Len Chandler
| Len Chandler | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Len Hunt Chandler, Jr. May 27, 1935 Akron, Ohio, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Musician |
Len Hunt Chandler, Jr. (born 27 May 1935), better known as Len Chandler, is a folk musician from Akron, Ohio.
Biography
Len ... uses a lot of chords ... he's really good ... he uses his fingers all over ... he has been always trying to tell me to use more chords and sing a couple of songs in minor keys...
He showed an early interest in music and began playing piano at age 8. Studying classical music in his early teens, he learned to play the oboe so he could join the high school band, and during his senior year joined the Akron Symphony Orchestra. He eventually earned his B.A. in Music Education from the University of Akron, moved to New York City, and received an M.A. from Columbia University.
By the early 1960s, Chandler began to get involved in the Civil Rights Movement. He sang at demonstrations and rallies, and won a reputation as a protest songwriter. One of his most famous songs was "Beans in My Ears", which was covered by the Serendipity Singers, as well as Pete Seeger. He also served as one of the original crew members of Seeger's CLEARWATER organization in working to save the environment around the Hudson River Valley.[citation needed]
Chandler was also a performer in the traveling anti-war troupe F.T.A., which was organized by Jane Fonda in 1971.[2][3] With Holly Near and Rita Martinson, the group toured the United States and bases throughout the Pacific Rim. The travels were filmed, however the documentary was pulled from theatres a week after its release due to the controversy surrounding Fonda's visit to Hanoi.[4]
After penning topical material related to the Original Black Panther Party, he began writing three topical songs a day for the KRLA radio program, The Credibility Gap,[5] which released some of his songs, including "Soul in Ice", on their record An Album Of Political Pornography.[6] At KRLA he also wrote and recorded the short theme song "The Chronicles of Pop" for the Pop Chronicles radio program.[7][8] In the early 1970s, he formed the Alternative Chorus-Songwriters Showcase to promote new talent.[5] He moved to Los Angeles in the mid-1970s.
Discography
- 1967 - To Be a Man (Columbia CS 9259)
- 1967 - The Lovin' People (Columbia CS 9553 - stereo, CL 2753 - mono)
- 1968 - An Album Of Political Pornography, with Lew Irwin and The Credibility Gap (Blue Thumb)[9]
References
- ↑ Gilliland, John (1969). "Show 52 - The Soul Reformation: Phase three, soul music at the summit. [Part 8] : UNT Digital Library" (audio). Pop Chronicles. Digital.library.unt.edu.
- ↑ New York Times
- ↑ Watch Trailer. "FTA - Docurama - New Video Group". Newvideo.com. Retrieved 2010-09-09.
- ↑ "Penelope Andrew: Fonda, Sutherland, Streep Echo Trumbo & Brecht: FTA (1972) and Theater of War (2008)". Huffingtonpost.com. 2009-02-16. Retrieved 2010-09-09.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lankford, Ronnie D. (1935-05-27). "((( Len Chandler > Biography )))". allmusic. Retrieved 2009-04-17.
- ↑ "Magic of JuJu: Political Porno". Magicofjuju.blogspot.com. 2006-12-21. Archived from the original on 2011-07-08. Retrieved 2009-11-16.
- ↑ "Index to "Pop Chronicles" — University of North Texas Libraries". Library.unt.edu. 2008-07-24. Archived from the original on 2008-06-17. Retrieved 2009-04-17.
- ↑ "Show 3 - The Tribal Drum: The rise of rhythm and blues. [Part 1] : UNT Digital Library" (audio). Pop Chronicles. Digital.library.unt.edu. 1969-02-23. Retrieved 2010-08-24.
- ↑ "Len Chandler discography". Wirz.de. Retrieved 2010-08-24.
External links
- Illustrated Len Chandler discography
- Len Chandler at the Internet Movie Database
- Len Chandler interviewed on the Pop Chronicles (1969).
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