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Every Tone a Testimony

Various Artists
Every Tone a Testimony
This double CD draws upon the collection at the Smithsonian Folkways archive to create a history of African American life and culture in sound—an aural history. Encompassing both the African American oral and literary traditions, these 59 tracks feature an unparalleled assembly of voices in music, oratory, poetry, and prose by historically renowned African American musicians, writers, and activists. The sounds collected here are testimony to the power, creativity, and resilience of Black expressive forms that have received recognition throughout the world. 59 tracks run two hours and 27 minutes. 40-page booklet.

RELATED LESSON PLAN
"The Underground Railroad:A Musical Journey to Follow the Drinking Gourd"

Track Listing

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101
Langston Hughes
00:22
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102
Annie Grace Horn Dodson
01:19
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103
Enoch Brown
00:44
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104
Lawrence McKiver and Doretha Skipper
02:55
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105
Rich Amerson
02:00
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106
Mrs. Janie Hunter
05:55
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107
Joe Tucker and Scott Dunbar
01:22
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108
Children of East York School, East York, Alabama
01:26
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109
Lawrence McKiver
01:35
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110
Lucy Terry, read by Arna Bontemps
01:26
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111
Phyllis Wheatley, read by Dorothy F. Washington
00:52
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112
Annie Grace Horn Dodson
01:20
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113
Harriet Tubman, read by Dorothy F. Washington
01:03
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114
Sojourner Truth, read by Ruby Dee
02:09
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115
Frederick Douglas, read by Ossie Davis
01:04
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116
Kinsey West
01:54
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117
Frederick Douglas, read by Ossie Davis
02:40
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118
Sarah Parker Remond, read by Ruby Dee
01:49
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119
Dock Reed and Vera Hall Ward
01:38
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120
Paul Laurence Dunbar, read by Margaret Walker
03:49
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121
Fisk Jubilee Singers
02:05
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122
Booker T. Washington
01:17
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123
Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee
04:07
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124
Fenton Johnson, read by Arna Bontemps
00:45
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125
Elizabeth Cotten
01:46
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126
Percy Randolph
01:07
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127
Prisoners at Ramsey or Retrieve State Farms, Texas
01:41
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128
Ida B. Wells-Barnett, read by Ruby Dee
03:47
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129
W.E.B. DuBois
02:37
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130
James Weldon Johnson, read by Margaret Walker
02:57
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131
Reverend Gary Davis
02:07
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132
Lead Belly
04:08
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133
Countee Cullen
02:59
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134
James P. Johnson
02:32
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201
Paul Robeson
02:13
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202
Langston Hughes
00:47
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203
Claude McKay
01:02
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204
Sterling Brown
02:06
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205
Big Bill Broonzy
02:51
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206
Billie and Dee Dee Pierce
05:15
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207
Margaret Walker
05:45
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208
Gwendolyn Brooks
00:51
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209
George "Big Nick" Nicholas, John Miller, and Dave Jackson
03:51  
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210
Juanita Johnson and The Gospel Tones
02:43
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211
Muddy Waters
07:00
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212
Solomon Burke
02:16  
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213
The Freedom Singers
02:34
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214
Martin Luther King, Jr.
03:46
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215
Bobby Seale
03:02
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216
Angela Davis
01:06
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217
Sarah Webster Fabio
01:42
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218
Nikki Giovanni
01:16
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219
Sonia Sanchez
00:39
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220
Amiri Baraka
04:49
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221
Hamiet Bluiett
03:35  
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222
Jayne Cortez
03:58
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223
The Golden Eagles
05:23  
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224
Ishmael Reed
01:26
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225
Arrested Development
03:27