John Henry and Other Black Ballads of Reconstruction

Songs like John Henry, Stagger Lee, and Railroad Bill are iconic in American folk music

Mister Sule Greg C. Wilson explores the brief period when Black songwriters could write about badass Black men and women and legally sing about them. This is where “John Henry,” “Stagger Lee,” “Railroad Bill,” and all of those old songs that are classics of American folk music were born during this brief period between racial terror storms.

This slice considers one piece of Mr. Wilson’s contribution to Pushing the Rock. He also recorded an original song about Mister Homer Plessy, of Plessy vs. Ferguson fame, and interpreted “Jump Jim Crow,” the Black folk song appropriated into a racist minstrel routine.

In this clip from the upcoming Pushing the Rock, Mr. Wilson talks about and performs Black ballads of Reconstruction.

“Pushing the Rock” is a documentary we are finalizing about systemic racism in the United States and beyond. If you like what you see and are not already in the Browniac Fun Club, please jump into our puddle! It’s fun.