Who Was Eden Ahbez: Origin of Jazz Standard Nature Boy

The lyrics to Nature Boy are brief, about an unusual boy who reveals, “The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love, and be loved in return.” ‘Wow,’ I thought, ‘Those lyrics are very new age and hippie for a jazz song.’ What is the story behind this quirky song with a wistful melody? It turns out the story and artist behind the song are fascinating, and perhaps worthy of a feature film.

Who Is Nature Boy?

"Nature Boy" was written by a strange and unusual character named George Alexander Aberle (1908-1995). Born in New York City, he was later adopted by a family in Kansas in 1917, and his name was changed to George McGrew. In the 1930s, McGrew lived in Kansas City and worked as a pianist and dance bandleader. Sadly, much of the early life of McGrew seems to be unknown.

McGrew moved to Los Angeles, California in the early 1940s and played music at a health food store owned by German immigrants who were part of the Wandervogel movement in Germany. The followers of this German back-to-nature movement were known as Nature Boys. It was around this time that McGrew changed his name to eden ahbez, not capitalizing the names as he believed only God and Infinity were worthy of this honor.

Nat King Cole, photo courtesy the LOC

In 1947, ahbez gave the lyrics of "Nature Boy" to musician Nat King Cole’s manager and Cole began performing the song to audiences regularly and to great acclaim. Before Cole could release the song on record, ahbez had to be tracked down so that proper rights could be attributed and paid. Allegedly, ahbez was found living underneath the Hollywood sign, under the first 'L'.

Nature Boy is a Hit

"Nature Boy" went on to be a hit for Nat King Cole in 1948 and stayed at #1 on the Billboard charts for eight weeks. The success of the song made ahbez into a temporary celebrity who was featured in articles in Life, Time, and Newsweek magazines. There is a 1948 television clip of ahbez on YouTube that shows the long-haired and bearded songwriter coming on stage with a bicycle and sitting cross-legged on the floor for his interview. Clearly, eden ahbez was a man who lived life on his own terms and without a publicist.

But the story doesn’t end there. It turns out the melody for "Nature Boy" was perhaps in part taken from a Yiddish song called “Shvag, Mayn Hartz” (Hush, My Heart). Ahbez later settled out of court with song owner Herman Yablokoff for $25,000. Also, the first two measures of Nature Boy are taken from Antonin Dvorak’s Piano Quintet No. 2 in A, Op. 81 (1887).

Why is "Nature Boy" so popular and resonating as a song even today? Maybe it’s because the older melodies in "Nature Boy" are planted in our collective unconscious; a classical tune and a folk tune are cobbled together to create something new that sounds old. The contemporary lyrics cement the song as successful. The emotional payoff of the song is that we don’t have to cure cancer, leap tall buildings, or find a clean and perpetual energy source. We don’t have to find peace in the Middle East or find the Grand Unification Theory of the universe. We merely have to love and be loved to live life successfully. A simple and satisfying message is conveyed to us in a song sung by a child. Sigh.

Nat King Cole (center) photo courtesy NYPL

"Nature Boy" — the song based on German hippies, classical music, and a Hebrew melody — goes on to be recorded by musicians such as Natalie Cole, James Brown, John Coltrane, Miles Davis, Marvin Gaye, Engelbert Humperdinck, Aaron Neville, Sarah Vaughan, David Bowie, Celine Dion, Sun Ra, Frank Sinatra, Peggy Lee, and many others.

A final note about a possible influence: It should be noted that the French writer Amantine Lucile Aurore Dupin (1804-1876), also known as George Sand, has a quote: "There is only one happiness in life, to love and be loved." Perhaps this is another inspiration for eden ahbez' great jazz standard song, "Nature Boy"?

The Birth Certificate of Eden Ahbe, George Alexander Aberle

Consider this a sidebar to the previous article. 

I became so interested in American musician Eden Ahbez that I requested a copy of his birth certificate from New York. I also enjoy doing research using original documents. It was fun to see this document with George crossed out and Eden Ahbe at the top. It is an administrative declaration of independence. The birth certificate of eden ahbez, also known as Ahbe, George Alexander Aberle, and George McGrew, reveals a few tidbits about this unique American’s early life.

Parents of Eden Ahbe

George Alexander Aberle was born on April 15, 1908, to George Philip Aberle (bookbinder) and Mary Ann Mason Aberle of 263 Nassau Street in Brooklyn, New York. Eden’s father is listed as born in New York, while his mother’s birthplace is England. Mary Ann Aberle is 34, while George Aberle is 37.

At the top of the birth certificate, the name of George Alexander Aberle is crossed out and Eden Ahbe is written, in block letters. (No, there is no ‘Z’.) It looks like the name change was approved by the court on November 17, 1943, and approved by the Commissioner of Health on March 8, 1951.

The Aberle Family

In researching the origins of eden ahbez, I looked up his dad George Philip Aberle in the 1910 US Census. The Aberle family lives in Brooklyn Ward 11, Kings, New York. The older Mr. Aberle lists his father and mother as being born in Germany. Eden’s mom is named Margaret (she is listed as Annie in other census reports) and the children living in the house are: Elizabeth C. (age 16), Grace G. (age 13), Walter P. (age 11), Irene L. (age 9), William L. (age 8), Edna M. (age 6), Lester P. (age 4), Anna M. (age 3), Adatha B. (age 2), and then there is George A. Aberle, age 2. On seeing the two kids the same age one wonders if George and Adatha were twins, though perhaps they were just born in the same year.

Perhaps the most significant detail here is that the young George Alexander Aberle is the tenth child to be born to his mother. Maybe George goes to Kansas to be raised by the McGrew family because there are too many kids for the parents to care for.

And what caused George Alexander Aberle to change his name to Eden Ahbez formally? Was there a psychological disconnect from his biological family of origin, or was ahbez merely practicing the fine art of reinventing himself? Was George inspired to choose the name 'eden' from his sister named Edna? Sadly, we may never know. What we do know is that Eden gave us one amazing song that is beloved by many all over the planet.

American Artist and Illustrator Norman Rockwell

Norman Rockwell (ca. 1920), via the Library of Congress

Who is the American artist and illustrator Norman Rockwell? What is the significance of the artwork of this American master of visual storytelling? It has taken me many years to break down and overcome a serious snobbery towards the artwork of Norman Rockwell. As a student of the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, I was taught in a classical art environment and art history started with the Venus of Willendorf and concluded with Abstract Expressionism. Not one of my professors ever included the artwork of Norman Rockwell in an art history lesson or slide show– it is almost as if he never existed. Now I have a different view of this underrated American painter, illustrator, and storyteller.

Norman Rockwell (1894-1978) is one of those lucky and driven individuals who always knew he wanted to be an artist. Beginning at a young age, Rockwell studied in New York City at the New York School of Art, the National Academy of Design, and the Art Students League. At the Art Students League Rockwell joined the likes of Georgia O'Keeffe, Thomas Hart Benton, Jackson Pollock, Cy Twombly, Helen Frankenthaler, Lee Bontecou, Robert Rauschenberg, Al Held, and Roy Lichtenstein who also attended this esteemed New York City art institution.

The Early Career of Norman Rockwell

In 1913, 19-year-old, Norman Rockwell was hired to be the art director for Boys’ Life magazine, where he began his career in painting magazine covers. Rockwell created magazine covers for the Saturday Evening Post, The Country Gentleman, Leslie’s Weekly, Life Magazine, and Look.

Rockwell moved from New York to a small town in Vermont and later in 1953 to Stockbridge, Massachusetts another small, quaint New England town. (Population in 2020 was 2,018) There is no doubt that small-town life influenced his artwork significantly.

Norman Rockwell’s body of work reveals a prolific artist who created over 4,000 original artworks. Art schools are notoriously snobby about the work of Norman Rockwell which for some art critics has been judged as being too sappy and sentimental. Perhaps it is another stroke against Rockwell’s artistic reputation that his artwork has been reproduced commercially onto tea towels, key chains, postcards, and plates ad infinitum. It is interesting to note that in 1999 the New Yorker art critic Peter Schjeldahl wrote in ArtNews, “Rockwell is terrific. It’s become too tedious to pretend he isn’t.” I feel like I finally have permission to appreciate Norman Rockwell.

Freedom From Want, 1942 courtesy the National Archives

Rockwell As Social Commentarian

In the later artwork of Norman Rockwell, he tackles the serious subjects of racism, war, poverty, and the freedoms of the United States constitution. The context of some of Rockwell’s artwork elevates him from an illustrator to an artist of social commentary. Perhaps the best part of Norman Rockwell’s artwork is his unique ability to tell a story with his pictures, to capture humanity in one take, and the sense of love, care, and humor he imbues into his images. 'Beloved' is often an adjective attached to all things Norman Rockwell, and while it is cliche it is also true. Norman Rockwell tugs on our heartstrings effectively through his paintings.

A case in point is the iconic painting Freedom From Want which shows an American family at the Thanksgiving table. Everyone smiles as the grandmotherly figure sets the giant roast turkey onto a fresh white tablecloth. In the lower right, a pair of warm male eyes gaze back into the viewers making it feel like a snapshot of this special holiday moment. Most people refer to this well-known work of art as The Thanksgiving Picture. This important series of paintings was inspired by a speech given by Franklin Delano Roosevelt on January 6, 1941, referred to as the Four Freedoms speech. Rockwell went on to create paintings that represent Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion, and Freedom From Fear.

Freedom of Speech, Photo Courtesy Wikimedia.

The Painting Style of Rockwell

Perhaps another strike against the art of Norman Rockwell is that it is somewhat outdated. He is an illustrator who earned his bread and butter in the now-defunct art of magazine cover illustration, a task that has been taken over by photography. (Unless you are The New Yorker, of course.) As an illustrator, the style of Rockwell's artwork might be dubbed painterly realism. We can see the brushstrokes in his paintings yet they are also quite realistic and have a photo-realism quality. While there are few Norman Rockwell illustrator imitators today, it is a testament to his skill and classical painting background that his style and ability to illustrate are hard to duplicate. Rockwell’s artwork is unique, expert, and difficult to copy.

Photo courtesy Wikimedia.

Boy With Baby Carriage, 1917

In this classic Norman Rockwell painting, a well-dressed young man is furiously pushing a fancy old-fashioned baby carriage while two young men of the same age pass him and make faces at him. I love the touches of red in this painting-- the baby's shoe, the boys' shirts, and the carriage pushers carnation. Are the boys related? Are they on the same baseball team? Are they total strangers? The story in my head goes something like this. The boys are on the same baseball team and the ones in uniform just came from a winning game. The carriage pusher is also on the baseball team but is unable to join because he has to take care of his baby sister-- the pink trim on the clothing and the baby bottle in the breast pocket are the two big visual clues here.

Maybe it's more of a class war? The well-dressed young man pushing the baby carriage seems as if he could be from a very upper-crust family while the two baseball boys are posturing in sarcastic politeness as if to emphasize that they were able to play while the posh boy had to work. Rockwell doesn't help us out with the title, Boy With Baby Carriage, so the viewer will have to have some leeway as to how they envision the meaning of the painting.

Where to Find Rockwell's Artwork

You can find original paintings and artwork by Norman Rockwell at the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Texas, the Columbus Museum of Art in Ohio, the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington D.C., the Los Angeles County Museum in California, the Sheldon Museum of Art in Lincoln, Nebraska, the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, and the National Portrait Gallery of the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C., just to name a few.

Finally, if an artist is to be judged by how influential he is, Norman Rockwell is one of the greats. Filmmakers are devotees of Rockwell’s lighting and composition as is evidenced in the references made in such films as Empire of the Sun, Forrest Gump, The Polar Express, and American Gangster. It is time to celebrate the important artwork of Norman Rockwell not only as one of the most popular American artists and illustrators of the twentieth century but also as one of the most influential.

Read more about Norman Rockwell and his 4-painting series of Freedoms, beginning with one of the artist's most famous works, Freedom From Want.

Going to an Art Museum May Be Good for your Mental Health

                            

Photo by Mary Rayme

When we think about good health, we often think of good nutrition, sufficient sleep, and plenty of physical activity. While healthy food and regular workouts are essential to good physical and mental health, what we choose to look at and experience also greatly impacts our day-to-day health. To nourish your soul and psyche, I recommend a visit to an art museum. I realize that not everyone has access to a great art museum but if you do and have never visited an art museum, this article is meant to be a good place to start.

Find a Museum Near You
Hopefully, you don’t have to go very far to find an art museum near you, most larger cities have one or two. Not all art museums are created equal. Do your research and determine whether the time, travel, and possible entrance fee is likely to be a positive experience. If modern art is not appealing to you, seek out a museum such as the Walters Art Museum, also in Baltimore. They have some 20th-century artworks but they also have a collection of antiquities such as reliquaries, illuminated manuscripts, Egyptian artwork, and Greek vases. Also for consideration, while many art museums have no admission fee they may charge for parking. Remember to set yourself up for a great visit to a museum.

Find an Artwork Friend
Find a painting, sculpture, drawing, or photograph that you feel deserves or needs more looking time. I know that when I walk through an art museum, not all artworks get careful scrutiny. My eye and body tend to linger in front of works that pull me in for one reason or another. Perhaps I am intrigued with the color, the way the brush strokes are applied, or the overall mood of a work. Let the art grab your attention and keep you longer.

Judith Slaying Holofernes by Artemisia Gentileschi, 1611-12

Read the Label, or Not

Because I am an art history addict I read most of the labels for several reasons. First, I want to confirm or disprove that this is the work of the artist who I identified by style. Finally, titles can often provide clues as to the subject matter of the painting. For example, if you see a very realistic painting of a woman cutting off the head of a man with a large sword you may be puzzled by this. When you look at the label and see “Judith Slaying Holofernes” you can remind yourself that this is a depiction of a scene that is in the Book of Judith. Putting some subject matter in context is very helpful.

Mont Sainte-Victoire by Paul Cézanne, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

When I visit the Baltimore Museum of Art I have a favorite painting of Mount Saint-Victoire by the French artist Paul Cezanne that I have to visit every time. Even though I have seen dozens of paintings by Cezanne on this subject matter, this painting never fails to pull me in for a good long look. This sustained observation of a beautiful work of art is for me both meditation and inspiration. My mind goes blank as my eye drifts slowly around this wonderful canvas, and I take in those powerful and brief brushstrokes as well as the blank white spaces that Cezanne chose to keep paintless. My breathing slows and I can feel my blood pressure lowering almost immediately, no prescription drugs are necessary. I am transported in time as well and try to imagine the cranky master, Paul Cezanne, outside painting this mountain in France in all kinds of weather.

Photo By Mary Rayme, 2022

You may want to perform an art museum recon mission of walking through an entire floor quickly, and then deciding where you want to spend your quality looking and seeing time. Better yet, get a map or ask at the information desk about the floor plan of the museum. On a recent visit to the Staatsgalerie in Stuttgart, we were greeted by a very knowledgeable docent who asked us what we wanted to see. I knew that I was in a large world-class museum and knew that I did not want to fast walk through the whole museum to cram all its art goodies down my throat in a couple of hours. I was more interested in seeing more contemporary art than old art so the docent pointed us in the direction of 20th-century art. We did have a map but having an actual conversation with a real person was so much more pleasant than trying to read a map. The next time I return, I will see the older artwork and then return to the highlights of the contemporary art collection.

Below are some tips to help you make the most of your museum experience:

• Wear comfortable shoes when you go to an art museum, as these buildings tend to have floors that are made of cement and marble. Do not wear flip-flops. Do have arch support. The physical activity of walking from gallery to gallery and perhaps up and down stairs is part of the journey through the art museum– physical activity adds points to your mental health too.

• If you have accessibility issues I recommend calling ahead to figure out what your options are and how much of the museum is wheelchair accessible and/or Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) compliant. I would also ask if disability parking spaces are available to museum visitors.

• If you have wiggle room in your schedule, I recommend that you choose a time to visit the museum that is less crowded on a weekday morning perhaps.

• If at all possible, travel lightly. Many art museums have lockers where you may stash your stuff, but this requires an extra step. On a recent art museum visit, I accidentally tried to carry in a water bottle and was told I needed to get a locker downstairs which was just fine– I am willing to sacrifice the comfort of my water bottle for security. Museums have rules. They also have amazing art. To enter and look you need to abide by the rules.

• You are not required to like or respond to everything you see in an art museum. I would challenge any art museum visitor to at least question why they like or dislike a work of art. Even better, have a conversation about it with your museum buddy.
• Get a museum buddy! I love going to an art museum alone but I also love going with another devotee of art history. Get lunch with your museum buddy while you are there and catch up only each others life.
• Many museums these days are free, offer significant discounts to students and senior citizens, or have cost-saving membership packages. 

• Don’t touch the artwork! Seriously. If every visitor touched artworks they would fall apart from skin oils alone. 

• Be observant of any barriers in front of works of art. There art some large canvases at the National Museum of Art in Washington DC at the Smithsonian that have alarms that go off if you get too close. This is to protect the artwork. 

• If there is no barrier, it is acceptable to get up fairly close to a painting or sculpture to observe and appreciate finer details. Many art museum-goers may perform an observational dance of looking at a painting from far away and then diving in to get a closer look. Be aware of others who may be doing the same dance to avoid crowding others or bumping elbows.

• Be sensitive to what you see and what brings you pleasure or fulfillment. If good art is good for you, bad art can also have a detrimental effect. (You know that feeling you get when you watch too much TV or eat too much junk food? Same deal.)

• Consider having a coffee, snack, or meal in the art museum restaurant to break up the walking and to have a small rest. If you are with a family or group, consider starting a discussion by asking everyone to name their favorite artwork that they have seen so far and why. 

• Check out the gift shop. Really. I really love browsing a good art museum gift shop and have sometimes purchased items such as art postcards, jewelry, or art supplies. The Baltimore Museum of Art gift shop is outstanding and I just adore their selection of items that give it a local, Baltimore feel. In many museums, you do not have to pay an entrance fee to shop at the gift shop.

• Many art museums have photography restrictions. If you plan on photographing any of the artworks in the museum you need to observe the photo restrictions. Most museums do not allow flash photography as the light degrades the artwork.

The Sorrowing Soul between Doubt and Faith by

Elihu Vedder at the BMA, photo by the author

• Be respectful of the museum guards-- they work hard to keep the art safe and to answer directional and wayfinding questions. The last time I visited the Baltimore Museum of Art, a security guard lead me to a painting that I have to visit every time, The Sorrowing Soul Between Doubt and Faith by Elihu Vedder. I like the idea of the responsibility of the museum guards overlapping with the docents. Don’t look too long at art. Just as too much good food can make you ill, looking at art for longer than two hours or so is visually exhausting, so don’t overdo it. I personally am visually exhausted, overstimulated, and a bit giddy at the end of a good museum visit.

I am often left inspired and uplifted by a visit to an art museum. Each work of art is a message from a fellow human left just for me, the viewer. I like to write down the names of artists I have never heard of but would like to know more about. The artists and paintings I am familiar with already greet me like old friends. If you need proof that a museum visit is good for your health you can read about several studies that provide evidence that this may be true. So get up, go out and visit an art museum and see if this experience has a positive impact on your mental health.

The Great Textbook War, 1974, Kanawha County, West Virginia

Photo courtesy West Virginia Humanities

This is an older blog post but given the current abundance of book banning in the United States, I thought there was a need to bring back this article about a great radio production from American RadioWorks about The Great Textbook War of 1974 in Kanawha County, West Virginia.

West Virginia Demographic Information

For some context about West Virginia in 1974, the racial makeup of the state was 95.6% white. In comparing that to current statistics, West Virginia has about the same population as it did in 1974 and the racial makeup of the state is 93.5%, according to the United State Census Bureau. In other words, West Virginia remains one of the whitest states in the USA. (For context, my home state of Maryland is about 58.5% white.)

Civil Rights Movement Encouraged a Different Point of View

There was a huge explosion in the promotion of multiculturalism in education during the Civil Rights Movement in America, which many still consider a work in progress. In 1974, the country was at war in Vietnam and Richard Nixon resigned as President of the United States over the Watergate scandal. Public school textbooks that had previously only taught the history from the point of view of white colonists were encouraged to present the history of multiple ethnicities and cultures. I think it is also worth mentioning that in 1972, President Richard Nixon visited China and opened up diplomatic relations, another step in expanding multiculturalism in the US.

Kanawha County in West Virginia houses the state capital of Charleston but also encompasses farmlands and hollows that are quite rural. This clash of cultures and shift in thinking led to the Great Textbook War of Kanawha County, West Virginia in 1974.

For more context, as a young white girl growing up in Baltimore City, the African American population was about 46% in 1970. And yet, my first textbooks featured two white children Dick and Jane who were growing up in the suburbs with a nuclear family. Many places in the United States were re-writing history books to include the presence and accomplishments of African Americans and women.

Conservative Values in West Virginia

In part, the divide between the Kanawha County Board of Education was cultural. A conservative Kanawha County Board of Education member Alice Moore had campaigned to become elected to the school board by protesting sex education being taught in schools. At first, her disagreement was over allowing students to use colloquialisms in school rather than formally accepted standards of the King’s English. Later these parents’ concerns spread to the content of the textbooks including disagreeing about the writings of people like Eldridge Cleaver and Malcolm X included in the curriculum. 

So in part, the divide in Kanawha County that led to violence and discord was racial. While urban Charleston may have had a small percentage of blacks and minorities, rural Charleston had almost none. Many rural West Virginians resented the idea of outsiders coming in and telling them what they had to teach their children. 

Photo courtesy WV Encyclopedia/Charleston Newspapers

Fundamental Christian Values in WV

The other part of the cultural divide between rural and urban was religious. In urban Charleston, most of the citizens went to traditional denominations of Christian churches such as Episcopal, Methodist, and Catholic. Rural Kanawha County residents tended to belong to nondenominational churches and more conservative Christian denominations such as Baptist. An example in a proposed textbook included an Aesop fable that compares itself to a Bible story. Some took this as an implication that the Bible was merely a myth or fairy tale undermining the traditional Christian values of rural Kanawha County, West Virginia.

The disagreement and protest became so bitter over the textbooks that a school strike was begun. Estimates are between 20-50 percent of the Kanawha County school children stayed home as part of the school strike. Even coal miners went on strike to show solidarity with the textbook protest. While some protested the textbook, students at George Washington High School walked out of school protesting the censorship of the books. 

KKK Supports Textbook Banning

Even the Ku Klux Klan showed up to support those protesting the textbooks adding further fuel to the fire that this was a race-based protest. Cars were set on fire and fifteen sticks of dynamite were detonated near a Board of Education office just after a meeting let out. At one point in the Textbook Wars, a fistfight breaks out at a Board of Education meeting. Midway Elementary School at Campbell’s Creek was dynamited one night in protest of the textbooks.  

So who won the Great Textbook War? The fallout from the textbook wars was perhaps mixed. Textbook protesters claimed victory as many of the books were never used in the county. Textbook supporters claimed victory that the books were in some of the schools even though some teachers were afraid to use the books.

The award-winning radio show concludes with a quote by teacher and textbook selection committee member Nell Wood who says,

“I think it is necessary for us to grow up and recognize that it’s a big, wide, wonderful, scary, ugly, beautiful world. There’s everything in it and we have to learn to look at it and not fall apart.” 

These are great words to remember as we plod forward to the current culture wars that are apparent in the United States of America.

Listen to The Great Textbook War by Trey Kay, Deborah George, and Stan Bumgardner on American RadioWorks at the American Public Media. 

http://americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/textbooks/

• 52 minutes

• 2010 Peabody Award Recipient

You can read more about this chapter in American history in the online West Virginia Encyclopedia here where they very politely refer to it as the Kanawha County Textbook Controversy.

                                    

Top 10 Works of Art Outside in the USA

While the United States has many world-class museums that house fine art, there are also other outdoor museums where art lovers and visitors may admire the handiwork of great artists in the fresh air. There are no walls or locks for most of these great works of art that are outdoors. The bonus is that some of these outdoor museums are also free to all.

Photo courtesy of MountainsLakesTreesAndNature via Morguefile.com

Mount Rushmore

Location: A few miles SW of Keystone, South Dakota

This enormous granite sculpture was designed by American artist Gutzon Borglum (1867-1941). Trained in Paris and a friend of another great artist, Auguste Rodin, Borghum’s work was carried on by his son Lincoln Borglum after the artist’s death. The portrait busts, or heads, of American Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln are 60 feet high and carved into a mountain named for a famous New York lawyer, Charles E. Rushmore who prospected for gold there regularly. Ironically, the Lakota Sioux who once ruled this region called the mountain The Six Grandfathers. Is this great mountain expecting two equally admired additions? One can only hope.

The Mount Rushmore National Park is open every day of the year except for Christmas Day, December 25. While admission is free, each car is charged a $10 parking fee.

Photo courtesy kconnor via Morguefile.com

The Statue of Liberty

Location: New York City, New York

Almost unknown is the full name, The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World. Lady Liberty, as she is affectionately known, was a gift to the United States from the people of France in 1886 as a congratulatory gift on the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Designed by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi, the Statue of Liberty has a copper-clad exterior, and the internal structure was engineered by Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, the famed Eiffel Tower designer. The Statue of Liberty with its base stands 305 feet tall.

Visitors used to be able to climb steps inside the Statue of Liberty and have a stunning view of the New York Harbor but currently, this is not allowed. Visitors have access to the Statue of Liberty Museum and the grounds of Liberty Island.

The Statue of Liberty is in a National Park that is open every day of the year except Christmas Day, December 25. While entry to the statue is free, you must pay a ferry fee to get to the Island where Lady Liberty resides. Ages 13 and over $24, Senior Citizens aged 62 and over $18, Children ages 4-12 $12, and Children under the age of 4 may ride for free.

 
Photo courtesy WikimediaCommons

Dignity sculpture of Native American woman

Location: I-90, Chamberlain, South Dakota

I was fully prepared to hate this 50-foot steel sculpture of a Native American woman entitled Dignity. The sculpture was commissioned in 2014 by a white couple, Norm and Eunabel McKie of Rapid City, South Dakota. The female figure was designed by a white artist Dale Claude Lamphere and native Lakota artist David Claymore designed the star quilt that lady Dignity is mid-wrap-- she holds her arms out with the quilt corners in each hand. The back of the sculpture reveals the wonderful star quilt pattern in shades of blue.

Look closer at the quilt and you will see that each piece moves with the winds that often come through this piece of the United States. There is the light that illuminates the pieces of the reflective quilt moving in the wind. Dignity is a wonderful and iconic work of American art and I cannot wait to visit sometime soon. 

photo courtesy JeffLindsay via Morguefile.com

Cadillac Ranch

Location: Cadillac Ranch, Off Route 40, a few miles west of Amarillo, Texas

Cadillac Ranch was created in 1974 by artists Chip Lord, Hudson Marquez, and Doug Michels, who were a part of an art group known as the Ant Farm. This whimsical roadside attraction is perhaps the most fun work of outside art on this list. Cadillac Ranch is comprised of an unknown number of older Cadillacs that have been buried nose-first in an angle that is said to mimic the angle of the Great Pyramid of Giza. If you have to ask, “What does it mean?”, Cadillac Ranch is a commentary on the American love of the automobile, the roadside attraction, and consumerism. It is a monument to the iconic large metal automobiles that used to be more common in the United States. Perhaps they are appropriately buried as dead burners of fossil fuels. One of the beautiful things about art is that you, the viewer, get to put your own spin on how you see and experience art. The artist creates meaning and perhaps has a meaning in mind, but you also get to bring meaning to the art table.

The Cadillac Ranch is free and open to the driving-by public year-round. I can see from many of the photos online that the cars are colorful from infinite layers of graffiti, just saying.

Photo Courtesy spiroll via Morguefile.com

The St. Louis Gateway Arch

Location: St. Louis, Missouri

The St. Louis Gateway Arch was built near the beginning of the famous Louis and Clark expedition, which got its start from Thomas Jefferson. This amazing piece of architectural art was designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen and engineered by Hannskarl Bandel in 1947. The St. Louis Gateway Arch was built between 1963 and 1968. This inverted steel catenary arch is 620 feet tall and 630 feet wide at its base. Tourists can ride a tram to an observation tower at the top of the arch.

The St. Louis Gateway arch is a part of the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial. The St. Louis Jefferson Arch is open every day of the year except Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. To take the tram to the top of the arch the fees are as follows: Adults 16 and up $15, Children ages 3-15.

Note: On the website, the St. Louis Gateway Arch reminds visitors to anticipate 30-minute delays for passing through security-- perhaps it is best to arrive early if you have a reservation.

Photo courtesy MSGT James D. Green, USAF via CreativeCommons.org

Crazy Horse Memorial

Location: Crazy Horse, South Dakota

The Crazy Horse Memorial was begun by Polish-American sculptor Korczak Ziolkowski (1908-1982) and Lakota Indian Chief Henry Standing Bear in 1948, to honor the heritage of North American Indians. To this day, the memorial at Thunderhead Mountain remains a work in progress. When completed, the Crazy Horse Memorial will be the largest sculpture in the world at 641 feet wide and 563 feet high.

The Crazy Horse Memorial appears to be open most anytime, but you may want to visit their website or call first to make sure they are open. Entrance fees are as follows: 
$35: 3 or more people in a vehicle
$30: 2 people in a vehicle
$15: 1 person in a vehicle
$10: Per person on a motorcycle, bicycle, or walking

Photo Courtesy lauramusikanski at Morguefile.com

Washington Monument

Location: 2 15th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20024

Rising a little over 555 feet tall, this graceful sand-colored obelisk was built to commemorate the first American President George Washington. Designed by American architect Robert Mills (1781-1855), the Washington Monument was begun in 1848 but was not completed until 1884. Visitors may climb 897 steps or take the elevator to the top of the monument.

The Washington Monument is open every day of the year except the 4th of July and Christmas Day, December 25, from 9am to 5pm-- the last tour starts at 4:30pm. Tickets for this memorial are free but if you make a reservation there is a $1 charge per person. The ticket window opens at 8:30am though the line is known to start forming as early as 7:30am. Get there early as tickets are given on a first-come, first-served basis and only 6 tickets at a time may be distributed.

The Washington Monument is on The Mall in the nation's capital, Washington D.C. Also on The Mall are many of the great museums that comprise The Smithsonian. These museums include The National Museum of African American History and Culture, The National Museum of African Art, The National Air and Space Museum, The National Museum of the American Indian, The Hirschhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, and, of course, the "castle" also known as The Arts and Industries Building, and many more. Because these museums are funded by federal taxes, entrance to all museums is free.

Photo courtesy Gary Todd at creativecommons.org

Vietnam Memorial

Location: 5 Henry Bacon Drive NW, Washington, DC 20002

Designed by Chinese American artist Maya Lin (b. 1959), this war memorial revolutionized the design of war memorials forever. Built in 1982, the Vietnam War Memorial comprises two long black granite walls over 246 feet in length and between eight inches and ten-feet high. The names of the Vietnam War dead and those missing in action, have been etched into the reflective surface of the granite using the Optima typeface. The shiny stone reflects back to the viewer who can literally see themselves in the wall. It takes a lot of time to stroll past the full names of the dead and missing and hopefully the power here is in the repetition and the sheer quantity of people lost. This can be an overwhelming experience that helps to place war in perspective. People come here to honor the people whose names are on this wall-- be respectful as you enter here.

The Vietnam War Memorial is open every day of the year, 24 hours a day, and admission is free. There are park rangers on site from 9:30am to 10pm daily to answer questions.

Photo courtesy Ad Meskins at Wikimedia

The Lincoln Memorial

Location: 2 Lincoln Memorial Cir NW, Washington, DC 20002

The Lincoln Memorial was built to honor the 16th President of the United States Abraham Lincoln. The classical building housing the sculpture was designed by American architect Henry Bacon (1866-1924), and the statue of Lincoln was created by American sculptor Daniel Chester French (1850-1931). Etched onto the inside of the building are two of Lincoln’s famous speeches, and the Memorial was built between 1914 and 1922. The Lincoln Memorial was famous for being the site of Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have A Dream” speech, given in 1963.

The Lincoln Memorial is open every day of the year, 24 hours a day, and admission is free. There are park rangers on site (except on Christmas Day December 25) from 9:30am to 10pm daily to answer questions.

Photo courtesy Dale Nations via Flickr

Roden Crater

Location: Painted Desert, Arizona

The Roden Crater is the brainchild of American artist James Turrell (b. 1943) and lies in a dormant volcano crater in the Painted Desert of Arizona. This crater is currently being transformed by James Turrell into a unique astronomical observatory and artistic place of transformation. No, you can’t go there yet but based on the previous work of this ethereal artist, this outdoor artwork is worth waiting for.

I originally wrote this article in 2009 and this unique work of art was expected to open to the public in 2011. Unfortunately, in 2022, this much-awaited work of art is still not open to the public. It is perhaps akin to waiting for George R. R. Martin to write and release the final book of Game of Thrones. Will it ever happen? We must all wait and see.

ProTip: If you plan on visiting more than a few National Parks in a year, I recommend the US Park Pass which costs $80 for the whole year.

There are many more wonderful sites to see along the American highway. This list represents a very small portion of the wonderful works of art that are open to the public and outdoors in the United States.

The Rolling Stones Were Right to Drop Brown Sugar

Growing up in rural Maryland I had to ride a schoolbus to school and it took one hour each way. During this daily 2-hour bus ride, I had to listen to the Top 40 hits of the day on the bus driver's radio. I heard a lot of what today is called "Classic Rock" from Led Zeppelin, The Eagles, and, of course, The Rolling Stones. The repetition of many of these songs was almost torture for me and I eschewed the Rolling Stones as a young adult due to over-saturation. I had just heard so many of those songs too many times. Among them was Brown Sugar by the Rolling Stones.

Recently, The Rolling Stones stopped including Brown Sugar on their tours. When asked about it, Keith Richards replied, 

    "I’m trying to figure out with the sisters quite where the beef is. Didn’t they understand this was a song about the horrors of slavery? But they’re trying to bury it. At the moment I don’t want to get into conflicts with all of this shit,” the guitarist remarked. "But I’m hoping that we’ll be able to resurrect the babe in her glory somewhere along the track.”

Sold Down the River

So, is the famous Rolling Stones song Brown Sugar really about the horrors of slavery? Brown Sugar is also a heroin reference as well, something that many of the Rolling Stones used back in the day. Let's dive a little deeper on the lyrics, written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards and released in 1971, the first cut on the album Sticky Fingers. The first verse says,

    Gold Coast slave ship bound for cotton fields
    Sold in the market down in New Orleans
    Skydog slaver know he's doin' all right
    Hear him whip the women, just around midnight

The first verse helps to show what Keith was talking about. The Gold Coast was a former British colony in Western Africa where most slaves were captured, kidnapped, and sold to areas of the Caribbean. In Brown Sugar, the ship is heading from New Orleans, Louisiana, to cotton fields somewhere on the east coast of the US. In this article from The Smithsonian, they state that New Orleans was the largest slave trade area in America prior to the Civil War. Interestingly enough, the phrase "sold down the river" is a leftover expression from slave times in the United States. The expression signifies a huge betrayal. For slaves, the river was the Ohio or Mississippi Rivers both of which end in New Orleans on the Gulf of Mexico. There is no doubt that this expression was used by slaveholders to threaten slaves. To be sold down the river meant that you would have to survive a voyage to the largest slave market in the Western World in New Orleans. Slave owners would sell slaves if they were sickly, disobedient, or unable to reproduce. Slave owners would also separate families by selling slaves down the river. Slavery was not just about free labor it was also about reproducing more slaves as property that could be liquidated through sales at any time.

Skydog Slaver

So what is a skydog slaver? There is no historical reference for this word in relation to slavery and many versions of the Black Sugar lyrics say "scarred old slaver." Apparently, Keith Richards' excellent autobiography sheds further light on this reference:

    "In Keith Richards' Life, Dickinson clears up an often-misheard line. "If you listen to the lyrics, he says, 'Skydog slaver' (though it's always written 'scarred old slaver'). What does that mean? Skydog is what they called Duane Allman in Muscle Shoals because he was high all the time. And Jagger heard somebody say it and he thought it was a cool word so he used it." 

OK, so the slaver knows he is doing all right shows the hypocrisy of a slaver living in a world where slavery is not only acceptable but earns you money. The singer (or narrator) of the song invites us to "Hear him whip the women just around midnight." This is most certainly the most slavery-is-evil lyric-- a man in power who routinely whips women slaves in the middle of the night. Presumably, this sound would be horribly filled with screams, moans, and the crack of the whip meeting flesh. This lyric implies the daily and systemic abuse of female slaves at the hands of men, something that absolutely happened in the United States for hundreds of years. If Brown Sugar was just this first verse I would totally agree with Keith Richards that this song is a "babe" worth placing back into the Rolling Stone's performance repertoire. Sadly, Brown Sugar doesn't end here.

Chorus and Second Verse

The words of the chorus say:
    Brown Sugar, how come you taste so good?
    Brown Sugar, just like a young girl should, oh no

By referring to female slaves as brown sugar, Mick Jagger is comparing women of color to another hot commodity during the slave era and that is sugar. In the Caribbean, sugar was one of the most lucrative crops that was mostly farmed by slave labor. It is a clever comparison but it is not a condemnation of the horrors of slavery by any means. This jubilant chorus enforces that black and brown slave women are a delicious commodity and manages to promote the admiration of young girls. It's just a creepy lyric especially given that women and girls are still oftentimes reduced to objects even in the 21st century.

The second verse gets more nebulous here:

    Drums beatin' cold, English blood runs hot
    Lady of the house wonderin' when it's gonna stop
    House boy knows that he's doin' all right
    You should have heard him, just around midnight

We are not sure who is beating the cold drums or if it is another whipping reference. The hot English blood is an obvious reference to the white men in power who were sexually excited by black female slaves. Who is the lady of the house? What is the house boy doing just around midnight? We are not sure. Mick Jagger adds a second piece to the Brown Sugar chorus:

The Chorus Says It All

    Brown Sugar, how come you dance so good?
    Oh, got me quittin'
    Brown Sugar, just like a black girl should, yeah

The choruses of Brown Sugar contradict the alleged horrors of slavery foundation of the song. The chorus talks about the powerful sexual attraction of the black female slave and says they are delicious and dance well. In the chorus of Brown Sugar, the slave women in the song are reduced to the same objects they would have been viewed as in slave-era United States. It is about female slaves being admired, taken, and owned by men in power. Reduced to its essence this is a song that reinforces the exoticization of the other and exhibits women and girls as objects and possessions. It is about power over women 'like a young girl Should.' Yuck. Especially given the context that this song was written by two young white British males, The Rolling Stones were 100% correct to remove this song from their concerts in 2021.

To put the song Brown Sugar into perspective, I can see how Mick Jagger might have thought this song was progressive in the late 1960s because it is the voice of a white man who speaks admiringly of the beauty of the female brown body. In the current century, we see this in perspective for what it is-- sexist, racist, and with great guitar hooks from Keith Richards. The song Brown Sugar was allegedly written for Mick Jagger's then-girlfriend Marsha Hunt who is African American. Brown Sugar was a single from the Rolling Stone's album Sticky Fingers (1971) which features the outline of someone's man parts in tight pants. It was designed by Andy Warhol and featured the novelty of a real zipper. The album title and art convey to the viewer that this could contain a few sexually-charged songs.

The final verse of Brown Sugar is also derogatory as the song narrator attempts to seduce an unknown black girl,
    Now, I bet your mama was a tent show queen
    And all her boyfriends were sweet 16
    I'm no schoolboy but I know what I like
    You should have heard them, just around midnight

The song narrator is flattering a beautiful prospect by telling her that he bets her mother was a beauty queen, or in this case, a tent show queen. Again, it is about a beautiful female on display during times of slavery and in general. The narrator tells his subject that he imagines that her mother had many young and virile suitors. Because she is beautiful? Or is the narrator saying the object of the song is promiscuous? This is definitely what we call a backhanded insult. We learn that the narrator is an adult man and that he knows what he likes. This final verse clinches it. 

This is not a song about the horrors of slavery it is about the domination of men over women who exist to be beautiful and to please men. This white sister totally understands why this song was dropped from The Rolling Stone's setlist. Sorry, Keith, sorry Mick. If you are serious about bringing Brown Sugar back, you will need to re-write the entire song. I suggest you write it from the female perspective. Good luck.

Pete Seeger: Ivy League Rebel Folk Singer

I have been thinking a lot about Pete Seeger (1919-2014) lately.

Sometimes I reminisce about the happy times I spent listening to American folk singers Pete Seeger and Arlo Guthrie in concert as a young person. By the time I saw Pete and Arlo in the early 1980’s Pete was an old man. I saw them perform in Baltimore at Pier 6 as well as in Colombia at Merriweather Post Pavillion in Maryland. I was aligned politically with them as well as a fan of Woody Guthrie and Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath, Pete and Arlo were the logical descendants of these working-class heroes. But it was really the music, warmth, and camaraderie that was generated by Pete Seeger at these concert experiences that was remarkable, memorable, and truly legendary.

House Un-American Activities Committee

I also love Pete Seeger because he respectfully declined to respond to the bureaucratic steamrolling of all things Communist during the Red Scare in 1950s America. Pete Seeger stood up not only to a public institution, the House Unamerican Activities Committee, but also to the US House of Representatives who oversaw HUAC. He refused to name the names of others suspected to be associated with Communism. He very purposefully did not plead the 5th Amendment to protect himself and he answered truthfully if not a little bit mischievously. Pete was smart as a tack and he didn’t hold back-- I miss the candor and warmth that Seeger always seemed to convey simultaneously. In truth, Pete Seeger was at one point a member of the Communist Party. Seeger has also said that he regrets not quitting the party sooner over revelations of the evilness of Joseph Stalin.

Seeger instead refused to answer questions saying,

"I am not going to answer any questions as to my association, my philosophical or religious beliefs or my political beliefs, or how I voted in any election, or any of these private affairs. I think these are very improper questions for any American to be asked, especially under such compulsion as this." You can read the full trascripts of Seeger's questioning here, beginning on page 2,447.

In March 1957, Pete Seeger was found guilty of contempt and sentenced to 10 one year sentences in prison to be served consecutively. This is, in essence, a ten-year sentence.

Pete's Letter to John F. Kennedy, Jr.

In a recent research dig at the National Archives online I decided to see what information is stored about Pete Seeger. It was there that I found this gem, a letter from Pete Seeger to President John F. Kennedy, written on March 3, 1961.

I love that we can see the original document itself, humbly typewritten on scarred paper. Pete writes a formal letter and immediately identifies himself as a fellow Harvard graduate-- both Kennedy and Seeger graduated from Harvard University in 1940.

The letter cuts to the chase, describing Seeger’s indictment for contempt which he received in part for not saying whether he had sung a particular song for a group of Communists. Seeger includes a few sentences of court transcription to prove the absurdity of the intense questioning.

At one point, Chairman Walter asks, “Did you sing that song?” Mr. Seeger responds, “I can sing it; I don’t how well I can do it without my banjo…” Pete, cheeky as always.

Before closing his letter to JFK, Pete apologies to the US President,

“I would not take up your valuable time with my personal problem, except that I feel it is a very fundamental one which concerns all America these days. Do I, or does any citizen, have the right to hold unorthodox opinions, whether they be purely right or horribly wrong, and do I have the right to join with others who think similarly? Without being blacklisted or persecuted as a ‘subversive’?"

Pete closes the letter to the US President with a poem by an uncle (who was also a Harvard grad, class of 1910) the second American to die in WWI, which is a very odd and seemingly mixed-bag claim to fame. By the end of the letter, I am much more aware of the privileged life Pete Seeger lived to come from an Ivy-league-educated family. By the end of Pete’s life in 2014, his net worth was approximately $5 million mostly gained from record sales.

The poem reads:

“You have the grit and guts, I know

You are ready to answer blow for blow

You are virile, combative, stubborn, hard

But your honor ends with your own backyard;

Each man intent on his private goal,

You have no feelings for the whole;

What singly none would tolerate

You let unpunished hit the state,

Unmindful that each man must share

The stain he lets his country wear,

And (what no traveler ignores)

That her good name is often yours.”

I also noticed that the letter is signed "Peter Seeger" as a sign of formality.

I thought this was, perhaps, a timely poem and one that I have thought about quite a bit in the past few weeks. The poem makes me think of the events of the failed insurrection of January 6, 2021-- the myopic view of those rioters who left a stain on our country that will last for a very long time. I am aware that this poem could be interpreted in the opposite-- a call to arms for a greater good, an incitement of radicals. But contextually, this is not what Pete Seeger would have meant by placing this poem in his plea for freedom. It is a call for personal responsibility and accountability.

It was not until May 1962 that Seeger’s conviction was overturned in an appeals court. Seeger never served a day in jail but to have such a severe sentence hanging over his head for five years must have been stressful and a constant source of worry. I am not aware of any response from President Kennedy to Pete Seeger.

Wherever you are Pete Seeger, thank you for picking up the torch of Tom Joad and Woody Guthrie and for bringing that light to subsequent generations. I miss you and your lovely folksy reedy voice that had the power to carry across large venues and united us in song. I hope you are in heaven leading a rousing round of Wimoweh as your perfect falsetto rises to serenade us all in peace and love.