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Barbara Dane

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Barbara Dane
Black and white photograph of Barbara Dane singing and playing the acoustic guitar
Barbara Dane performing at UCLA's 1960 "Dublin Ball"
Background information
Birth nameBarbara Jean Spillman
Born(1927-05-12)May 12, 1927
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
DiedOctober 20, 2024(2024-10-20) (aged 97)
Oakland, California, U.S.
Genres
Occupation(s)Singer
InstrumentsVocals, guitar
Years active1957 (1957)–2024
LabelsSmithsonian Folkways
WebsiteOfficial website

Barbara Dane (born Barbara Jean Spillman; May 12, 1927 – October 20, 2024) was an American singer. She was known for being a fighter of civil rights, and her opposition against the Vietnam War and discrimination.

She started her singing career in jazz and blues. Dane later moved activism. She preformed at anti-war protests and marches as well as every big peace demonstration in Washington. As Barbara gained recognition she got invited onto TV shows, and opened her own clubs. In 1966, Barbara Dane became the first U.S. musician to tour post-revolutionary Cuba. She received a cultural honor in Cuba, Barbara was made an honorary member of the Union of Cuban Writers and Artists.[1] In 1969 Barbara Jean and her husband founded Paredon Records, which is a label that was made to publish records of cultural expression, and protests as a way to preserve them.[2] From 1970 to 1985 Dane released 50 albums that documented protest music from around the world.[3] Paredon's music reflects civil rights, women's rights and anti-colonial movements. Barbara believed that if she saw something wrong in the world, the best thing to do was to speak up, and her way of doing that is singing in protest.

Dane died by assisted suicide on October 20, 2024 in Oakland, California while suffering from heart failure at the age of 97.[4]

References

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  1. "US singer Barbara Dane receives cultural honor in". EFE News Service. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
  2. Pelly, Jenn (2021-02-10). "Barbara Dane's Life of Defiance and Song". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-04-19.
  3. February 12; Comments, 2018 | Theodore S. Gonzalves |. "Singing Truth to Power: Barbara Dane's One". Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage. Retrieved 2022-04-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  4. Barbara Dane, indomitable blues and jazz singer, dead at 97

Other websites

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