Though the sad news of historian/writer/activist Howard Zinn’s passing has yet to completely spread across the globe, I’m sure that reactions from many of the folk musicians, artists, leaders, and millions of others inspired by his seminal book, A People’s History of the United States: 1492-Present, are on the way.
In fact, it was only a month ago that Zinn’s People’s History was honored by musicians, such as Bob Dylan, Lupe Fiasco, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, Eddie Vedder, John Legend, Patti Smith, Alison Moorer, and a slew of actors in The People Speak, a documentary featuring dramatic and musical performances in the spirit of Zinn’s work.
My favorite of the performances was Bob Dylan, Ry Cooder, and Van Dyke Parks’ take on Woody Guthrie’s “Do Re Mi”, of course, but that video has since been taken down, so let’s cut to our next choice for a musical tribute to the late Howard Zinn: Bruce Springsteen performs probably his best live version of his classic Woody Guthrie/The Grapes of Wrath-inspired song “The Ghost of Tom Joad” on The People Speak, complete with Storytellers-esque intro.
Watch it here or below: