Rare Fannie Lou Hamer Recordings From Smithsonian Folkways (Out 6/30)

New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Though best known for her powerful speeches, Fannie Lou Hamer's gospel renditions became popular anthems of the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, and her energy a pillar in the fight for equality for African Americans and women in the United States. During his speech in Selma in March of this year, President Barack Obama listed Fannie Lou Hamer as a key contributor in the movement. Songs My Mother Taught Me, based on a limited edition 1963 tape, is the only known publicly available recording of Hamer's singing, and on June 30, Smithsonian Folkways will release the rare collection of songs, spirituals, and speeches.

This album is the eighth release in the Smithsonian Folkways African American Legacy Series, co-presented with the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture.