A Voice Ringing O'er the Gale! The Oratory of Frederick Douglass

by Ossie Davis

Overview

There are no sound recordings of Frederick Douglass, whose fiery speeches in support of the abolition of slavery and his passionate pleas for women's rights between 1852 and 1888 are prescient wonders. With a robust voice and his charismatic appearance, Douglass had a clear and true vision of what democracy in America should look like, and that view is perhaps even more vital in the 21st century. Moe Asch's Folkways Records had actor Ossie Davis record four of those speeches in 1972, releasing them as a pair of LPs, The Meaning of July 4 for the Negro in 1975 and Frederick Douglass's Speeches in 1977. This set combines four of the speeches from those two LPs and adds in a detailed and fascinating booklet, and if one can't exactly dance to this kind of oratory, one can certainly take it to heart. It's history, and in this case, it's the sharp, empathetic vision of an important and visionary American thinker. ~ Steve Leggett

Product Details

Release Date:	06/30/2009
Label:	Smithsonian Folkways Recordings
UPC:	0093074700624
Rank:	173707

Tracks

1. What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July
2. What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July
3. If There Is No Struggle, There Is No Progress
4. A Plea for Freedom of Speech
5. Why I Became a Women's Rights Man

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Ossie Davis   Primary Artist

Technical Credits

Stephanie Smith   Archivist
Pete Reiniger   Remastering,Audio Engineer,Audio Restoration,Mastering
Ronnie Simpkins   Audio Supervisor
Will Chase   Remastering,Audio Engineer,Audio Restoration
D.A. Sonneborn   Audio Production,Executive Producer
Jeff Place   Archivist
Ossie Davis   Narrator
Daniel E. Sheehy   Compilation Producer
Ruby Dee   Photography
John Smith   Marketing
Robert H. Cataliotti   Annotation,Introduction
Mary Monseur   Production Coordination
Carla Borden   Editorial Assistant
David Horgan   Marketing
Sarah J. Eddy   Drawing
Richard James   Marketing
Sonya Cohen Cramer   Design,Art Direction,Layout Design
Betty Derbyshire   Financial Director
Mark Gustafson   Marketing
Frederick Douglass   Composer