Memorial Day---1967

If there's an American holiday perfectly suited to the music and message of Sing-Out South and Up With People (along with the 4th of July)it is Memorial Day.

That was particularly true in May, 1967 when Sing-Out South produced a 30-minute television special entitled "A Memorial For Tomorrow" at the studios of WSIX-TV, Channel 8 on Murfreesboro Road. The show was directed by Don Elliott, written and produced for TV by Bill Baird, Jr. with Bill Jones (father of SOS cast members Pam, Candy & Debbie)as production coordinator.

Here below is the pre-show publicity about the special (click to enlarge) as featured with a by-lined article by Jacque Stubbell and a color photograph in THE NASHVILLE BANNER on Saturday, May 27, 1967.The show aired on Sunday, May 28 at 1:30 p.m....

A second article in THE BANNER the following Monday (on Memorial Day itself) said the show was so well received that "due to public demand" it would be featured in an encore presentation at 10:30 p.m. that evening

This was quite a time for Sing-Out South and Up With People as WSIX-TV also aired earlier in the week prior to Memorial Day a 30-minute color TV special of the national cast.

Said A. Donovan Faust, Vice-President and General Manager of the station: "We feel that, especially at this time, with world conditions in such a state of unrest, it is highly appropriate to show the positive element of young people who are accepting today's responsibilities and molding a new and better tomorrow."

Indeed during May, 1967, tensions were rising in the Middle East with Syria mobilizing against Isreal and U.N. peacekeepers being asked to leave the area. In early June, the Six Days War began as seen in this video courtesy of YouTube.

As for our Memorial Day itself, it is perhaps the most solemn of American holidays honoring those who have fought and died to defend our liberties. While it's history dates back to the years following the Civil War, it was not an official national holiday back in 1967. That did not occur until 1971. Here's a brief history of the holiday from a video by Watch Mojo.com..

While Memorial Day continues to grow as a major American holiday, no video copy exists of our "Memorial For Tomorrow" TV special. However I do still have an audio copy of the show that was taped by an SOS cast member(I think it was Dave Goodman who was a part of the SOS stage and sound crew) when it aired back in 1967.