How Great Thou Art is not part of the usual genre of music for my articles. I chose this hymn as my last submission as I prepare to leave...

The phrases "Just A Foster Parent” and “Just A Foster Child” always annoy me. Using “just" in that way minimizes the role we play, and...

This song was released in 1976 by Roy Ayers and his band Roy Ayers Ubiquity. It makes me smile when I sing it. People who are into lyrics...

A Change is Gonna Come was written in 1964 by Sam Cooke. He was known for his love songs, but he wanted to do more to unite people. This...

This Land is Your Land was written by Woody Guthrie, in 1940, while traveling from California to New York. Like last months’ offering,...

In 1918, Irwin Berlin, born Israel Baline, arrived in the US from Russia at the age of five. I know the time frame is outside of my usual...

Dancing in the Street reached number 2 on the Billboard Charts in 1964. Released on July 31st, the song was sung my Martha and the...

To end this eventful year, I chose Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes’ “Wake up Everybody,” released in November 1975. This song, on the...

This is the opening song on my favorite album, (yes, I said album), “Songs in the Key of Life”. Stevie Wonder released this album in...

“Hey Jude,” released in 1968, is a song of encouragement. It was written by Paul McCartney to cheer up John Lennon’s young son Julian...

“The Dock of the Bay,” by Otis Redding, was released on January 8, 1968. It was recorded twice in 1967, the second time on December 7,...

This is one of my favorite songs by Elton John. It was recorded in January 1970 but not released until October 26 that same year. When I...

I remember hearing “What’s Going On” almost everywhere I went in my community. It was a popular greeting, which made it a catchy song...

I first heard “Over the Rainbow,” more commonly known as “Somewhere Over the Rainbow,” sung by Judy Garland in the 1939 classic movie The...

This legendry song by Bill Withers was released in April 1972. It has been recorded by several artist, but his rendering is still my...

The song by Three Dog Night called “Joy to the World” was released in 1971. Most people know it by its first line, “Jeremiah was a...

No, I haven’t lost my mind. I realize March is recognized as Women’s Month. I was tickled to hear James Brown’s 1964 song “It’s A Man’s...

The song “Black Man" is from the 1976 album Songs in the Key of Life by Stevie Wonder. This is one of my favorite albums. Wikipedia (yes,...

The version of “I Can See Clearly Now” that I am most familiar with was released in 1972 by Johnny Nash. It was released again in 1993 by...

The song, “Ooh Child”, by the Five Stairsteps, was released in 1970. The lyrics are simple and a message of hope. The verses repeat...