The Rock Spot – People Songs Radio
By WTJU Rock
The first episode of the People Songs Radio Show is now out. Hosted by Charlottesville singer and activist Devon Sproule the show is a one hour collection of music past and present for the people (obviously); a short history of the original People Songs movement; a tribute to that amazing woman of the people, Dolly Parton, interspersed with rather amusing spoof traffic, sports and weather reports.
The People Songs movement is a revival of the organization started in 1945 by folk singers Pete Seeger, Beth Lomax Hawes, Woody Gurthrie, Alan Lomax, Josh White, Lee Hays and many others. Driven by the belief that folk music was an effective force for social change, they wanted the organization to make that possible, by writing and singing songs for and about the labour movement. They would hold singing events called hootenannies, wrote pamphlets that became ‘Sing Out’ and provided musicians and songs of protest when requested.
In January 2026, activist singer Carsie Blanton, along with Devon Sproule, and other activist musicians, met on a political writing retreat to plan the resurrection of People Songs. The People Songs Radio Show emerged from these beginnings.
Episode 1, People Songs – Music for a Billionaire-Free Future. Music selected for this episode included Nina Simone, Barbara Dane, Billy Bragg, SAULT, The Coup and from Chile, Violetta Parra and Victor Jara.
The latter’s El Derecho De Vivir En Paz (The Right To Live in Peace) played on this episode, is amazingly beautiful and heart wrenching for Jara was one of many people murdered under Pinochet’s bloody regime.
Music is powerful. On the show Billy Bragg, the British singer whose entire career has been devoted to social justice, said that ‘the currency of music is empathy and it seems there is a war on empathy right now.’ Having pondered this statement for a day or two I eventually realized how soothing the words, ‘right now’ are. Right now things are like this, later they will be different. There is hope. This is not going to last forever.
Like a protest march that is serious but uplifting, even fun, People Songs Radio continues in that vein the work started all those years ago by musicians empowering the people. It can be found on Instagram, People_Songs, and maybe one day on your favourite radio station.
Carsie Blanton will be at the Southern on October 15th. She put on a cracker of a show when she was last here and this one will no doubt be as good. She is supported by the Burning Hell and Devon Sproule.
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