feeling

as a people who were definitely feeling

the swing of a certain momentum, towards justice,

towards recognition, towards visible presence, you know,

towards recognition, towards visible presence, you know,

in American life, in a way that really hadn't been seen before.

But, I don't think that would have been as potent,

would have been as deeply felt, without the musical presence.

would have been as deeply felt, without the musical presence.

My generation of white southerners,

My generation of white southerners,

we grew up thinking that we were destined to use big words,

and run the world,

but that Black people had the keys to the human heart.

but that Black people had the keys to the human heart.

And that's why we wanted to court our girlfriends to Black music.

Somehow we believed that Black people had a key,

had a deeper understanding of that.

had a deeper understanding of that.

Little did most white people realize

that this Black-led movement in Mississippi by Moses,

that this Black-led movement in Mississippi by Moses,

had more profound ideas about our own democratic theories than we did.

They were really leaders in what the promise of democracy really was.

But, music was the forerunner, it was ahead of politics.

But, music was the forerunner, it was ahead of politics.

# Freight train, freight train, # run so fast #

# Mm, freight train, freight train # run so fast #

# Well, please don't tell them # which train I'm on #

# Well, please don't tell them # which train I'm on #

# They won't know # what route I'm going #

These guys, many of them didn't have a career

These guys, many of them didn't have a career

in the first place as musicians. They made a couple of records,

and they went back to being a railroad porter,

and they went back to being a railroad porter,

itinerant preacher, or whatever.

But Newport 1964 put a stamp on Country blues

But Newport 1964 put a stamp on Country blues

as something that was worth public attention.

So if, they wanted a career they could have one.

# When I'm dead and in my grave #

# When I'm dead and in my grave #

# No more good times here I crave #

# No more good times here I crave #

Son House and Skip James did have another career,

living just long enough to witness their own resurrection.

Skip died of cancer in 1969.

Skip died of cancer in 1969.

Son House retired for good, not long after.

But, never again did their blues retreat into obscurity.

But, never again did their blues retreat into obscurity.

And they were honoured by their native State,

something that would have been unthinkable in 1964.

In one of history's least predictable turns,

In one of history's least predictable turns,

the music created by a scorned and oppressed people

became the pride of Mississippi.

# Oh, freight train, # freight train run so fast #

# Oh, freight train, # freight train run so fast #

# Freight train, freight train... #

The blues revival had an immeasurable impact, I think,

on the course of popular music, certainly.

And really inadvertently kind of seeded

And really inadvertently kind of seeded

the whole second wave of Rock and Roll.

We tend to focus on the story of young whites propriating blues,

you know, becoming millionaires, in the '60s.

you know, becoming millionaires, in the '60s.

But, I think they were very much an instrument of history

and of Black culture.

You know, in the case of Fahey and Waterman,

You know, in the case of Fahey and Waterman,

I mean, they basically spend the rest of their lives

in service to what that music represented to their younger selves.

We were just nerdy guys into the music.

But, the day that we actually found Son,

my life pivoted, and my life has never been the same since.

my life pivoted, and my life has never been the same since.

That was when I found out I could go out in the world

and achieve things, and important things.

and achieve things, and important things.

Now these men's names and their art,

and their knowledge will live on forever.

and their knowledge will live on forever.

# I want to live # so that God can use me #

# I want to live # so that God can use me #

# Anywhere... #

# Anytime... #

# I want to live # so God can use me... #

# Anywhere, Lord #

# Anywhere, Lord #

# Yes, anytime #

# Yes, I wanna sing # so that God can use me #

# Yes, I wanna sing # so that God can use me #

# Anywhere #

# Lord, anytime #

# I wanna sing # so that God can use me #

# I wanna sing # so that God can use me #

# Yes, anywhere #

# Yes, anytime #

# You know, I wanna pray

# so that God can use me #

# Anywhere #

# Anywhere #

# Yes, anytime #

# Yes, I wanna pray #

# Yes, I wanna pray #

# so God can use me #

# Oh, anytime #

# Mm-mm... #

# Mm-mm... #

# Sometimes I wanna moan #

# so that God can use me #

# so that God can use me #

# Anywhere #

# Yes, anytime #

# You know I wanna moan #

# You know I wanna moan #

# So that God can use me #

# Yes, anywhere #

# Yes, anytime #

# Yes, anytime #

# Sometimes I wanna cry # # so that God can use me #

# Sometimes I wanna cry # # so that God can use me #

# Anywhere #

# Yes, anytime #

# Sometimes I wanna cry # so that God can use me #

# Sometimes I wanna cry # so that God can use me #

# Anywhere #

# Yes, anytime #

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