Star Spangled Banner – Jose Feliciano (story and 1968 video)
I’m 59 and goofy. I was 13 in 1968 and I’m sure I was goofy then.
In 1968 I might have known who The Doors were, but I certainly knew who Jose Feliciano from his rendition of Light My Fire on the radio.
Radio then basically meant AM radio with a Top 20 format. The shift to FM radio dominance was sesimic. It seemed to happen quickly, but actually took quite a while for enough people to have FM receivers. Even in the early 1970’s when I was in high school near Pittsburgh, the free-format station was an AM “sundowner” station, which meant we had about an hour after school to hear new music on the radio.
I watched the 1968 Democratic National Convention on TV with great interest. I had an early bed time and TV watching at our house was restricted. So thinking back, I realize my intense interest in seeing the Convention coverage resulted from exceptional forbearance from my mother.
Here’s a great Pinterest board of the 1968 Convention. On the board is a photo of Aretha Franklin singing The Star Spangled Banner. It’s hard to express the emotional intensity watching on TV at age 13. And how sinister Chicago mayor Richard Daley looked to me when the camera shot for his reaction.
This 2-minute clip from a documentary film, American Revolution 2, by Mike Gray and Howard Alk captures some of the awe the 1968 Convention evoked. Towards the end of the clip the crowd can be heard chanting: “Peace Now.” I heard that message then.
Who is allowed to sing The National Anthem? was contested then in ways that might seem silly now. But the rifts in society exposed are all too familiar today.
Bonus, a trailer for Gray and Alk’s 1971 film The Death of Fred Hampton.
(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)