From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Matthew Jones
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Birth name
| Matthew Jones
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Born
| (
1936-09-17
)
September 17, 1936
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Died
| March 30, 2011
(2011-03-30)
(aged 74)
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Genres
| A cappella
,
folk music
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Occupation(s)
| Singer, civil rights activist
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Instrument(s)
| vocals
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Labels
| Relevant Records
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Musical artist
Matthew Jones
(September 17, 1936 – March 30, 2011
[1]
) was an African-American folk singer/songwriter known for being a
field secretary
of the
Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee
[2]
[3]
and part of their
The Freedom Singers
in the 1960s.
[4]
Jones was from
Nashville, Tennessee
, but also worked as a school teacher in
Macon, Georgia
. He was arrested 20 times for this civil rights activism.
[5]
Civil Rights Movement
[
edit
]
Matthew Jones was a schooled, experienced musician, and became active in the
Civil Rights Movement
when he joined the
Nashville Student Movement
in 1960. Jones was an outspoken participant in the movement in
Danville, Virginia
, where he organized another vocal group, the Danville Freedom Voices, in 1963.
Jones relocated to
Atlanta, Georgia
, with his brother Marshall, who was also affiliated with the
SNCC
and their music ensemble, the Freedom Singers.
Matthew Jones faced down the
Ku Klux Klan
on many occasions and endured 29 arrests during the Civil Rights Movement. His experiences developed him into a "
freedom singer
" in the most literal manner.
"I don't think of myself as a cultural worker," Jones said. "I am a freedom singer; a freedom fighter. I've always been a freedom fighter; I'll probably go down that way, too. Freedom songs are different than other protest songs because they are really a
mantra
. The use of repetition allows for the message to be understood. If we sing a powerful statement enough times in a song, like 'This little light of mine, I'm gonna let it shine,' then we can internalize it".
Later life
[
edit
]
Matthew Jones performed his repertoire around the world, including alongside terrorists in
Northern Ireland
.
During the
Anti-Vietnam War
movement he recorded a 45-rpm record, "Hell No, We Ain't Gonna Go" backed on the other side with "Super Sam."
At each performance, Jones included "The Freedom Chant," an affirmation he based on a famous quote by
Fannie Lou Hamer
and his own many years of direct action.
"I'm sick and tired
of being sick and tired.
I will not allow anybody
at any time
to violate my mind or my body
in any shape, form or fashion.
If they do,
they'll have to deal with ME immediately!
Freedom! Freedom! Freedom!"
After nearly a year of deteriorating health, Jones died in
New York City
on March 30, 2011.
Matt Jones recording
[
edit
]
Matt Jones Then and Now
, Relevant Records
- Freedom Road
- Uncle Tom's Prayer
- Freedom Medley
- Medgar Evers
- Legend of Danville
- Demonstrating G.I.
- Avon Rollins
- Oginga Odinga
- Brother That Ain't Good
- It's Like A Wheel
- Nuclear Reactor
- Tree of Life
References
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
- SNCC Digital Gateway: Matt Jones
, Documentary website created by the SNCC Legacy Project and Duke University, telling the story of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee & grassroots organizing from the inside-out
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Events
(
timeline
)
| Prior to 1954
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1954?1959
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1960?1963
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1964?1968
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Activist
groups
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Activists
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By region
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Movement
songs
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Influences
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Related
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Legacy
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Noted
historians
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