Barbara Dane, longtime blues singer and political activist, dies at 97

Legendary singer and activist Barbara Dane died Sunday at her home in Oakland. She was 97 years old. In the 1950s, Dane became a popular blues singer and performed with many of the era’s leading musicians, including Louis Armstrong, Muddy Waters, Willie Dixon and others. She eventually largely abandoned the commercial music world to focus on social justice, becoming involved in the civil rights movement, as well as the GI resistance movement during the Vietnam War. She and her husband Irwin Silber founded the Paredon label to release music from freedom struggles around the world. She was one of many artists that the FBI monitored because of their activism. In 2018, Barbara Dane stopped by Democracy Now! studio to talk about his remarkable life and perform a few songs.

Barbara Danish: “With parking lots full of playgrounds and schools, / We can do what we want because we love what we do.” / We will build gardens and hospitals in every shopping center, / And we will stop the wars once and for all. / What? / Stop the wars once and for all! / What? /Stop the wars once and for all! Yeah! / Be reasonable and demand the impossible now. / Yes, be reasonable and demand the impossible now.

Click here to see our full interview with Barbara Dane.