The title track of Nanci Griffith's new CD, "The Loving Kind," about the Loving v. Virginia case that ended the ban on interracial marriagesin 1967, became oddly topical in 2009 last week when a Louisiana court judge banned a such a marriage.
In protest, Griffith is making the sweet country-folk ballad a free download on her web site www.NanciGriffith.com, for the next 30 days.
Griffith said in a statement that she was moved to write the song after reading Mildred Loving's obituary in The New York Times last year. "It just floored me," Griffith said. "Tragically, Richard died in a tragic car accident just months after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in the couple's favor. "
"The Loving Kind" is Griffith's first album of new material since 2005's "Hearts In Mind." It also includes a song called "Not Innocent Enough," about the celebrated case of Philip Workman, who was convicted in 1981 of killing a Memphis police officer and executed in 2007 despite new evidence that may have proved his innocence. She's joined on the track by John Prine.
"Up Against The Rain" is her tribute to country-folk legend Townes Van Zandt.
Posted
Oct 22 2009, 02:34 PM
by
Scott Mervis