The 1960s were a period of cultural radicalism. During the civil rights era, counterculture became prevalent. From the hippie movement to London’s Notting Hill Carnival, cultural expression emerged not simply as a means of voicing oneself but also as a form of protest. Civil rights and music culture in America were notably intertwined and expressed in a range of genres such as folk and gospel through the voices of those including Jamila Jones, Pete Seeger and Mahalia Jackson. Martin Luther King Jr. would acknowledge songs of freedom as “playing a strong and vital role in our struggle” and their importance in establishing “a radiant hope, in the future, particularly in [the] most trying hours.”
