Yesterday was the 4th of July here in America. Many of us did not feel like celebrating, given all of the recent events going on in our country (abortion rights taken away, mass shootings, insurrection trials, etc) Even so, I love the holiday to honor veterans and those who have served our country. For this reason, I volunteered to sing at a local nursing home to bring some joy to those who have limited mobility and resources to go out and celebrate.
I told some holiday jokes:
Q: why are there no knock knock jokes about the 4th of July?
A: Because freedom rings.
Q: What was George Washington's favorite tree?
A: The infantry
Q: Where was the Declaration of Independence signed?
A: At the bottom of the page
I also did a lot of old spirituals, freedom songs, songs of the civil rights movement, old Motown and pop songs from the 60s-70s. My audience was largely African American and so I sang all songs from black heritage. Quite a wealth of great songs like:
"What a Wonderful World", "People Get Ready," "We Shall Not Be Moved," "My Girl,' "Stand By Me", "Lean on Me," etc. It was a lot of fun. I love how music brings people together. Many of the songs I sang were songs I grew up with in Chicago. I am fortunate to have grown up in a diverse, multi ethnic culture.
Quite an uplifting gig it was for me. I'm glad you stopped by to read about it. Above is a picture from the gig where I am showing off my 4th of July t-shirt.
Happy July, everyone!
