“The Spirit of Mother Jones” Here’s a song I love by Irish folksinger legend Andy Irvine. He’s a mandolin/bouzouki/harmonica player and one of the folks responsible for the Irish folk boom of the 70s, through his work with Planxty, his solo stuff, a famous duo album with Paul Brady, and a bunch of other awesome stuff. He draws heavily upon history in his songwriting, and I love it. It’s like reading Studs Terkel while listening to music. This song tells the story of Mother Jones, a labor activist whose story is not told or celebrated nearly enough in the US. I think this is because her story is linked to a period of American history which is not taught in most schools- the history of the US Labor movement. I still have much to teach myself about this period, but in later verses this tune talks about the Ludlow Massacre- an example of the brutality that occurred during this struggle. #andyirvine #motherjones #thespiritofmotherjones #labormovement #folksinger #ushistory #uslabormovement #labormovement #baltimore #thebmorecreatives #acousticcover #folkmusic #folkmusician #ludlowmassacre #gonebutnotforgotten #laborstruggles #americanhistory #educateyourself #learnhistory (at Baltimore, Maryland) https://www.instagram.com/p/CAf_7AondU4/?igshid=1lrutk3hehjhw
