1617 Dion - Abraham, Martin and John

1617 Dion - Abraham, Martin and John

From: Abraham, Martin and John, Year: 2007 (1968)
Genre: Pop/Folk Rock

I noticed that today happened to be the government/banker holiday Martin Luther King Jr. day. It snuck up on me this year; I haven't purchased a 2012 calendar yet, yeah I'm procrastinating. When I happened to notice what day it was this track started playing in my mind and I thought it would be a good pick for the occasion.
It seemed as if there was always music playing in our house when I was really young and I remember back when I was, oh about 4 years old, I heard this one was playing on the radio, a tape, or something. I remember asking my mom and dad what this song was about and got an impromptu lesson in recent history. Even though I was only around a decade removed from that time, it seemed like a complete other era for me; I guess that's really what holidays like this are for.
Anyway, for those unaware of this song, it's about four of the great leaders of social change in American history who met their demise from an assassin's bullet: President Abraham Lincoln, President John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and Robert F. Kennedy. It was written by Dick Holler in '68 in response to the recent assassinations of both King and R.F.K.
I've always loved the bass guitar on this track, which acts as the backbone of the song, and the lilting in Dion's vocals, which adds a lot of emotion to an already emotional subject.

Here is the original studio version on YouTube.



My song pick a year ago today: Joachim Witt - Wem Gehört Das Sternenlicht

My song pick two years ago today: Cab Calloway & The Harlemaniacs - The Reefer Man

My song pick three years ago today: Diana Ross and the Supremes - Reflections

My song pick four years ago today: Quarterflash - Harden my Heart

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