Next Stop is Vietnam, Tuesday, November 23rd, 2010

Speaking of Books… Conversations with Campus Authors presents:

Next Stop is Vietnam: The War on Record, 1961-2008 (Bear Family Records, 2010) A Conversation with Dr. Hugo Keesing, former Professor, American Studies

Tuesday, November 23, 2010 4:30 pm - Michele Smith Performing Arts Library

This event takes place in the Piano Room of the Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library

Dr. Hugo Keesing will discuss the 13-CD box set he curated for Germany's Bear Family Records, Next Stop Is Vietnam: The War on Record, 1961-2008.

Over 330 music and spoken word tracks take the listener through a guided tour of this epochal period of modern history. From America's first, naive impressions of a country called Vietnam through the spirited musical debate over the morality of the war to the healing meditations on the conflict's lengthy aftermath, this set captures it all and more.

Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Merle Haggard, Pete Seeger, Bruce Springsteen, Phil Ochs, Johnny Cash, Yoko Ono, John Lennon, The Doors, Country Joe McDonald and dozens of other artists including many Vietnam veterans are the tour guides through this enlightening and entertaining journey.

Dr. Keesing, a former professor of American Studies at the University of Maryland, contributed notes on the songs and the artists who recorded them for the 304-page book that accompanies the set. Learn more about the role music played in the Vietnam Conflict and other wars in the history of our country:

 Books: Reflections on the Vietnam war and its effects on society and music from soldiers, scholars, and musicians.

 Scores: Song has played a part in expressing emotion in times of war throughout history. Learn more about the songs sung by American soldiers during the Revolutionary, Civil, and Vietnam wars, as well as World Wars I and II.

 Recordings: Robert E. Lee once said, "I don’t believe we can have an army without music." From raising morale to expressing grief, song plays many roles in times of conflict. In addition to the songs sung by the men and women on the front lines, these recordings include music created by those who were left behind.