Sing-Out South Was Created 45 Years Ago Today

It was on this date 45 years ago today (January 25, 1966) that Sing-Out South was created with an organizational session at (then) Belmont College. The meeting attracted a crowd of some 500 students and parents (see photos above).

This massive turnout came despite another 3 inches of snow falling on Nashville after the city had been struck with a 7.5 inch blanket of white, accompanied with below freezing temperatures, over the previous weekend.

Such was the excitement that Sing-Out' 66 had left in town following a week-long tour of the area. Said Thomas "Rusty" Wailes, a Sing-Out and Moral Rearmament (MRA) official who spoke that first evening (and as reported in THE NASHVILLE BANNER): "To see a force like this for a city like Nashville is a historic thing...it's a terrific idea that ought to take wings and rocket today."

The article continued: "Wilkes predicted Sing-Out South would be "the most original idea" that has ever hit the South. "I can tell now that you are going to make it work."

This excitement was also mirrored in THE BANNER's farwell editorial to Sing-Out '66 published the day before on January 24, 1996 (see above).

"It was THE BANNER's privilege to bring this group to Nashville and present it on the college campuses--which responded so notably to the opportunity...Words can not due justice to this team (Sing-Out '66), either to its music--the spontaneuous outpouring of what is in these hearts--or the personality and character comprising it, member by member. Faces shine from what is within, and in the cleanliness of personal pride in contrast with the dirty minds and dirty faces of beatnikism. Such was their impact here...they came, they saw, they conquered. And Nashville reciprocated. It came. It saw. It concurred."


So how and why did THE NASHVILLE BANNER develop such an interest in Sing-Out and Moral Re-Armament? So much so that it would bring the cast to town for a full week and devote a huge amount of column inches and photographs to promote the tour for well over a month (before, during and after Sing-Out '66 left Nashville)? Why did the paper continue similar coverage for Sing-Out South?

Some insight seems to come from the article above which was published on the front page of THE BANNER on Friday, January 14. It seems two of the paper's reporters, Lee Bandy and Jacque Stubbel, had done signficant "reportial work on the student leftist movement and their interest in an antidote for the beatnik movement." By doing the reports, the story in the paper continued that they "became closely associated with MRA officials and the "Sing-Out" cast before it hit the road to take its message acorss the United States and to foreign countries." That included visiting MRA's Mackinac Island conference center as well as traveling with the cast on the road. The article also indicates both reporters had"contributed to the internationally circulated MRA magazine, PACE, which is devoted to the constructive accomplishments of youth over the world as opposed to the downhill and defeatist trends among the young."

The article never mentions BANNER Publisher James G. Stahlman. But it is obvious the paper would have never brought into Sing-Out & MRA unless he was totally on board to sponsor the trip to Nashville and approve all the coverage of Sing-Out'66 (Up With People)and later Sing-Out South.

In the weeks to come Sing-Out South would begin its practices (see photo above) ultimately aiming towards its premiere shows held at Hillsboro High School the weekend of March 25-27. Those are also the dates that have been selected for a Sing-Out South 45th Anniversary Reunion this year. More details to follow soon.

Meantime, even from the first organizing meeting on January 25,1966, the positive spirit of Sing-Out was evident from the quotes in the BANNER article which featured some future key cast members.

Jim Troutner, Belmont student body president, later soloist in SOS and UWP:

"We want our world to be great. Now we have a chance to make it that way."

Dennis Cohen, sophomore at Cameron High School:

"I think this will do a lot for Nashville if everyone pitches in and works.'


Ted Overman, Vanderbilt University sophomore, SOS Band Coordinator and later SOS Cast Director:

"I am impressed with the show. This can be the type of thing to really work."

Sing-Out South's second practice was also held at Belmont on Saturday, January 29 with 300 young people returning despite another overnight snowfall of 2-3 inches.

Committees met to deal with topics such as stage crew, technical, make-up, photography, costumes, soloists, public relations and choreography.

It was the beginning of a lot of hard work that would continue with the cast until the early 1970s, leaving a legacy to look back on today and say:

"Happy 45th Birthday, Sing-Out South!"

When Sing-Out First Came To Nashville--Day 8--A Farwell and a Beginning

On the morning of January 24, 1966, Sing-Out '66 gathered at the War Memorial Auditorium in downtown Nashville for (as THE NASHVILLE BANNER reported) "an emotional goodbye amid the warmth of new friendships" as the cast boarded army buses for its next show at Ft. Campbell, KY.

Sing-Out had spent the last week in the city, and while it touched Nashville in a special way, the impact was mutual among cast members.

Among those paying tribute to the city was Glennie Close (on the far left in the photo above). At the time, she was a member of the "Green Glenn Singers" in the cast. Later, she would become a major motion picture and TV star (although ironically, THE BANNER got her first name wrong in its January 24 article, calling her "Lennie").

"We've learned more in Nashville than anywhere else we have been about loving your home and your country," she said. "Thank you, Mr. Stahlman, for all you've taught us.

The cast presented James G. Stahlman, the Publisher of THE BANNER which had sponsored the Nashville Sing-Out visit, with a "Sing-Out '66" book signed by all 140-members of the cast and they played two special songs written in his honor. One, "The Pride of Tennessee" was performed by The Tiffanies, another singing group in the cast. The other was written and played by the Colwell Brothers entitled, "His Name Is Stahlman."

As for Mr. Stahlman himself, he told the cast: "I know Nashville is the greatest home city in the world. If you think their doors have been open to you, their hearts, after your visit, are wider open than I've ever known them."

Another group that touched the hearts of the cast members of Sing-Out '66 was "Newman's Raiders," the seven-member Metro Police motorcycle team (seen above)that gave the cast a escort from the time they came to town until they left Davidson County eight days later.

Reporting the reaction of the cast, THE BANNER wrote in a feature article (January 24): "The youngsters said they had never seen anything like it. In flying formations and with teamlike precision, their protectors wove patterns of safety about the speeding (city) buses (used by Sing-Out to move about town)."

"For every trip, the youngsters vied for seats on the first bus in order to watch "Newman's Raiders" in action. Cameras clicked as the leading cycle wedge leaned with the banked roadway."

According to the newspaper article, the motorcycle officers in turn seemed to really enjoy their work of meeting every curtain call time on time that week: "Transporting the 140-member cast about town on tight schedules was no assignment for amateurs. It involved logistics problems which few cities have attempted with the success that marked Nashville's efforts."

"My boys enjoy doing this for the kids," said Sgt. Newman. "They all wanted to be on the team."

When they parted on the morning of January 24, it came after the cast performed a special song they had written for the Metro Police Departmenrt and for "Newman's Raiders," while the police motorcycle team presented the cast with a card of appreciation.

It all left a lasting impression. When THE BANNER did a follow-up story on Sing-Out during its tour of West Germany a few months later, cast members remembered the Nashville visit fondly, especially the special treatment by "Newman's Raiders." Even a photo in the piece, which showed the cast with a German police escort, openly questioned whether they were as good as "Newman's Raiders?"

By the way, as Sing-Out'66 left Nashville, the army buses from Ft. Campbell were picked up at the county line and escorted all the way to the Tennessee-Kentucky border by an escort from the Tennessee Highway Patrol courtesy of Governor Frank Clement.

While the current visit was over, Sing-Out'66, and later,Up With People, would return to Nashville many times over the next few years. And as you can see from the newspaper clip above, Sing-Out South, a local group emulating the national cast, was about to be created, with its first organizational meeting set for the next day, Tuesday, January 25, 1966.

More on that in our next blog posting.

When Sing-Out First Came To Nashville--Day 7--January 23, 1966

As Sing-Out '66 began its final full day in Nashville on January 23, 1966, the schedule included two full, two-hour shows to be performed at the Fairgrounds Coliseum. Despite cold temperatures (an overnight low of 3 degrees) and icy roads left over from a 7.5 inch snowfall the day before, more than 13,000 students and adults made their way to see the two shows. THE NASHVILLE BANNER reported: "parking was made more difficult (at the Fairgrounds) because of snow drifts but this seem to have little impact on the crowds."

Indeed audience reaction continued to glow about the cast. Said one adult attending: "These youngsters are wonderful ...just wonderful...there's nothing wrong with them. You can tell by the way their eyes shine that they are all right...they are just happy and at peace with themselves."

Meanwhile, as the Sing-0ut '66 cast continued to deliver powerful songs such as "What Color is God's Skin?" (seen above) there was increasing talk and excitment about Nashville forming its own Sing-Out group. Reported THE BANNER: "Wide applause broke out when Rusty Wailes (an two-time Olympic gold medalist in rowing and an MRA leader) suggested the creation of a "Sing-Out Nashville" or "Sing-Out South." We want to see a sing-out created here which will cry out to the rest of the world. That's the vision we have for your city..."

The excitement in the crowd (seen above), especially among the young people, was likely exceeded only by the announcement by Dr. John Harris, Metro Schools Director, and Father James Hitchcock, Director of Nashville's Catholic Schools that classes would be cancelled the following day (Monday) because of the bad weather conditions.

And so all the shows were over.

The cast of Sing-Out '66 would be leaving Nashville Monday morning (for a performance for the troops at nearby Ft. Campbell, KY). But Sing-Out would leave lasting a legacy here after performing for well over 37,000 people in just seven days. What they did touched thousands of lives in this community, not only then, but for hundreds of Nashville and Middle Tennessee young people, their lives would never be the same in the years to come as they joined Nashville's Sing-Out South and several of them later traveled with one of the national casts of Up With People.

That includes myself. It was 45 years ago on this day (January 23) that my life, especially during my high school years changed dramatically after seeing the afternoon show at the Fairgrounds Coliseum. While I never traveled with the national casts of UWP, the three plus years I spent as a part of Sing-Out South shaped my life during my teen age years and continues to impact me down to this very day.

More on that...the creation of Sing-Out South and Sing-Out '66's farewell to the city on Monday morning, January 24 in our next blog posting.

When Sing-Out First Came to Nashville--Day 6--January 22, 1966

Day 6 of Sing-Out '66's first visit to Nashville began with 7.5 inches of snow falling on the city, still one of the largest snowstorms to ever blanket this area.

No doubt concerned about the turnout for that evening's two-hour show at Vanderbilt University's Memorial Gym, as well as the two major shows set for Sunday at the Fairgrounds Coliseum, an announcement placed above the fold in the afternoon NASHVILLE BANNER (see above) made it clear: "On with the show despite the snow" with doors opening at Vanderbilt at 6 p.m. and the show at 8.

Despite the hazardous weather and driving conditions, an estimated 6,000 people came out to the Vanderbilt show Saturday night, adding to the 18,000 folks who had already seen Sing-Out '66 earlier in the week. Actually, some of the high school and college students attending told a reporter from the NASHVILLE BANNER that had already seen the show several times but came out to see it again at Memorial Gym.

BANNER publisher James G. Stahlman told the crowd:"I want to pay special tribute to all of you who braved the snow to come out here...snow didn't keep Paul Revere from his ride or George Washington from Valley Forge...I greet you in the name of these heroic men."

THE BANNER reported there were delegations attending the Sing-Out show at Vanderbilt from as far away as Michigan, North Carolina, Virginia and Kentucky. Even a relative of the world famous writer, William Faulkner telephoned the newspaper to tell them he was coming. In a front-page dispatch, William Faulkner, a member of the Mississippi State University student council said of himself and the MSU student body president: "We'll be in Nashville for Sing-Out '66 one way or another, snow or no snow."

This is the run of the show that Sing-Out '66 presented that weekend (plese click on photo above to enlarge). The crowd at Vanderbilt listened to "the patriotic beat....(which) triggered spontaneous clapping and ...the gym vibrated throughout the two hour show. At the close, a cheering audience gave the cast a 20-minute standing ovation."

All these shows and appearances in Nashville over the past week had quickly built up a lot of enthusiam and energy to get the city involved in "Sing-Out."

Richard "Rusty" Wailes, a two-time Olympic Gold-Medalist in rowing and a Director for Moral Rearmament(seen above)was often a spokesperson both to the crowds at the Sing-Out shows and to local civic groups in Nashville. He told the Downtown Kiwanis Club, acccording to THE BANNER in story published in the Saturday January 22 edition, that "there is a good possibility Nashville will become the Mackinac of the South for MRA."

Mackinac Island was where Sing-Out had been born the previous summer and according to Wailes,"we think we need to hold three conferences this summer like the Mackinac conference. We would like to have one for the South here in Nashville, another in the Northeast and the Mackinac site."(Note: it turns out just one conference was held in Estes Park, CO in the summer of 1966 with dozens of Nashvillians from Sing-Out South traveling there and many of them then joining the national Sing-Out casts which by then were called Up With People).

Wailes also predicted the creation of Sing-Out South during his Kiwanis remarks. "There is a patriotism in the South found nowhere else. We feel you (the South) have a lot to offer the world. We would like to see Nashville take a show throughout the South and up the coast to Washington. You could create your own show here in Nashville and spread out to all the high schools in the area."

Wailes got lengthy applause and a standing ovation for his remarks to the Kiwanis Club, which was held at the Noel Hotel downtown. On Sunday, January 23, during Sing-Out '66 final shows in Nashville at the Fairgrounds Coliseum, similar remarks by Wailes about forming a "Sing Out Nashville' or "Sing Out South" brought even more applause from the audience.

More on that in our next blog posting.

When Sing-Out First Came To Nashville--Day 5--January 21, 1966

On Day 5 when Sing-Out first came to Nashville on January 21, 1966, it was back on the college campus circuit as another "strike force" of Sing-Out '66 cast members performed a one hour show for 800 Peabody and Scarritt College students in the auditorium of Peabody's Social-Religious building (see photo above).

According to THE NASHVILLE BANNER, there were again rave reviews. "Each cast member seems so dedicated. We need more of this kind of thing," said one student after the show. Said another:"This show makes you proud to be an American." A third student added:"This the best thing I've ever seen." And a final student remarked:" The whole performance demonstrates to me that young people in this country still have something and are not going to the dogs." (Ironically, Nashville's Sing-Out South would soon be singing a new song, written by Bill Cates, entitled "WE REFUSE TO GO TO THE DOGS."

Leaving Peabody, the Sing-Out '66 task force went back downtown to once again perform in the ballroom of the Hermitage Hotel. This time it was a luncheon performance for members of the Tennessee Press Association who gave the cast two standing ovations. Said one editor: "Thank God these kids are for America. If they were on the other side, I'm afraid we wouldn't have a chance." Added THE BANNER story: "Some just walked out with tears in their eyes."

So impressed were some TPA members that the next night over 100 of them would stay in Nashville to attend the full Sing-Out '66 show held at Vanderbilt's Memorial Gym.

Following the TPA show that Friday afternoon, according to THE BANNER "cast members relaxed....some of the male members took advantage of going to the (old downtown) YMCA (above) for a round of basketball, handball, volleyball and swimming."

The paper also reported that later Friday evening "most of the troupe...attended WSM's internationally-famed Grand Ole Opry (held in the Ryman Auditorium above) where the MRAers observed a television taping of the country western music show and participated in a portion of the two hour radio program.

According to THE BANNER: "The Colwell Brothers, stars of "Sing Out" sang "Freight Train Blues" and the cast joined them for "Up With People." The audience gave them a standing ovation."

So it was quite a day, even an historic one for Sing-Out '66, as it appeared on what has become the longest running live radio show ever.

But as the cast of Sing-Out '66 tried to get a good night's rest after the Opry show, something was happening. Facing major two-hour show performances, one set at Vanderbilt Saturday night and two closing shows on Sunday back at the Fairgrounds Coliseum, the weather took a bad turn (see above) as a winter storm blew into Nashville dumping 7.5 inches of snow on the city and bringing frigid artic air that plunged temperatures well below freezing. 45 years later the snowstorm still ranks 12th among the largest one-day snowfalls ever in this community.

Today Nashville has a well-deserved reputation as a town that panics and all but shuts down when it snows. What happened during Sing Out '66's last weekend in Music City?

You might be surprised when you read our next installment posted tommorrow (Saturday, January 22) here on the blog.

When Sing-Out First Came To Nashville--Day 4--January 20, 1966

After playing before an estimated 12,000 people during their first three days in Nashville, the cast of Sing-Out'66 took a brief break to play tourists on Thursday morning, January 20,1966 (see photo above). They took a tour the Hermitage, the historic home of President Andrew Jackson, and then were honored with a special luncheon at the nearby "Cabin-By-The-Spring" hosted by NASHVILLE BANNER Publisher, James G. Stahlman. At the luncheon, according to the BANNER, the cast was also welcomed by a representative of the Ladies Hermitage Association who said: "Could General Jackson be here today, I am sure he would take extreme pleasure in greeting each of you. You espouse the very ideals for which he fought and by which he lived."

Some 27 high school cast members of Sing-Out '66 also took time that week to visit Nashville's new Ben West Library downtown (see photo above) . They did it to study as a part of the traveling Sing-Out High School. THE BANNER had an article (January 19) saying the school was in session in three separate rooms in the Nashville library with a full staff of 10 teachers-tutors also on site.

By the way, the paper reported as well that the high schoolers had just completed a lesson concerning Andrew Jackson right before coming to Nashville.

No doubt there were a lot of young Nashville high school students who read the news coverage about Sing-Out High School. Little did some of them realize that they too would be a part of these classes in just a few months (in the fall of 1966), after first joining Sing-Out South later in the winter, and then a national Up With People cast that summer.

But it wasn't long before Sing-Out '66 was back on stage in Nashville (see above). According to THE BANNER coverage, Thursday evening at the Fairgrounds Coliseum:" A wildly cheering crowd of about 5,000 senior parochial and Metro high school students gave Sing-Out '66 five standing ovations...as the musical troupe presented a snappy two-hour show. The area youngsters continued to cry for more even after the MRA cast had run through three encores."

Actually, this was the first time entire cast had been together on stage in Nashville to present its full show. The previous Nashville performances had been only one hour in length and involved a smaller "strike force" of cast members.

Regardless, audience response continued to be electric.Among the comments reported by THE BANNER from the audience: "This show is beyond words. I have never been so impressed in my life." Said another student: "If we can get the spirit of it going across the country, it'll be great. We've needed something like this for a long time." And one of the young people responding went right to the point and voiced the hope that, "we can a Sing-Out started in this area as soon as possible. This show is great."

With more shows scheduled for Friday and the weekend ahead, spirits were high over the Sing-Out visit to Nashville and the possible creation of a local sing-out here. But that would be challenged in coming days as Mother Nature stood poised to hit the city with a a series of signficant snowstorms.

More on that Friday in our next blog posting here.

When Sing-Out '66 First Came to Nashville: Day 3--January 19, 2011

Day 3 for Sing-Out '66 in Nashville (January 19, 2011) began with more performances at local colleges and universities. That included (above) at then Tennessee A&I University (now Tennessee State) where THE BANNER reported a crowd of over 6,000 students in the school's Kean's Little Garden gymnasium that resulted in:"a solid force of cheers and applause (which) erupted from the university's massive wing of ROTC cadets (seen above in the middle of audience)at the close of the one-hour MRA performance."

After the show the cast members were guests at a luncheon on campus held by A&I President, Dr. W.S. Davis, who was quoted as saying:"The principles that guide these youngsters are certainly against the burning of draft cards and those extreme groups now opposing America's efforts in Viet Nam. To the Sing-Out '66 group, thank you for coming. To its sponsor--Mr. James Stahlman thank you for bringing them."

At the luncheon, the tables were turned as A&I students presented their own talent show to Sing-Out '66 cast members. It was so impressive that, according to the BANNER, "Steve Colwell, one of the famed brothers in the MRA show observed, There's some excellent talent out at A&I. I hope we can recruit some for our Southern tour."

Indeed that did eventually happen in a way, with TSU student Melvin Turner (seen above) described that day as "an acrobatic tap dancer--who scooted about the dining room, shaking hands with the MRAers as he moved down the aisle-ways" joined Sing-Out South for its opening shows at Hillsboro High School in March, 1966, then joined Sing-Out'66 shortly thereafter for its tour of West Germany, perhaps the first SOS member to join the national cast.

Later that evening on January 19, there was a show by Sing-Out '66 for students at Fisk and Meharry Medical College attracting over 1,000 people who jammed their way into the historic Fisk Chapel (see above). Among those attending was the Catholic Bishop of Tennessee, the Most Reverend Joseph A. Durick.

According to coverage in THE BANNER, the audience at Fisk demanded and got Sing-Out's first encore of the week and afterwards Fisk students visited with cast members for over an hour. Comments after the show sounded like this (according to the the paper): "A wonderful inspiration," Their purpose is what America needs,"I never was belted with so much happiness in my life."

After three days in the city, the momentum was really building. As you can see from THE BANNER front page above, an additional show at the Fairgrounds Coliseum was being added for Sunday evening, while more Nashville media outlets also were getting involved.

WLAC Radio, 1510 AM announced it was taping the entire two-hour Sing-Out concert at the Coliseum that Saturday evening and would play it back on the air Sunday at 1:30 p.m., while WLAC-TV, Channel 5 said a filmed segment of Sing-Out, with the group performing "Up with People", would be shown in-color on the station's "Newsbeat" program on Thursday night at 6 p.m.

There was also growing interest in what comes next. So many students wanted to learn more about MRA and Sing-Out after seeing the shows, more than 200 attended a meeting with cast members and other MRA officials held Wednesday afternoon at the War Memorial Auditorium, a location made available (at no charge by Governor Frank Clement) after it was clear a hotel room reserved would not hold the crowd. A second meeting was set for Saturday at the Andrew Jackson Hotel near the Capitol.

And with the students and faculty at Tennessee A&I talking about developing a "sing-out" of their own at the school, it was obvious there was a move afoot to create a local Sing-Out cast, an effort that would gather further stream in the days ahead as you will see in our next blog posting on Thursday.

And it would all come about despite the efforts of Mother Nature which dumped one of the largest snowstorms in the city's history on Nashville in the days ahead.

A Postscript

One very interesting update to share about something we discussed here on the blog yesterday.

It concerns Linda Blackmore of Sing-Out '66 (photo above). She got rave reviews for her performances here in Nashville, including one at then-Belmont College. You can see the student reaction below.

I pointed out Jim Troutner, a future Sing-Out South and UWP leader and cast soloist in the photo above (he's on the left in the photo, at the end of the second row in a coat and tie).

I also speculated that somewhere in the photo above might be her future husband, Bill Cates, who, like Jim Troutner, was also a Belmont student at the time. Bill would have been seeing Linda and hearing her sing for the first time.

Sure enough, I got this e-mail from Linda who relates: "Bill says that when he was sitting in the audience near Jim Troutner during that first performance in Nashville(I think Bill is in the row in front of Jim third from the left), and while I was singing, he leaned over to Jim and told him he was going to marry 'that girl'!!"

And sure enough they did, as Bill (seen above) also became a leader and musical director of both Sing-Out South and Up With People. They met and married during that time, ultimately moving back to the Nashville area to raise a family. They just recently celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary!

And it all began with the show at Belmont that fateful day and week 45 years ago!

A photo of Linda and Bill in recent years.

When Sing-Out First Came To Nashville: Day 2--January 18, 1966

For Sing-Out '66, the cast's first full day in Nashville began with late afternoon and early evening one-hour shows, first at then-Belmont College (above), and then just down Belmont Blvd at then-David Lipscomb College (below).

According to reports in THE NASHVILLE BANNER (the major sponsor for the Sing-Out tour),"overflow crowds at both Belmont and Lipscomb colleges thunderously applauded the musicale and wildly screamed for more." The BANNER article continued: "At David Lipcomb College, (there were)more than 4,000 students, who spilled over onto the gym floor, started clapping and yelling in the middle of several numbers and were on their feet at the conclusion."

There were similar overflow crowds at the show held in Belmont's gym (see above) with students "who overflowed into the vestibule and the hallways of the chapel." Belmont student reaction included these: "Tremendous...I had to get out to see it. Thank God for people like this." Said another student: "Unbelievable, I did not think the students would turn out for the show in the middle of exams. I have never seen students respond like this to anything from off campus."

But turn out and response they did!

For example, look closely at the photo above at the young man on the end of the second row in a dark sportscoat. That is Belmont Student Body President, Jim Troutner, likely watching Sing-Out live for the first time. Soon he would become a leader and solist in Sing-Out South and later joined Up With People, touring the nation and the world.

There were similar reaction among the Lipscomb students, some of whom told THE BANNER: "Great! These kids show what American youth really is." Said another: "Fabulous! It is superior to anything I've seen. What we need are more Sing-Outs."

One particular Sing-Out '66 cast member being singled out for praise was Linda Blackmore (above). Some years later, she would come to live in the Nashville area and raise her family here after marrying Bill Cates. Bill was a Belmont student in 1966. He may well have been in the audience that very day, seeing Sing-Out and Linda for the first time.

Concerning Linda there were two different glowing reports in THE BANNER about her performances at Belmont and Lipscomb(including one from the paper's music critic, Werner Zepernick): "Another fine talent is Linda Blackmore. Comely in appearance, she sang "Somewhere Just Beyong Tomorrow" with a pleasing voice and fine stage decorum." Said another report in the paper by Lee Bandy: "Linda Blackmore of Los Angeles, with beautful diction and a clear soprano voice, warmed the audience with her rendition of "Somewhere Just Beyond Tomorrow", a song from a London musical."

The BANNER reporter and critic also singled out for praise, "Negro Charles Woodward of Florida A&M ,who wowed the audience with an operatic aria (Rigeletto) and his lead role in the finale ("Which Way America)." The BANNER music critic called Woodward's voice "beautiful and well trained...with excellent intonation and with poise and suavity."

THE BANNER praised Sing-Out '66's drummer, Bob Qusenel, as well, pointing out that at the time, he reportedly "held the endurance record for continous drumming for more than four and one-half days." Said the BANNER Music critic: "Never before I have heard such virtuosity on a set of percussion instruments. It was an amazing exhibition, and the audience responded with frequent applause." Indeed the other BANNER reporter Lee Bandy added: "Bob Quensel...partically brought down the house with his thunderous vibrating rhythms. At Lipscomb, he was interrupted three times by applause."

So it was quite a first full day for Sing-Out in Nashville, to say the least. The evening concluded with the Metro Council unanimously approving a resolution commending THE BANNER and its publisher James Stahlman for bringing the cast to town.

Day 3 on Wednesday, January 19 would bring more similar community reaction as we will relate in our next posting here on the blog.

When Sing-Out First Came To Nashville--January 17, 1966

After two full weeks of front-page promotion by its sponsor, THE NASHVILLE BANNER, (the city's afternoon newspaper), Sing-Out '66 roared into Music City for the first time about 3:30 p.m. on Monday afternoon, January 17, 1966. It arrived on charter buses after shows in Little Rock, AK and Memphis, TN. The arrival at the War Memorial Square came with a full police escort of motorcycle officers.

The cast immediately went to the steps of the nearby State Capitol where it gave an impromptu "sing out" performance, according to the cut line for the BANNER's front-page photograph above which ran on Tuesday, January 18. Sing-Out had already been welcomed to the city the day before with the BANNERS's ringing editorial seen below.

The editorial began saying saying it is "this newspaper's privilege" to bring Sing-Out and Moral Re-Armament to Nashville, adding "despite its detractors, MRA stands solidly against Facism, Racism, Communism. It stands positively, unequivocally, openly for clean, decent behaviorism, Americaism, and belief in a Supreme Being." The paper also made it clear that it saw Sing-Out (just formed in August, 1965) as "an almost spontaneous answer by America-minded young people to the threadbare ravings of assorted punks who were getting their kicks out of hymns, and whose misanthropy was aimed also equally at disowning the United State of America and banishing God."

The evening the cast arrived in town, it was honored with a welcoming banquet held in the ballroom of the historic Hermitage Hotel. As a part of his welcoming remarks, BANNER Publisher, James G. Stahlman, the driving force at the newspaper to bring the Sing-Out '66 to Nashville, said: "I have never before seen or felt Nashvillians and Middle Tennesseans so keyed up as they appear in anticpation of your appearances here. Your fame has preceded you. I am certain that your impact and influence will be tremendous, memorable and lasting."

The cast responded to the warm welcome with a short performance at the end of the banquet. Blanton Belk (described the next day in the paper as a "former PT boat commander and U.S. Director of Moral Re-Armament") also told the audience at the banquet that "Nashville will be the launching pad for a shot heard round the world" through Sing-Out's appearances launching 'a revolution that attunes old-fashioned patriotism with the modern musical beat of youth in a new America."

The banquet show by Sing-Out '66 on the evening of January 18 also marked the premiere performance of "Volunteers of Tennessee," a song which later became a standard in every Sing-Out South show.

The lyrics and introduction of the new piece appeared in the next day's BANNER (see above) with the explanation that it was written on the "Sing-Out" bus on the way to Nashville (something which became a standard as Sing-Out and later Up With People traveled to cities and states across the country).

One interesting item about this, if you click and enlarge the news clipping above, you will find a third verse to "Volunteers", one which I don't think we used in Sing-Out South. That is likely because it made a specific reference to Mr. Stahlman that probably wuld not have translated for use in future shows. The mention of "the courage of" Confederate General Nathan Beford Forrest might have also created so issues as well down the road.


Audience response from Sing-Out's first night in Nashville was overwhelmingly positive.

According to THE BANNER, Governor Frank Clement (seen above) told the cast that "he had attended shows from New York to Hollywood, from Moscow to Hong Kong, and from London to Paris, but never had he seen one that thrilled him as your performance here tonight."

Then Congressman, later Nashville Mayor, Richard Fulton (seen above) also praised Sing-Out. According to THE BANNER, Congressman Fulton (who came down from Washington specifically to attend the opening banquet and show) said "patriotism is truth and truth leads to understanding. I believe the truth expressed here tonight could bring an honorable peace throughout the world." The Congressman also said he was going to place a tribute to the cast into the Congressional Record the next day.

Both Congressman Fulton and Governor Clement also became long-time supporters of Sing-Out South, along with Mayor Beverly Briley (see above in 1967 issuing a proclamation on behalf of Sing-Out South). The night Sing-Out '66 came to town for the first time that Mayor told the cast: " You are a fine example of American youth and you are telling the story of love of country in a language that every person can understand."

Certainly the rest of the audience responded that way. THE BANNER reported audience reactions of "fantastic, unbelieveable, tremendous, great" heard time and again. The paper added:"There were cries for "More." There were shouts of "bravo" and during the speaking the restrained but insistent and rolling undertone of the British "Hear, Hear."

So it was quite a opening night for Sing-Out '66! But it would soon be rivaled, if not exceeded, by local reaction as the cast began its tour of the city, especially its many college campuses which started the next day on Tuesday, January 18.

More on that in our next posting.F

THE NASHVILLE BANNER

When THE NASHVILLE BANNER, the city's evening newspaper ceased operations in the spring of 1998, its final edition was headlined "END OF STORY."

But for Sing-Out South and the original cast of Sing-Out '66 (later Up With People)THE BANNER was in many ways the beginning of the story as the newspaper hosted the group for a week in Nashville in mid-January, 1966.

This was the first appearance Sing-Out would make in the South and perhaps the first time Sing-Out did a concentrated series of shows in a major city.The result was nothing short of amazing, including the creation of Sing-Out South, one of the first local sing-outs and one of the most successful (with 500 young people and their parents attending the first organizing session later in the month (January 26) after the Sing-Out '66 tour of Nashville ended).

This front page story on Monday January 3 was the first mention in THE BANNER of Sing-Out'66's visit and the story stayed there on the front page every day (6 days a week Monday-Saturday)throughout the rest of the month!

That meant a full two-weeks of front page stories and photos even before the cast arrived in town on January 17! And once they arrived, the coverage expanded with pages of photos and stories every day throughout the front section of the paper.

(NOTE: If you want to learn more details, please click on any of these newspaper clippings to enlarge them for easier reading)

The first-day story and photos on January 3 set the tone for the coverage to come, featuring a world famous local celebrity, Pat Boone, who was working at that time with Sing-Out '66 as the MC for its first television special.

This is the first front-page article about Sing-Out '66 that appeared in THE BANNER on Monday, January 3, 1966. It called the show "a youthful explosion of music...whose songs of victory are already reverberating around the world." The cut line for the photo above said the group was coming to Nashville after a tour that "opened in Washington, crossed the West, then drew great ovations in Korea and Japan." The claim was also made that General William Westmoreland "has asked that the show be brought to South Viet Nam to appear before his fighting men" (a connection to that conflict that THE BANNER mentioned frequently).

The article above also outlines the strong appeal made for young people to see the show.Indeed performances were done at almost every major college and university in town (and being the Athens of the South that was, and is, quite a few). There was also an outreach planned to high school students with major shows held at the Fairgrounds Coliseum.

Endorsements of Sing-Out such as the one above by Metro Schools Director Dr. John Harris (and later by almost every major education and political leader in Nashville) were a major part of the promotional strategy.

Said Dr. Harris about Sing-Out:" This program goes beyond the realm of entertainment and patriotism...The message portrayed in this program can be regarded as inspiration and faith. ...Through the media of song and speech, these young people are bringing to the people a message indicating that American youth understand their obligations and responsibilities and particularly their appreciation of freedom--freedom as Americans know it."

This front page cartoon which ran the week prior to Sing-Out '66's arrival in Nashville is another example of the outreach to the city's young people. With the promotion continuing as the newspaper printed the planned schedule of shows every day in each edition.

But the endorsement below probably did the most to grab my attention and make me decide to see the Sing-Out show. It came from Father James Hitchcock, my principal at Father Ryan High School,and the Director of Catholic Schools for the entire Diocese of Nashville..

As a freshman at Father Ryan at that time, Father Hitchcock was a strong authority figure in my life. After reading in the paper, what he said below, how could I not decide to go see Sing-Out?

" As local representative for the Catholic school system, I shall insist that every single student of ours attend the program. I sincerely believe it will make him appreciate his American heritage and his personal responsibility to protect that heritage."

And there's more to share about the coverage of Sing-Out '66 by THE NASHVILLE BANNER.

Beginning Monday, January 17, I hope to post a daily update here of what THE BANNER did each day while the cast was here.

Looking back 45 years later, it remains simply astounding. The paper's coverage, along with the talent and enthusiasm of Sing-Out '66 cast itself, are clearly the compelling reasons that Sing-Out South came into existence.