Sweet Honey in the Rock: Raising a Song
In this episode I discuss one of my favorite acapella women’s group’s Sweet Honey in the Rock, who sings the song, Wanting Memories. I talk about the origins of Sweet Honey in the Rock, two of their members, Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon and Dr. Ysaye Barnwell, and why I consider their music to be a window into Black women’s impact on struggles for Black freedom and justice. On the episode, Wanting Memories and Ella’s Song are played, with permission, and you can find them where you purchase or stream music.
Mentioned in the Episode:
- Eyes on the Prize documentary interview with Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon
- PBS documentary, American Masters: Sweet Honey in the Rock, featuring an essay by Dr. Horace Clayton Boyer
- MPR interview with Dr. Ysaye Barnwell
Homework
- Hands on the Freedom Plow: Personal Accounts by Women in SNCC
- Read the Liner Notes to Voices of the Civil Rights Movement by Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon
- Research Dr. Reagon and Dr. Barnwell, both of whom are still living
- Look up albums by Sweet Honey in the Rock and let me know the songs that move and inspire you
Further Reading and Resources
- Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon’s web site
- Dr. Ysaye Barnwell’s website
- Bernice Johnson Reagon Collection of the African American Sacred Music Tradition at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History
- If You Don’t Go, Don’t Hinder Me: The African American Sacred Song Tradition by Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon
- SNCC Digital Gateway
- 2010 Sweet Honey in the Rock live performance of Ella’s Song. The song is introduced by Dr. Ysaye Barnwell.
