Among the performers at a tribute concert for Woody Guthrie on May 19 called "This Land is Our Land! A Centennial Celebration of Woody Guthrie" are singers Holly Near and Toshi Reagon, who have huge followings in the lesbian community.
The concert, presented by the non-profit organization portoluz, is being held at the Metro, 3733 N. Clark St., the day before the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit begins in Chicago.
portoluz decided to stage this event during the NATO summit in order to, according to its website, "celebrate the joyful expression of protest as voiced through the power of participatory culture" and to honor Guthrie who " wrote and sang the stories of the 99 percent."
A bevy of artists will be performing, including The Klezmatics, Son del Viento, Jon Langford, Bucky Halker, Kevin Coval and Tom Morello as well as Near and Reagon.
Music has been in both women's blood since they were kids.
For Near, this concert is an expression of her musical style: "I sing social-change music. The style can range from a mountain style chant to Broadway show tune. As long as the song feels right coming out of my voice and out of my mind, then it works for me."
At 8, Near first performed in public at a talent contest put on by the Veterans of Foreign Wars. This was in the mid-1950s, and since her parents loved music they ordered many records from catalogs. "We didn't have a TV so we were our own entertainment," said Near. When the family did get a TV in 1965, the news footage of civil-rights protests and speeches influenced Near greatly.
At the center of social-change movements over the last 40 years, Near participated in her first protest in 1966 against the military recruiters who came to her high school—during the Vietnam War. Near has been a part of social-justice movements ever since.
Not only is Near a singer; she also performed in the Broadway musical Hair and acted in a variety television and movies roles during the early 1970s. During that time, Near joined a group of performers who were doing a show called "Free The Army." "The material was based on the writing and experiences of soldiers who were against the Vietnam war," said Near. "Thousands of soldiers were resisting the war and racism and gender inequity from within the military. That is where I really got my global education.
"I started a record label so I could record my own songs. The music industry thought the lyrics I was writing were too political. Before I knew it I morphed from an actress into a social change singer."
Of the LGBT community, Near said, "My songs have helped people to stay alive, to love out loud, to kiss each other hello and goodbye in airports, to come out to family, to fall in love against all odds. And perhaps most importantly, to put the challenges of the LGBT community in a global context because no one is just gay."
When asked who their musical inspirations were, Near said she admires female singers from all genres: " I used to stand in front of a mirror and lip sync the words, feeling all those voices come through my body,. All those women were great teachers for a rural child." Reagon said her inspirations include Nona Hendryx, Joni Mitchell, Bob Marley, Meshell Ndegecello and her own mother, among many others.
As for favorite new music artists, Near said she likes anyone who comes from the heart and does their homework. Reagon was more specific, naming acts such as Little Dragon, a girl group called King, Lizz Wright, Concha Buika, TheeSatisfaction, Tamar-kali and Chocolate Genius.
"Chicago has a long cultural and political history so it's always exciting to come and feel a part of that history. I am looking forward to working with these socially conscious artists, some of whom I know very well," said Near. "I've worked with Toshi before and I think she is spectacular, knowledgeable and articulate. It is a pleasure to cross paths with her again. I've known her since she was a little girl."
Near has received numerous awards including honors from the ACLU, the National Lawyers Guild, the National Organization for Women, National Association of Recording Arts and Sciences, Ms. Magazine (Woman of the Year), the Legends of Women's Music Award and the Impact Fund.
Currently single, Near has been in relationships with both men and women over the last 40 years and classifies herself as a monogamous feminist person.
As for Reagon, she said music can move people to focus, unite and mobilize. The daughter of Freedom Singers co-founders Dr. Bernice Johnson Reagon and Cordell Hull Reagon, she said she has never shied away from the truth and that her music reflects what she sees in the world. Reagon's mom also founded the African-American female a cappella ensemble Sweet Honey in the Rock. Mother and daughter sometimes collaborate on musical projects.
Social activism has been a part of Reagon's whole life. Her father was a leader of the civil-rights movement in Albany, Ga., and a member of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Reagon, who says she has never been in the closet, has infused her entire life and career with social activist causes and stresses the importance of fighting for LGBT equality on all fronts.
Reagon first took to the stage at the age of 17 and has performed everything from rock to blues to R&B to country to folk to spirituals to funk music. "I have always felt a connection to music, it has never not been present in my mind. By the time I was teenager I knew this is what I would do." said Reagon.
Over the last 30 years, Reagon has shared the stage with many legendary artists including Lenny Kravitz, Elvis Costello, Ani DiFranco and Pete Seeger. She made her television debut during the fourth-season finale episode of The L Word, and her music has been featured in the film The Secret Life of Bees and on many television shows.
In February 2010, Reagon performed with her mother and the other members of the SNCC Freedom Singers at the White House as a part of the "In Performance at the White House: A Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement" PBS broadcast. Of the performance Reagon said, " It was amazing to be in the White House. It is building I've seen most of my life because I was raised in Washington, D.C. It was such a pleasure to be there and meet President Obama."
Reagon eagerly anticipates her visit to the Windy City: "Chicago is an amazing city and I always feel good when I visit. It is one of the heartbeat cities of America and so much has to pass through Chicago to get through anywhere else. I am looking forward visiting."
The 2009 Out Music Award, the 2007 Black Lily Award for Outstanding Performance and a 2004 New York Foundation for the Arts award for music composition are among the many honors Reagon has received.
Reagon has a partner of 10 years, and they live together with their teenage daughter in New York City. The couple has no plans to get married, however, they will throw a commitment party sometime in the future.
Neither singer has settled on specific songs to perform at the Guthrie tribute concert, although Near did say she would sing his "Pastures of Plenty."
See www.hollynear.com and www.toshireagon.com to find out more about both artists, and www.portoluz.org/event.php and www.metrochicago.com/shows for information about the concert and to buy tickets.
