>> why is it, in your opinion, that there has not been a movement among younger musicians to be what you did and what so many of your colleagues did in the '60s which is to write about it, to use the music to galvanize the masses, to get our government or our leaders to move on this in a way that brings results? >> a couple things are going on here. first of all, and i'm sure it precedes the romans, but they were credited with circuses, where you give the people a little to eat and you give them something to watch and we'll be able to control them. and that's exactly what's going on today. i think the people that own the world's media you can count on two hands, they don't want protest songs on their airwaves, they don't want it on the radio, they don't want it on the tv. they want you to lie down, be sheep, don't say anything, buy

another pair of sneakers, buy another soda, and leave us alone while we rob you. that's what's going on today. on a very, very subtle level and sometimes not so subtle. there are many protest songs still being written. if you go to neal young's website, living with war, you'll see about 3,000 of them. but the people that control the media don't want to hear any of that. it used to be that most of the societal changes came from universities, especially the sarbonne in paris and berkeley in northern california and london to a certain extent. we have trained our kids to be doing this. that's all they do all day. and it's great for them. but it's not really a part of the real world about what's going on. we have distracted ourselves from the importance of what's really going on. we are much more interested in justin bieber's monkey and the size of kim kardashian's ass than we are in afghanistan, in

yemen, in somalia, in iraq. on the surface of things, we don't stand a chance. but i can't believe that. i have to believe that there is hope. i have to believe that the upcoming generations will see through all this buying of democracy, will see through the neocons always going for their gun first. i think the kids today are smart, i think that they will see through all this, and i think eventually they will find their way of protesting. the way i was brought up is to speak my mind through music. and that's what i'll continue to do as long as i'm on this side of the grass. let me respeak myself.

>> the idea that crosby, stills & nash, crosby, stills, nash & young, or just crosby & nash, you've had different combinations, but there's always been great harmonies of songs that moved us, made us think a little more. you're 72 years old, as you said, and clearly you've had a long career. what's next with the relevance of the songs you perform and music you continue to write speaks not just to our generation but to younger generations as well? >> i've never planned my life. i've only reacted to what was going on in front of me. my mother and father told me when i was a young child that i was a decent person and that if i followed my heart and my

conscience, i would be okay. and it's very true. i mean, we have choices, right? which way do you choose? do you choose the one that makes you feel good, that makes everybody around you feel okay, or do you follow this other path of greed and violence. we have a choice. and i choose the positive side. i've always been -- i don't think i changed as a person since i was born. i've always been this person. i've always had a need to shout my mouth off for some reason. i've always championed the underdog, i've always been for what i thought was most fair. and i'll continue to do that. i don't see any other way of living. i have about 25 new songs. i'm about to try and figure out some time to go into the studio.

some of the songs are a stretch from, you know, csn, although people want to hear "teach your children," all that, our audience loves that they can hear it that morning. on the latest tour, that's exactly what happened. i sang a song to my beautiful wife and wrote it at 4:00 in the morning. and did it that night. i messed it up a little. because it was brand new. nothing was perfect, as you could hear from me over there on the piano, but it stretches from that to -- when david and steven and neil and i were helping to protest the vietnam war, there was one image that we really truly loved, and that was of the burning monk, the monk that burned himself to protest the war.

it was on every single newspaper throughout the world because it was horrendous. a man burned himself because of what he believed in? what you don't know, in the last year 128 tibetan monks have burned themselves to death because of what's going on with the chinese government who are trying to obliterate them. you try writing a song about that. but it was so important for us to do it that my friend james raymond, who is our keyboard player in the band who happens to be david's son, a brilliant writer, james and i wrote a song called "burning for the buddha." so once again, my emotions are running from a deep love for someone i spent the last 30-odd years in my life and have many children with to what's happening today in the news. it will continue to be that way for me.

i wake up in the morning, i take my first breath, i'm glad to be alive and i get on with my day. and my days are very interesting. >> if you don't believe him, you could read his book because you have written a wonderful memoir that has an interesting photo on the cover, if i'm not mistaken. it's you with a camera around your neck. because if there's another thing that you love as much as music, about your love of photography and how that related to music in your life. >> i was 10 years old. we were -- we were a very poor family. my father worked very hard, but at the weekends when he wasn't working one of the main joys in his life, he bought a camera from a friend of his at work, he would take pictures of me and my sister, i only had one sister at that point at the local zoo, you know, elephants, giraffes, all of that kind of stuff. and when i was 10 years old, we lived in a house that was called a two up two down,

which was two small room lived in a house called two up,t two down, which was two rooms downstairs and two small rooms upstairs.nd he but he would take the blanket oo my bed and put it against the re window to block out the light, and he would prepare photographs.as and i remember this one earlie particular day i was with him. we had been to the zoo earlier d enla he put this kind of negative iee thing and this enlarger thing l and shined it on a piece of seo blank paper, and he said, wait.d i'm waiting and waiting. 45 seconds to a 10-year-old is , like summer, but instantly this image came floating out of nowhere. is it was a piece of magic i'll never, ever forget.f po a book i have of my photographs, was i took of my mother when i was 11. 1 so i've been a photographer

longer than i've been a musician, and i've always been a very visual person. and i, you know, i'm this l y insanely lucky man. nort i can't tell you how lucky i am. it what the hell am i doing in austin, texas talking to you guys ? it's been an insane life and it's shown no signs of stopping. no sign whatsoever. like i said, 25 new songs. but you know what? do have 24 finished songs that you've written inside.out us until they're out on whatever ie is. it used to be 78s and 45s, vinyl, now it's digital, whatever that format is. that y songs can't leave my soul until they're out there and you're log

listening to them. so right now you're looking at a very tormented man who has songs that are all going, please, ell, >> well, graham, we hope that we get to hear those songs, and we appreciate all the music that you've given us over the years.e i'm sure i speak on behalf of the audience here that we've sts appreciated everything that youn and crosby, stills & nash and young and all your colleagues ndve given us. it's been a wonderful musical and i hope, we hope, that you >u continue to write as well. >> should i play you my latest song that i wrote at 4:30 in the morning? >> you got it. [applause] >> let me see here.

i'm a very simple man and i'm totally serious about that. i'm not a clever musician. the i hardly know anything about the piano or the guitar, but i know what i need to say. and this song is for you all. nh this is the one i finished at 4:30 in the morning and sang that night. it's called "here for you." ♪ i'm here for you ♪ just look at what we've been through together all these years ♪. ♪ i'm here for you all ♪ through all the laughter and

through all the tears ♪ side ♪ i'm by your side ♪ through thick and thin ♪ we will always be friends ♪ i'm by your side ♪ holding on till the very end ♪ day to day i think about our life together ♪ ♪ with the children and a future that's been born ♪ ♪ and it would break my heart if we were not together ♪

♪ knowing we'll go on and on ♪ i'm here for you ♪ and all the memories that passed ♪ ♪ i'm here for you ♪ the love we share is a love s that lasts ♪ ♪ i'm here for you [ applause ] >> thank you.

>> graham nash. [ applause ] this weekend on the c-span networks. tonight on c-span, native american history. then on saturday, live all-day coverage from the national book science pavilion. saturday evening from bbc scotland, a debate on scotland's upcoming decision to end it's political union with england, and then chief justice of the second circuit court of appeals. on c-span 2 tonight at 8:00 p.m., in depth with former congressman, ron paul. and then on saturday all-day coverage at the history and biography pavilions. speaker and call-ins by authors. sunday at 9:00 p.m. eastern, afterwards with william boroughs talking about his book, the astroid threat.

on american history tv on c-span 3 tonight, nasa documentary about the apollo 11 moon landing. and then saturday on the civil war, general williams shermans atlanta campaign. sunday night, a look at election laws and the supreme court case of bush versus gore. find our television schedule at c-spann c-span.org and let us know about the programs you're watching. call us at 202-626-3400. sweet tweet us /* /- or you can e-mail us. follow us on facebook. follow us on twitter. next on american history tv, the smithsonian's national museum of american history commemorates flag day and the 200th anniversary of the "star-spangled banner." with speeches and a variety performances. the program ends with a simultaneous nationwide singing of the national anthem.

this event is about an hour and a half. >> how is everybody doing here. pretty good? i want to welcome you to the national museum of natural history. my name is xavier. today, we are celebrating our national and international flag day sing along for the 200th anniversary of our star spangled banner. that's right. 200 years ago this year, francis scott wrote the words to a poem. they wrote the national anthem, the star spangled banner. we explore america's history through collections, research and public outreach. we help people understand the past to better make sense of the present and shape a more humane

future. we hope our program will do that by bringing the nation together around the national anthem. by the way, we are not just bringing people here in washington, d.c. on the national mall, but all over the country and indeed, world. i would like to send a special welcome the audience watching via youtube, ustream and espn 3. thinking of bringing people together, the opening conductor is known for bringing singers from all over the world with his infamous and very well-done choir projects. join me in thanking grammy winning composer, mr. eric whittaker. [ applause ] also, let me introduce you all to today's choir.

i got to tell you, these guys are great. i had a lot of fun with them earlier today at rehearsal. they are organized by the performing arts and classical movements. 400 voices from 45 states age 9 to 81. let's give them a hand. [ applause ] we would like to thank our men and women from the united states air force. as you can see we have the united states air force band and singing sergeants with us today. they are not only performing. much of it being run behind the scenes is done by men and women of the united states air force. please, recognize them with a hand. also, we would like to thank the national parks service. without them, we wouldn't have this mall.

also at park service sites across the country, folks are watching us online. please recognize them. and you are in for really good performances today. many of them made possible by our friends at wool and tusk management. give them a big hand. [ applause ] >> all right. now to help us kick off this event, i would like to welcome our esteemed first speaker. please welcome the 12th secretary of the smithsonian institution, dr. wayne plouffe. >> good afternoon. great day. enjoying it? welcome to the smithsonian national museum of american

history, your museum. thank you for all coming to help us celebrate the grand 200th anniversary of one of our nation's most iconic objects, the star-spangled banner. today, on flag day, we celebrate in word, song and performance. today we lift every voice and sing. i want to thank the many talented performers who are here with us today, especially this gifted choir behind me composed of singers from sea to shining sea. let's give them a hand. [ applause ] thanks also the u.s. air force concert band who represent our brave men and women serving around the world. give them applause. [ applause ] many thanks to our undersecretary for history arts

and culture richard juran, deputy director of this museum and all my colleagues participating to help us organize this wonderful event. thanks go to our friends and supporters, friends at the national park service, john f. kennedy center for the performing arts, wool and tusk, classical movements who worked so hard with us to make this day special for all of us. the star-spangled banner was born in baltimore. we are honored to welcome the former mayor of baltimore and current governor of the great state of maryland, the honorable martin o'malley. he'll be speaking shortly. as well as the director of the maryland historical society. we thank both of them for the loan of the francis scott key's original manuscript displayed today here with the flag for the first time in our history. opera singer renee fleming's gown worn when she sang the national anthem during the 2014 super bowl is also on display. we thank renee. every day, millions of flags fly

in big cities and small towns like the one where i came from all across our nation. they hang on front porches and store fronts, schools, military bases, museums, cities, state and federal buildings. small children carry them in big parades. i even have a flag that was carried in outer space by a friend of mine who was an astronaut. our military men and women carry them into battle. they mark the graves of the fallen at arlington national cemetery, gettysburg and the american cemetery in normandy, france. & means. we salute those who defend it and those who live up to it. everything those flags stand for everywhere is symbolized by one flag here, and that is the star-spangled banner. it is here, but we at the smithsonian don't own it.

you own it, the american people. we take care of it and we have for more than a century. we preserve it and display it for the american people, and visitors from around the world who seek to understand our country, our culture and its great history. as one of our curators here once said, there is an accurate perception that we are forever, that we will care for an object eternally. this is a sacred trust we at the smithsonian take seriously because we owe it to the american people. we tell america's stories, stories of courage, of struggle, sacrifice and triumph. our scholars and experts will use the latest technology and techniques to keep this flag alive for generations to come. so your children and your children's children can learn from the lessons it teaches all of us. you can see it here today. you can visit any time online. please do. it's your flag. it's part of the history and fabric of our country. for even more information on

this important time in our history, please explore our online exhibition from our national portrait gallery, 1812 the nation emerges. out on the star-spangled story, battle for america, with insights from curators from this museum. historian david mccullough once wrote history teaches us what we stand for, what we ought to be willing to stand up for. history is or should be the bedrock of patriotism, not the chest pounding kind of patriotism but the real thing, love of country. his words stand the test of time. thank you for being with us today and enjoy. [ applause ] thank you very much, mr. secretary. thanks to the work of secretary

clough and many others, the smithsonian is using this opportunity, this wonderful flag day celebration, to bring the nation together. there are a lot of people helping us out with this celebration including 115 national partners, such as aarp, capital girl scout council, veterans of foreign wars, there really are too many others to name. in 30 states and two countries hosting 86 watch parties. many of these watch parties are hosted also by some of our 200 smithsonian institution affiliates. added to that at 600 macy's stores around the country, people will be joining us to sing along. that means from sumner, washington, the home of the rhubarb pie, to iraq, there could be folks all around the globe singing with us today at 4:00 p.m. we want to thank all of them for joining us. i hope you guys are ready. are you? are you tired of hearing me talk?

i think that's what you are really saying to me. i think it's time for another performance. i'd like to do that by welcoming again our choir and also welcoming the united states air force band and singing sergeants to perform the battle hymn of the republic, commanded and conducted by colonel larry h. lang. [ applause ] ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the lord ♪ ♪ he is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored ♪ ♪ he hath loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword ♪ ♪ his truth is marching on ♪ i have seen him in the watch fires of 100 circling camps ♪ ♪ they have builded him an altar in the evening dews and damps ♪ ♪ in the beauty of the lilies

christ was born across the sea ♪ ♪ glory glory hallelujah glory glory hallelujah glory glory hallelujah ♪ marching on ♪ glory, glory, hallelujah ♪ glory glory hall hallelujah ♪

♪ glory, glory, hallelujah ♪ glory glory hallelujah ♪ glory, glory, hallelujah our god is marching on.

♪ in the beauty of the lilies christ was born across the sea ♪ ♪ with the glory in his bosom that transfigured you and me ♪ ♪ as he died to make men holy let us live to make men free ♪ while god is marching on ♪ ♪ glory, glory, hallelujah ♪ glory glory hallelujah our god is marching on ♪

♪ glory, glory, hallelujah ♪ glory, glory hallelujah ♪ glory, glory, hallelujah our god is marching on ♪ ♪ [ applause ]

>> that was great, everyone. thanks a lot. much like julio wardhouse words in the "battle hymn," the star-spangled banner inspires us all. we want to join in that inspiration having the star-spangled banner to inspire us in something and you take a turn joining in that inspiration, as well. there are people watching us all over the country, all over the world. there are a lot of you here watching under the sound of my voice. many of you are going to be taking lots of pictures and taking lots of video of this event and of your various watch parties. what we'd like you to do is share those photos and videos with us online. while there, you can check out our interactive banner yet waves timeline. it features artists like aloe black, train, angie johnson and all of these artists have worked with us at the smithsonian to

craft their own special version of the star-spangled banner in celebration of this great occasion. it's really nice. i've seen lots of those videos. please make sure you check it out. it's easy to do. all the instructions and information you need is on our website, anthemforamerica.smithsonian. com. speaking of the wonderful artists in our timeline, many come from longstanding traditions in american music. our next performer fits with that position. she is part of the historic legacy of the carter family. she has the bloodline of legends such as mother maybelle carter and june carter cash. after nearly a century of their first recordings, she makes sure that that circle remains unbroken. so please welcome recording artist carline carter. >> thank you. hi. this is a little song about what

it was like for me growing up as a little girl and traveling around with mother maybelle and the singing carter sisters. my little story. ♪ in my grandma's house her children would sing ♪ ♪ guitars a-twanging and laughter ringing ♪ ♪ i was little but i was the biggest kid ♪ ♪ i wanted to do what the grown-ups did ♪ ♪ in a big shiny car we'd head down the road ♪ ♪ sing for the miners who brought out the coal ♪ ♪ at times slept on the floor boards cold ♪

♪ on a quilt my little sister the wildwood rose ♪ ♪ and if i could change a thing in this world ♪ ♪ i'd go back to the days with grandma in her curls ♪ ♪ singing sweet and low ♪ and the wildwood rose ♪ we'd be way down the road by the break of dawn ♪ ♪ biscuits and gravy and a truck stop song ♪ ♪ in a world all fine ♪ i saw what i saw ♪ in the rear view mirror ♪ i'd get a wink from my grandma ♪ ♪ if i could change a thing in this world ♪

♪ i'd go back to the days of grandma in her curls ♪ ♪ singing sweet and low for me and the wildwood rose ♪ ♪ a lay a o a lee a o o lay dee who a lee o lay dee ♪ ♪ oh i'll always remember the day that she died ♪ ♪ my daddy he called me and he started to cry ♪ ♪ i rode on an airplane with all of my pain ♪

♪ my tears would not stop ♪ we stood in a circle and sang ♪ ♪ will the circle be unbroken by and by, lord, by and by ♪ there's a better on the way in the sky, lord, in the sky ♪ y'all want to sing it with me. jqqqdr and by, by and by ♪ ♪ there's a better on the way in the sky, lord, in the sky ♪

♪ in the sky lord in the sky >> thank you, all. it was an honor to be here. let's have a great flag day. whoo-hoo! [ applause ] ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ tis a gift to be simple tis a gift to be sweet ♪ ♪ tis a gift to come down where we ought to be ♪ ♪ when we find ourselves in the place just right it will be in the valley of love and delight ♪ ♪ where true simplicity is

gained to bow and to bend we shant be ashamed ♪ ♪ to turn, turn will be our divide, turning, turning we come round round ♪ ♪ tis a gift to be simple, tis a gift to be free tis a gift to come down where we ought to be ♪ ♪ where we find ourselves in a place just right we'll be in the valley in love and delight ♪ ♪ when simplicity is gained we shant be ashamed ♪ ♪ it shall be a delight we come round round ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ tis the gift to be simple and the gift to be free ♪ ♪ tis the gift to come down where we ought to be ♪ ♪ and when we find ourselves in the place just right ♪ ♪ twill be in the valley of love and delight ♪ ♪ we shant be ashamed

♪ to turn, turn will be our delight ♪ ♪ till by turning, turning we come round right ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ >> we want to thank the united states air force band and singing sergeants for that special arrangement of the

shaker tune "simple gifts" featuring master sergeant emily wellington. let's give them and her a hand. [ applause ] now, for those of you here in washington, if you're out on the mall, you might see, and probably have already seen, some of our many volunteers who are working together to help give people information, get them where they need to go, direct them to the opening of the museum where you can go in. and i really want to recognize them for coming forward and helping us with this the wonderful event. can you please give them a big hand. [ applause ] the easy way to find them is they have the words raised in stylized version of the 15 star and stripes flag on their shirts. that was done for us by the martin agency. i would like to recognize them as well and their president john adams, who is also a member of

the board here at the national museum of american history. so let's give them a hand as well. [ applause ] here at the national museum of american history, we are the stewards of america's history. and also of the star spangled banner flag, which is sometimes known as the great garrison flag. now some of you are looking at me strange. you did hear my words correctly. these flags that are sung about in the star-spangled banner is right inside of this building behind me. there are people as we speak looking at it right now in an exhibition. when we're done, you all can go around to the open entrance, go inside the museum, see all the wonderful collections we have on display. but also see that star spangled banner flag, the flag talked about in our national anthem. when francis scott key saw that same flag flying 200 years ago,

he was inspired to hand write a poem in a manuscript. believe it or not, that manuscript is also on display in this building, inside the national museum of american history. the original 1814 manuscript of our national anthem. the stewards of that manuscript are the maryland historical society. i would like to introduce you to the president and ceo of the historical society. he's a singular historian and interpreter and it's largely due to his efforts that the manuscript and the flag have been brought together for the first time in 200 years. as a matter of fact, probably closer to each other than they have ever been before. so please join me in welcoming mr. burt kummerow. [ applause ]

>> how exciting it is to be here among this great american music, particularly the carter family. very exciting. good afternoon, everyone. and this wonderful, glorious day, this flag day. we at the maryland historical society are honored to be sharing our star spangled banner manuscript written by francis scott key on september 16th, 1814. today, as these two american icons, the giant flag and tiny document are joined for the very first time, i have a short story to tell you. no one in baltimore knew what to expect when dawn broke september 14th, 1814. the night had been stormy, violent, enemy bridge ships, so-called bomb vessels named

meteor, volcano, aetna, and devastation, have been lobbying 200-pound exploding bombs at ft. mchenry for 20 hours straight. screaming rockets were lighting up the gloomy darkness. the americans were returning fire from gun batteries lying in the shore. it had been quite a show for baltimore, noisy, terrifying, and hypnotic. every american within range, soldier, or private citizen was watching anxiously from roof and hilltop alike. the future of baltimore and perhaps the young united states republic itself were hanging in the balance. ever since 1812 when the u.s. declared war against the strongest nation, the fast growing port of baltimore and the chesapeake bay community had been prime targets. in the hot, stormy summer of

1814, nightmares came true. the u.s. capitol and the white house went up in flames. the u.s. president fled for his life from the invading red coats, and now it was baltimore's turn. city residents knew that the british would show no quarter if they entered the city. fast baltimore clippers, privateers had been preying on enemy merchant ships throughout the entire war. the city would have been left in ruins if the invaders succeeded. two days earlier, desperate fighting at north point killed a british general, and faced with 15,000 entrenched and determined defenders with 100 cannons, the enemy land attack had already failed. but with ft. mchenry guarding the harbor fall under the fierce naval bombardment. would marines be in streets with burning torches? first light brought curiosity, nerves, and hope.

thousands of eyes peered at the point of land in the distance. suddenly, cheers started swelling up throughout the harbor. the flag was still there. one volunteer summed up the many tears of joy. tears of joy. we were filled with exaltation. at beholding the stars and stripes, still floating in the breeze. another witness watched from the british fleet where he was detained after negotiating the release of prisoners under a flag of truce. francis scott key, a successful 35-year-old lawyer and the new national capital was also a gentleman poet. within two days he put pen to paper vividly describing in four verses the well of emotions everyone felt at this very unlikely victory. set to a popular club song called "the defense of ft. mchenry," it was picked up by

newspapers all over america and became "the star spangled banner" within a month. the humble mr. key had a simple explanation for his achievement. in that hour of deliverance and joyful triumph the heart spoke. does not such a country and such defenders of their country deserve a song? that song, forever identified with the giant flag that inspired it, remained popular, especially during public ceremonies. and in 1931, more than a century after the war that inspired it, president herbert hoover signed the bill that made it our national anthem. and today we are celebrating the winding 200-year journey that has brought a tiny piece of paper and giant flag together for the very first time. we celebrate the families of the 1814 defenders that saved these precious icons in their baltimore homes throughout the 19th century. the flag was displayed, hanging on buildings. souvenir pieces were snipped off and shared with honored guests. the manuscript was displayed in

a wall in the baltimore parlor. we celebrate the institutions in baltimore and washington they have conserved, displayed and interpreted flag and document throughout the 20th century. after more than a century, the flag is still the centerpiece of our national museum devoted to america's memory. at the maryland historical society in baltimore, our document is the focus of an 1812 exhibit that is second to none. and we celebrate mr. key's timeless words, four verses that not only discover that a garrison flag has survived the chaos of battle but also described those stars and stripes as symbols of peace and victory for a new nation that aspires to be the land of the :4 free and the home of the brave. at the start of this busy star spangled maryland summer aimed at bicentennial baltimore in september, the 170-year-old maryland historical society founded in part by the 1814

defenders themselves, is very proud to share this special moment with the smithsonian, the national capitol, and the entire nation. take time out during the next two weeks. visit two of america's most important icons together for the first time here in the national museum of american history's beautiful flag chamber. you will discover that it is a once-in-a-lifetime experience. thank you very much. [ applause ] >> thank you very much, mr. kummerow. now, i know we have a lot of people joining us all across the nation, all across the world via our webcast. but i want to take just a little moment to say something to the folks we have here.

first off, how many people live in this area? [ cheers and applause ] >> that's all i'm going to get, really? all right. how many people are natives of the washington, d.c., area? yes, yes, yes. as i'm sure all of you know, we right here in the nation's capital have some of our own regional favorites and local styles. and we certainly appreciate "the star spangled banner." we have a bit of a treat for you today because we have a group with local connections. they're from right up the road in potomac, maryland. anybody from potomac? yeah, we got a couple of people. that's great. as a bonus for you, they're actually smithsonian folkways recording label artists. smithsonian folkways supports cultural diversity and increased understanding through sound. i think you're going to love the sound that these guys make. they have been featured at concerts, television, radio,

even on the national mall during the american roots fourth of july celebration. i know you're going to love them. warner williams and jay summerour are little bit of blues. [ applause ] >> thank you. thank you. all right. nice day. nice day. ♪ ♪ if i don't get well ♪ if i don't get well ♪ i know how i'm going down

♪ write and tell my mama ♪ write and tell my mama ♪ tell her the shape that i'm in ♪ ♪ tell her pray for me ♪ ask god forgive me for my sins ♪ ♪ don't send no doctor ♪ doctor won't do me no good ♪ don't send no doctor ♪ doctor won't do me no good ♪ just pray for me and do everything in power you should ♪

♪ ♪ ♪ i had my fun ♪ if i don't get well ♪ no, no ♪ said i had my fun ♪ if i don't get well no more ♪ might have to bury me because i know i'm going down ♪ ♪ on the next train south look for my clothes ♪

♪ on the next train south look for my clothes bag ♪ ♪ ain't going to cause more trouble ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ when i get the blues going to get me a rocket ship ♪ ♪ ♪ when i get the blues, gonna get me a rocketship ♪ ♪ gonna rock, rock mama gonna rock away ♪ got the blues so bad it help hurts my tongue to hurt ♪ ♪ got the blues so bad it hurts my tongue to talk ♪ ♪ i got the blues so bad

♪ got the blues so bad ♪ i love to hear my baby call my name ♪ ♪ i love to hear my baby call my name ♪ ♪ well she called me so easy ♪ ♪ well the blues ain't nothing but a poor man feeling bad ♪ ♪ i said the blues ain't nothing but a poor man feeling bad ♪ ♪ the worse feeling that i believe i ever had ♪ ♪

♪ hurry mama bring my lollipop ♪ i said hurry mama and bring my lollipop ♪ ♪ i want to rock with the crock ♪ [ applause ] >> thank you. thank you so much. >> thank you very much. little bit of blues. "star spangled banner," at ft. mchenry, baltimore, 200 years ago. we have citizens of baltimore swro joining us online today right there and they're from -- some of them are from ft. mchenry,

national site, national park service site, hosting a watch party. hope you guys are having as much fun there as we are here. our next speaker actually represents the people of baltimore. first as the city's mayor and now in his second term as governor of maryland. he's co-chair of the council of governors, was appointed to the first ever such council by president barack obama. it is my privilege to introduce to you all today the honorable governor, martin o'malley. >> thank you very, very much. my name is martin o'malley. i'm the governor of maryland. it's a great honor to be here with all of you today. on behalf of the people of maryland. people who in both of our country's wars of independence played such a central role. not only geographically, not

only militarily, but also spiritually. in helping us to realize and to define for ourselves what it meant to be an american. one of the more poignant stories to told of the commissioning of our giant "star spangled banner" when they went to mary pinkersgill's home to commission this huge, huge flag, it was sewn together not only by mary pinkersgill and her daughters but also by a young 13-year-old african-american indentured servant girl. picture that. black hands, white hands. sewing together the stars and stripes. and i would submit to you that the thread that held that flagging to then is the thread that holds it together now and

it is the thread of human dignity, of neighbors helping neighbors. of neighbors believing in neighbors. and believing in what we could accomplish together. one out of five of the defenders of baltimore when that shock and awe force that had leveled washington turned on our city, one out of five of the defenders were african-american citizens of a still as yet very imperfect country. 50% of the defenders of baltimore were immigrants or the sons of daughters of immigrants, but together without regard to class or race, they dug trenches around our city. they held their ground. they defended this place, our place, the united states. just as flag is made stronger by the individual threads, so, too, is our country today made stronger by the individual threads of each of our stories. remind your children in this

bicentennial year when we are the first generations of americans to have experienced attacks on the continental united states, we are the first generation of americans to have felt what it was like to have our government buildings attacked. remind your children that freedom is not free. and that our country's greatness is found in one another. that's what "the star spangled banner" is about. that's what this commemoration year is about, to tell this story and lift every voice and to sing. thank you. [ applause ] >> thank you very, very much, governor o'malley, for those words. when francis scott key wrote his famous words, or the land of the free, many people living in the land had no freedom. the march toward rights and

equality had come to symbolize the american spirit for generations of people and continue to even today. james weldon and john roseman johnson immortalized this struggle in a song, a very special song that has come to be associated with the african-american civil rights movement, but whose lyrics speak to folks of all different cultures and backgrounds. much like the words of our national anthem, "the star spangled banner." please welcome at this time the composer and conductor, visionary in music education, he's the founder of the national award winning young people's chorus. they won the nation's highest honor for youth programs. the national arts an hum s and s youth program award and were presented this award by michelle obama at the white house.

al mr. francisco nunez, to conduct the black national anthem, "lift every voice and sing." ♪@g@g@g@s4ç ♪ lift every voice and sing snowe ♪ lift every voice and sing ♪

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>> thank you so much, everyone. it's truly great to come together in song with such amazing performances. here at national museum of american history, we have our own very rich musical collection. prince's guitar, drums, several strings are all in our collection. and those collections and

performances represent all genres and eras of american music. of course, if you're going to collect and interpret american music, you have to have jazz. and so what i'd like to do for you all today is introduce our orchestra in residence. they are going to help us celebrate the year 1931. this is a very important year. not just because kings were popular, with cotton drug and big bands and legendary band leaders like duke ellington and others, also because 1931 is the year "the star spangled banner" was adopted as our national anthem. don't say we didn't learn anything about the program we had today. here is the smithsonian jazz orchestra, charlie young, performing for you a jazz classic from that year, 1931.

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>> we want to thank francisco nunez so much for conducting. i got the opportunity to hang out with him earlier today and yesterday and he really is amazing and we really appreciate him coming, so please give him another hand, if you will. yes. [ applause ] and also, you guys, we have some stage who have been braving this hot sun the whole time. our choir here is wonderful. please give them another hand.

that was mambo from west side story conducted by francisco nunez and featuring our choir here and also featuring our united states air force band. today -- yes, please. [ cheers and applause ] today, the members of the united states air force band and si singing sergeants are representing all the men and women of the armed forces who defend our flag and its ideals. do we have any veterans or military personnel here today, and even watching us? can you please, everyone, if you will, stand and recognize them with a hand? [ applause ] service for your selfless sacrifice. we really want to appreciate that and to pay tribute to all of our veterans today, especially those who have given the ultimate sacrifice in

service to our nation. here's technical sergeant daniel anderson and the united states air force band performing "last full measure of devotion" which will be followed by irving berlin's "god bless america." ♪ ♪ in the long and hard history of america there are names that sign like beacons in the night ♪ ♪ the patriots whose vision gave us meaning who kept the lamp of freedom burning bright ♪

♪ in the long and lauded history of america ♪ ♪ there are those who paid the last and final price ♪ ♪ chance or desperate circumstance of its sacrifice ♪ ♪ a grateful nation bows its head in sorrow and in thanks for guaranteeing our tomorrow ♪

♪ the last full measure of devotion, that's what they gave to the cause ♪ ♪ the last full measure of devotion and though they cannot hear our applause ♪ ♪ we honor them forever and keep the light, pay tribute to their lives and give them all the glory ♪ ♪ the last full measure of devotion beyond the call of duty ♪ ♪ the last full measure of devotion they gave themselves to

serve freely ♪ ♪ those who did survive and came back ♪ ♪ ♪ the last full measure of devotion ♪ ♪ beyond the call of duty ♪ the last full measure of devotion ♪ ♪ and those who did survive and

came back ♪ ♪ ♪ [ applause ]

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♪ ♪ god bless america land that i love ♪ ♪ stand beside her and guide her ♪ ♪ through the night with the light from above ♪ ♪ from the mountains to the prairies to the oceans white with foam ♪

♪ god bless america my home sweet home ♪ ♪ god bless america land that i love ♪ ♪ stand beside her and guide her ♪ ♪ through the night with the light from above ♪ ♪ from the mountains to the prairies to the oceans white with foam ♪ ♪ god bless america my home sweet home ♪

♪ god bless america my home sweet home ♪ >> all right, everyone. our national singalong is almost here. we're just minutes away.

i'd like to introduce you to our next guest who i'm really excited about. she was adopted by a family from woodstock, born in romania. accomplished member of rock 'n' roll. please welcome, kristen cappalino. ♪ this land is your land, this land is my land ♪ ♪ from california to the new york islands ♪ ♪ from the redwood forests to the gulf stream waters ♪ ♪ this land was made for you and

me ♪ ♪ as i went walking that ribbon of highway ♪ ♪ i saw above me that endless skyway ♪ ♪ i saw below me a golden valley ♪ ♪ this land was made for you and me ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ this land is your land this land is my land ♪ ♪ from california to the new york island ♪ ♪ from the redwood forest to the gulf stream waters ♪

♪ this land was made for you and me ♪ ♪ yeah ♪ >> thank you. [ applause ] >> thank you, kristen. i'd like to ask all of our speakers, all of our guests and performers to join me on stage, please, because it's just about that time for us to sing together. you know, 200 years ago when the british marched and sailors sailed on baltimore, francis scott key, a lawyer sent to

negotiate a prisoner exchange was on the british ship and witnessed that attack, bombardment of fort mchenry. his worry turned to joy in the morning when the smoke began to clear and high above the fort saw the red, white and blue of a hand sewn war flag waving. i'd like to invite all of our speakers, as well as everyone here, and everyone watching us online, in honor of all those who served our country, soldier, officials, doctors, teachers, tradesmen, friends, visitors, everyone who appreciates the ideals and cultures on freedom in which we stand to join with me and all my friends here in song, this flag day, for the 200th year oftjjjjjj֖ existenc. please stand and sing with me the united states national anthem "the star spangled banner."

♪ o say, can you see by the dawn's early light ♪ ♪ what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming? ♪ ♪ whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight ♪ ♪ o'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming? ♪ ♪ and the rockets' red glare the bombs bursting in air ♪ ♪ gave proof through the night that our flag was still there ♪

♪ oh, say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave ♪ ♪ o'er the land of the free ♪ ♪ and the home of the brave? ♪ mrs. [ applause ]

>> we want to wish "the star spangled banner" a happy 200th birthday and hope there will be 2 00 more to come, obviously. i want to thank you all, all of you watching on our web stream, all of you here today. i'd like to thank all of our partners including everyone up here on the stage with me. let's give conductors, performers, men and women in the united states air force a big hand. as well as the smithsonian institution, our partners here in washington, d.c., and all across the country. i ask that you please, before you leave, make sure to help keep our wonderful national mall clean by disposing of your trash in the appropriate places and if there's trash that doesn't belong to anyone, please do us a favor and pick it up. it would really help out our folks at the park service as well as us here at the national museum of american history. once again, my name's xavier. i thank you for joining us here,

all around the nation and all around the world. thank you very much, guys, and be good. all right? [ applause ] ♪ our special "american history tv" programming in primetime continues tonight with programs from our archival film series "reel america." beginning at 8:00 p.m. eastern, with a nasa documentary on the first mission to land men on the moon on july 20th, 1969. at 8:30, an interior department film on the colorado river and construction of the hoover dam. after that, a 1960 nbc interview with herbert hoover discussing his life before and after his presidency. at 10:00 p.m. eastern, you'll see a u.s. army film featuring an adviser in vietnam in 1963. "american hif history tv" is here on c-span3.

this weekend on the c-span networks, tonight on c-span, native american history. then on saturday, live all day coverage from the national book festival science pavilion. saturday evening from bbc scotland, a debate on scotland's upcoming decision on whether to end its political union with england. sunday, "q&a" with judge robert catman, chief justice of the second circuit court of appeals. he shares his approach to interpreting laws passed by congress. on c-span2 tonight at 8:00 p.m., "in-depth" with former congressman ron paul. then on saturday, all day live coverage of the national book festival from the history and biography pavilions. speakers, interviews and viewer call-ins with authors. and sunday at 9:00 p.m. eastern, "afterwards" with william burrows talking at his book "the astro threat." "american history tv" on c-span3 tonight, a nasa documentary about the 1969 apollo 11 moon

landing. saturday on "the civil war" general william tecumseh german's campaign. sunday night, look at election law and supreme court cases of bush v. gore. find our television schedule at c-span.org. let us know about the programs you're watching. call us at 202-6 26-3400. on twitter, use #c123, or e-mail us at comments@c-span.org. join the c-span conversation. like us on facebook, follow us on twitter. 100 years after the beginning of what was called the great war, author michael lesser looks back at the music of world war i. he demonstrates how strongs reflected the wartime experiences of soldiers and those back home, from the sweethearts left behind, to the soldiers returning from the front. and he argues that the music industry, including song writers like irving berlin contributed

to the war effort by producing patriotic songs. this hour and 15 minute event was hosted by the president woodrow wilson house in washington, d.c. good evening to all of you. i'm the executive director of the president woodrow wilson house. national trust historic site. we're a private charity supported by the donations of supporters including many of you, and for that, i thank you and thanks for being here this evening. this home is the home to which president and mrs. wilson moved the very day they left the white house on march 4th, in 1921. and they both lived here the rest of their lives. mrs. wilson, remarkably, lived here until 1966 61 and upon he death left the home to the national historic trust. we're now more than 50 years as

an institution here in washington, d.c. it's good to see all of you here tonight. our program is entitled "smile while you kiss me sad adieu world war i songs." let me set the stage here and introduce our speaker quickly. we like to say here, we like to remind here that president wilson imagined the world at peace and then proposed a plan to achieve that vision. that's a remarkable accomplishment when we think about it from the vantage point of our own lives 100 years later, but it's perhaps even more remarkable if we transport ourselves back to his time and think about the world in which he lived and the ideas that were broad at that time and the remarkable accomplishment that it was, put him in the middle of a world war to imagine what the world ought to look like at peace and to propose that that should be our sort of default position that there ought to be a league of nations and that

people ought -- that nations ought not to engage in aggressive war. so this house allows us to take that trip back in time. we're surrounded in this room by gifts of state that president wilson received. and one of the reasons he received so many spectacular twists, frankly, is, first, because he was the first american president to go to europe while he was in office, but secondly, because the world so frequently hoped for him to succeed in the mission he had taken on of ending the catastrophe that was world war i. i think it's hard for us to think now about how shocking world war i was to the people who had to live through it. and so, the music of that era, like this house, is something that can help transport us back to that time. i think as you'll see this afternoon, hearing from michael, that we'll have a sense of the music that existed and the america that existed before the war and the music that reveals to us the america that came out of that war. and you'll see something of a

transformation there. michael lesser is our lecturer, writer, broadcaster, critic and teacher about american music. he's written two books i want to share with you and we have actually available after his lecture and he's in the process of writing a third. he's author of "america's songs ii." from the 1890s to the post-war years. this is a companion piece to a book he wrote with a co-author, "america's songs: the stories behind the songs of broadway, hollywood, and tin can alley." okay, so he sort of established himself as something of a song bird here. i hear's not going to be singing that evening. i'm sorry to disappoint you. he's working on a book called "the song is us: love, lyrics and american life 1900 to 1950." i'm looking forward to that fourth volume about, you know, the whole urban hip hop theme

he's such an expert on. we'll look forward to hearing from him this afternoon. he's a graduate of dartmouth college. he's been a professor at rollins college, and has been lecturing on music and songs and america for about 30 years. so, with that, let me introduce michael lesser. >> thank you. [ applause ] thank you. thank you. thank you. i'm going to be treating songs as, in effect, documents. that is, when you listen to a song from your own time, somehow it's a mirror on that time. it reflects the attitudes of that time. more about love than anything else. but attitudes toward love and romance and sex and marriage obviously change over the first half of the 20th century in case you hadn't noticed, take my word for it.

and songs reflect that. but for us, 100 years after the songs of world war i, those songs are not a mirror. they serve instead as a window and let us look back on what people were thinking and feeling and how they behave. and songs are a particularly good way to get at it because they had no aspiration really beyond having you like it well enough to buy it. irving berlin said a good song is one that sells. and he was not simply saying i need more money, because he was a multimillionaire when he said it. what he was saying was that he trusted the judgments of the people. if you go out and buy my song for whatever it costs, 15 cents in sheet music, 79 cents on an old 78 rpm record, it doesn't really matter.

if you download it from the internet, you're in effect voting with your pocketbook. and so, a good song is one that sells. it's really a very democratic, lower case "d" point of view. it's -- i think you can make the case that the great songwriters certainly from the first half of the 20th century were democratic populi populists, although they certainly didn't see themselves that way. they never lost their ability to pick up what was in the air. when they walked down the street they were listening for a phrase, some slang. when they read the newspapers, they were looking for a story that they could turn into a song.

so when war was declared had come into existence and was flowering and blooming, you all know what it was. you're all nodding. >> i'm not talking about charlie

with a guitar and a pencil. songwriters were under contract to the publishers. and they would crank out what the market wanted because they were told to do so. that is, tin pan alley is the home of music publishing in the united states between roughly, again, you know, with -- when you get into gears in history, it's never very useful. they're arbitrary. roughly 1895 to 1930, '35, give or take. during the '30s, the hollywood -- with the coming of talkies and musicals, the zrr%uz majo publishers to move their main offices to california, because they didn't want to be bothered paying royalties anymore. and so even though tin pan alley still exists after that, and comes to me to be a generic term

for american popular music, in its heyday, it was located in a place just off broadway in the west 20s, and was where the songs came from by the thousand. these people did not sit around waiting for inspiration. it's a highly overrated gift. when you limit yourself to work produced by inspiration, you end up with a very, very small big bibliography in your name. some days you fill up wastebaskets, occasionally you have occasion when you don't, but you work. the coming of the war, even though we were determined to stay out of it, i'm not going to do a whole history of isolationism, because i'm here to talk about songs, not give you a capsule history of world war i. the coming of the war was a

boone to the song business. that is, publishers and so songwriters did literally look around for markets to appeal to and then look to a way to appeal to those markets. and with the coming of the war in europe, even though we were determined to stay out of it, there was not surprisingly a wave of patriotism in this country. and that started to produce songs, because patriotism is exactly the kind of clear emotion that something as brief as.

>> at most, 3:20 on the side. and then you flipped it over and had another 3:20. as a kid, i bought them for 79 cents. i don't know what you paid. and it wasn't until the late '40s that you get the lp, which promises you about 40 minutes of music. but, still, 23 you're listening to a concerto or symphony, you still have to flip it to get the whole symphony. when you bought an album of a symphony on 78 rpm, first of all, it came with its own wheelbarr wheelbarrow, it was so darn heavy. and it came with its own book. so you put it on the record player and every five minutes you had to change it to the next recording. so you never heard it whole, but you heard it. that was the point. with the coming of the war,

we started writing songs. and the first songs we wrote were about staying out of the war. you've got more songs on the list than i could ever play. i thought you'd like to see some titles. on the list of lyrics, you've got more songs than i'm going to play. most of these songs are available. you can go to itunes, they're available. i don't have any secret connections to find these songs. they're out there. if you want to hear songs of world war i, you can. are there as many as available in world war ii? of course not. there were more more people making recordings in world war ii.

by the way, there is one song on the list i want to point out to you. under 1918, you will see a song called "smile and show your dimple" by irving berlin who, sometimes, i think wrote every song. and the other people, like george gershwin and porter are pseudonyms for berlin. does anybody happen to know the song? "smile and show your dimple"? don't sing it. he published it. he did not do well. he pulled it. he put it back in his trunk. song writers do that? they never throw anything away. at least these song writers never threw anything away. hart wrote a new lyric to the

song "bl song "blue moon" before it ever took. so berlin pulled the song. in 1932, he was trying to write a political review an he couldn't come up with a song. he pulled it, listened to it and wrote a new lyric for it. would you like to sing with me? ♪ in your easter bonnet ♪ smile and show your dimple ♪ you'll find it's very simple . >> it's about a young woman who has kissed her doughboy good-bye and she's standing on the train platform crying. someone on the train platformer older, sees her.

anyway, i thought you'd like to know that. isn't that a neat story? the first song to become a hit -- and by the way, it is thought to be a musical war. most songs in response to the war than any other war in american history. again, tympan alley was so explosively productive. the only recording i could find was so bad in quality, you would bt be able to get the words. but i did include the words for you. it's called -- it's the very first one. yeah. i no, it's the second one.

went onto become a professional song writer who's best known for writing specialty material for fanny spszbry krurks e when she in the follies. the songs thabout the war a clearly about not getting in. but they've much more personal than that. we take our hats off to you. it's a kind of generalized salute. it's the kiernd of thing a grou marches down the street singing. popular songs are mainly good at the emotion that exists between two people. 98% of songs have two characters in them. i and you. and what's going on between us.