Categories
Commemorations

Joe Hill Chronology

October 7, 1879: Birth of Joe Hill (as Joel Hägglund) in Gävle, Sweden.

December 7, 1887: Joe Hill’s father, Olof, dies during operation to treat injury from job accident.

October 3, 1900: Joe Hill released from hospital after surgery and long convalescence from tuberculosis contracted as a rope maker (a trade he began work at at the age of 12). Returns to Gävle – working in shipyard, plays piano in local cafés, and joins the Gävle Workers’ Federation.

January 17, 1902: Joe Hill’s mother, Catharina, dies.

October 28, 1902: Joe Hill (and his brother) arrives in New York City from Sweden.

April 18, 1906: Joe Hill in San Francisco Earthquake; writes about it for Swedish newspaper Gefle Dägblad.

August 27, 1910: Joe Hill publishes his first article in the Industrial Worker.

March 2, 1911: IWW wins Fresno, California, Free Speech Fight.

April 30, 1911: Joe Hill leaves San Pedro, California, to join Mexican Revolution.

June 22, 1911: Joe Hill flees to California after Mexican troops crush Magonista rebellion.

July 6, 1911: Joe Hill’s song “The Preacher and the Slave” (Long-Haired Preachers) published in IWW’s Little Red Songbook.

September 30, 1911: Nationwide strike of more than 40,000 railway shopmen inspires Joe Hill’s song “Casey Jones – the Union Scab.”

March 20, 1912: Joe Hill joins San Diego Free Speech Fight.

March 27, 1912: Start of 8-month Fraser River Strike by IWW railroad construction workers, British Columbia. Joe Hill joins 1,000-mile picket line, writing several songs to bolster spirits on the picket line.

March 31, 1912: Joe Hill is IWW speaker at Free Speech League rally in San Francisco Building Trades hall, speaking on San Diego Free Speech Fight, in which he participated.

April 8, 1912: Joe Hill arrives in Fraser River Valley, Canada, to support striking IWW railroad construction workers.

May 9, 1912: Joe Hill’s song “Where the Fraser River Flows” published in Industrial Worker.

July 18, 1912: Joe Hill elected secretary of San Pedro IWW longshore strike committee.

August 1, 1912: San Pedro longshore strike defeated, Wobblies blacklisted.

January 1913: Joe Hill’s song “Mr. Block” published in Industrial Worker.

February 16, 1913: Joe Hill song “Scissor Bill” published in Industrial Worker.

March 6, 1913: Joe Hill’s “There Is Power in a Union” first appears in IWW Little Red Songbook.

April 3, 1913: Joe Hill’s anti-war song “Should I Ever Be A Soldier” first published in Industrial Worker.

April 10, 1913: Joe Hill’s song “The White Slave” first published  in Industrial Worker.

May 29, 1913: Joe Hill’s song “Stung Right” published in Industrial Worker.

July 9, 1913: Joe Hill leaves San Pedro, California, jail after 30 days on vagrancy rap stemming from his role in longshore strike. Blacklisted, he soon heads to Salt Lake City.

July 10, 1913: Industrial Worker reports IWW win in strike against Utah construction contractors.

August 12, 1913: Gun thugs break up IWW street meeting, Salt Lake City.

January 10, 1914: Murder of Salt Lake City grocer provides pretext for frame-up of Joe Hill.

January 12, 1914: Salt Lake City police arrest man who likely committed the murder Joe Hill was executed for.

January 14, 1914: Salt Lake City police shoot, nearly kill, Joe Hill in his bed.

January 22, 1914: Joe Hill pleads not guilty; police condemn him as writer of IWW songs.

January 28, 1914: Joe Hill’s preliminary hearing; police soon “lose” transcript.

June 10, 1914: Jury selection begins in Joe Hill trial; judge packs jury pool to defeat defense challenges.

June 19, 1914: Judge in Joe Hill trial “corrects” witness testimony to preserve prosecution case.

June 24, 1914: Defense testimony shows Joe Hill could not have been shot during Morrisey robbery.

July 8, 1914: Joe Hill sentenced to death.

September 19, 1914: IWW newspaper Solidarity publishes Joe Hill’s song, “Workers of the World, Awaken.”

May 28, 1915: Utah Supreme Court hears Joe Hill appeal; rules state has no obligation to prove charges.

October 16, 1915: Utah Pardons Board “considers” Joe Hill’s fate as Salt Lake newspaper falsely ties him to 1911 robbery. (Hill was in Mexican Revolution at the time.)

October 31, 1915: Salt Lake City IWW Secretary R.J. Horton shot in back, killed; the killer is feted the next day at the Elks Club.

November 9, 1915: Huge New York City rally demands Joe Hill be freed. Speakers include Joe Ettor, John Reed and Jim Larkin.

November 16, 1915:  American Federation of Labor convention delegates demand new trial for Joe Hill.

November 19, 1915: IWW organizer and songwriter Joe Hill murdered by Utah authorities.

November 25, 1915: Tens of thousands pack Joe Hill funeral, Chicago.

February 14, 1929: Real killer freed by Salt Lake cops in Joe Hill case involved in St. Valentine’s Day Massacre, Chicago.

November 18, 1988: Last of Joe Hill’s ashes released from federal government custody. They had been seized from the mails by the government in 1917 under the Espionage Act and secretly held for decades.

Categories
Joe Hill songs

Oh, Please Let Me Dance This Waltz With You (1914)

When I hear that melody, with its rhythmic harmony,
Then I feel just like I’d be in a dream entrancing,
And I’d like to float through space, softly glide from place to place,
With the fascinating grace of a fairy dancing.

Oh, please let me dance this waltz with you,
And look in your dreamy eyes of blue.
Sweet imagination, smooth, gliding sensation,
Oh, love, I would die just for dancing this waltz with you.

Listen to that mellow strain, come and let us waltz again.
Please don’t let me ask in vain; I just feel like flying,
Put your head close to my heart, And we’ll never, never part.
Come my darling, let us start, from joy I’m nearly dying.

Categories
Joe Hill songs

Come and Take a Joy-Ride in My Aeroplane (1914)

If you will be my sweetheart, I’ll take you for a ride
Among the silv’ry clouds up in the sky.
Then, far away from sorrows like eagles we will glide,
And no one will be there but you and I.
Say, darling, if you’ll be my little honey dove,
We’ll fly above and coo and love.
I’ll take you from this dusty earth to where the air
Is pure and crystal clear — and there
I’ll give my promise to be true,
While gliding ‘mong the silv’ry clouds with you.

Come and take a joy-ride in my aeroplane tonight,
Way beyond the clouds, where all the stars are shining bright.
There l’d like to look into your loving eyes of blue,
And if I should fall, then I know I’d fall in love with you.

If you will be my sweetheart, I’ll take you to the stars,
The man in the moon will meet you face to face.
We’ll take a trip to Venus, to Jupiter and to Mars,
And with the comets we will run a race.
We’ll go to the milky way, where all the milk is sold
In cups of gold, so I was told.
Our little honeymooning trip shall be a scream,
A sweet and lovely dream.
Come, put your little head close to my heart,
And promise that we’ll never, never part.

Categories
Joe Hill songs

My Dreamland Girl (1914)

Would you like to get acquainted with my Dreamland Girl divine?
Never was a picture painted fairer than this girl of mine.
Sweet and graceful like a pansy, bright and charming like a pearl,
She’s the idol of my fancy, she’s my own — my Dreamland Girl.

Charming Fairy Queen of my dreams,
Ever before me your face brightly beams:
Night and day l’m dreaming of you,
Some day my sweet dreams perhaps will come true.

She is coy and captivating, Venus-like in grace and pose,
With an air more fascinating than the fragrance of the Rose.
Like the stars her eyes are shining ‘neath a wealth of golden hair,
And my heart is ever pining for my Dreamland Girl so fair.

Watch it sung by Bucky Halker.

Categories
Joe Hill songs

What We Want (1913)

Tune: “Rainbow” (Percy Wenrich)
First published in the March 1913 edition of the IWW’s Little Red Songbook.

We want all the workers in the world to organize
Into a great big union grand
And when we all united stand
The world for workers we demand
If the working class could only see and realize
What mighty power labor has
Then the exploiting master class
It would soon fade away.

CHORUS:
Come all ye toilers that work for wages,
Come from every land,
Join the fighting band,
In one union grand,
Then for the workers we’ll make upon this earth a paradise
When the slaves get wise and organize.

We want the sailor and the tailor and the lumberjacks,
And all the cooks and laundry girls,
We want the guy that dives for pearls,
The pretty maid that’s making curls,
And the baker and staker and the chimneysweep,
We want the man that’s slinging hash,
The child that works for little cash
In one union grand.

We want the tinner and the skinner and the chamber-maid,
We want the man that spikes on soles,
We want the man that’s digging holes,
We want the man that’s climbing poles,
And the trucker and the mucker and the hired man,
And all the factory girls and clerks,
Yes, we want every one that works,
In one union grand.

For sheet music and karaoke file click here. To purchase John McCutcheon’s recording of this song click here.

Categories
Joe Hill songs

The Old Toiler’s Message (1912)

Tune: “Silver Threads Among the Gold” (Hart Pease Danks)

First published in the August 1913 edition of the IWW Little Red Songbook.

“Darling I am growing old” —
So the toiler told his wife —
“Father Time the days have tolled
Of my usefulness in life.
Just tonight my master told me
He can’t use me any more.
Oh, my darling, do not scold me,
When the wolf comes to our door.”

CHORUS:
To the scrap heap we are going
When we’re overworked and old —
When our weary heads are showing
Silver threads among the gold.

“Darling, I am growing old –”
He once more his wife did tell —
“All my labor pow’r I’ve sold
I have nothing more to sell.
Though I’m dying from starvation
I shall shout with all my might
To the coming generation.
I shall shout with all my might –”

For sheet music and karaoke file click here.

Categories
Joe Hill songs

Stung Right (1912)

Tune: “Sunlight, Sunlight” (W. S. Weeden)
First published in the March 1913 edition (fifth edition) of the IWW Little Red Songbook.

When I was hiking ’round the town to find a job one day,
I saw a sign that a thousand men were wanted right away,
To take a trip around the world in Uncle Sammy’s fleet,
I signed my name a dozen times upon a great big sheet.

CHORUS:
I was stung right, stung right, S-T-U-N-G,
Stung right, stung right, E. Z. Mark, that’s me
When my term is over, and again I’m free,
There’ll be no more trips around the world for me.

The man he said, “The U. S. Fleet, that is no place for slaves,
The only thing you have to do is stand and watch the waves.”
But in the morning, five o’clock, they woke me from my snooze,
To scrub the deck and polish brass, and shine the captain’s shoes.

One day a dude in uniform to me commenced to shout,
I simply plugged him in the jaw, and knocked him down and out;
They slammed me right in irons then and said, “You are a case.”
On bread and water then I lived for twenty-seven days.

One day the captain said, “Today I’ll show you something nice,
All hands line up, we’ll go ashore and have some exercise.”
He made us run for seven miles as fast as we could run,
And with a packing on our back that weighed a half a ton.

Some time ago when Uncle Sam he had a war with Spain,
And many of the boys in blue were in the battle slain,
Not all were killed by bullets, though; no, not by any means,
The biggest part that were killed by Armour’s Pork and Beans.

Sung by: Barbara Dane. For sheet music and karaoke file click hereTo purchase John McCutcheon’s recording of this song click here.

Categories
Joe Hill songs

The White Slave (1912)

Tune: “Meet Me Tonight In Dreamland” (Leo Friedman)
First published in the March 1913 edition (fifth edition) of the IWW Little Red Songbook.

One little girl, fair as a pearl,
Worked every day in a laundry;
All that she made for food she paid,
So she slept on a park bench so soundly;
An old procuress spied her there,
And whispered softly in her ear:

CHORUS:
Come with me now, my girly,
Don’t sleep out in the cold;
Your face and tresses curly
Will bring you fame and gold,
Automobiles to ride in, diamonds and silks to wear,
You’ll be a star bright, down in the red light,
You’ll make your fortune there.

Same little girl, no more a pearl,
Walks all alone ‘long the river,
Five years have flown, her health is gone,
She would look at the water and shiver,
Whene’er she’d stop to rest and sleep,
She’d hear a voice call from the deep:

Girls in this way, fall every day,
And have been falling for ages,
Who is to blame? you know his name,
It’s the boss that pays starvation wages.
A homeless girl can always hear
Temptations calling everywhere.

Swedish version sung (with a Hawaiian flavor) by Lucas Stark.  For sheet music and karaoke file click here.

Categories
Joe Hill songs

Let Bill Do It (1912)

Hey, all you girls and fellows
That do depend on Bill
To do your work and duties,
I’ll put you next, I will.
I’ll put you next to Billy,
I’ve known him since the ‘Quake;
Of all the Weary Willies,
That guy, he takes the cake.
He is so gol durn lazy
He wouldn’t do a tap’
I rather would depend on
Some fool Missouri yap.
Now take my tip, you workers
That slave in mine and mill,
And never do depend upon
That good for nothing Bill.

First published in Industrial Worker, October 1912. Underneath the title appeared, in parentheses: “Written by J. Hill, and dedicated to those who have nothing to lose but their chairs.” (That last word is not a typo.)

Categories
Commemorations Concert tour

Past events (November 2014 – present)

November 2014

Release of Joe Hill centenary edition of “Solidarity Forever” Labor History calendar.

11/14/2014  Joe Hill 100 Years Part 3, Labor/Migrant/Gulf Group Exhibition. Uri-Eichen Gallery, 2101 S. Halsted, Chicago. Features work by more than 70 artists from around the world. Opening features Bucky Halker singing songs of Joe Hill. 8 p.m.

January 2015

1/16/2015  Proposals due for 47th annual conference of the Pacific Northwest Labor History Association.  Come to Seattle May 1-3 to Celebrate the 100th Anniversary of the writing of Solidarity Forever, Honor the life of Joe Hill on the centennial of his execution, and Act to strengthen and rebuild the labor movement for a secure future.

1/17/2015 Participatory readings celebrating the life of Joe Hill. Western Workers Labor Heritage Festival, Machinists’ Hall, Burlingame, California.

March 2015

Exhibition: 3/14/2015: Joe Hill – martyren från Gävle. Länsmuseet/Gävle, Sweden. The website includes information on the exhibit, which will run for several weeks, and on related events.

Film Showing & Joe Hill Songs: 3/25/14: La Maison des Métallos (Steel Workers House), Paris, France. Release party for new Les Mutins de Pangée documentary on Howard Zinn, which includes segment on Joe Hill. Fred Alpi will perform Joe Hill songs.

April 2015

Exhibition: 4/10/2015 Joe Hill 100 Years Part 4: Killed, paintings by James Wechsler. URI-EICHEN Gallery, 2101 S Halsted, Chicago.

Songs of Joe Hill: April 3-May 17: Joe Hill Tour in Sweden, Denmark, Germany and Switzerland with David Rovics and Kristian Svensson. Details at http://www.davidrovics.com/

Songs of Joe Hill tour: April 3: Nordsjællands Efterskole, Aggebovej 34, Helsinge, Denmark

April 7: Lilla Kulkturhuset, Lund, Sweden

April 8: Gemenskapen, Spånehusgatan 83, Malmö, Sweden

April 9: Medborgarhuset, Lönsboda, Hässleholm, Sweden

April 10: Oktober Bogcafé, Vesterfælledvej 1B1750, Copenhagen, Denmark

April 11: Perrong 23, Hässleholm, Sweden

April 13: Metropol Hörby, Lund, Sweden

April 14ABF Huset, Trelleborg, Sweden

April 15: Folkets hus, Ängelholm, Sweden

April 17: Kulturhuset, Jönköping, Sweden

David Rovics at gig in Kafé 44, Stockholm, Sweden. April 21, 2015
David Rovics at gig in Kafé 44, Stockholm, Sweden. April 21, 2015

April 18: Cyklopen, Stockholm, Sweden

April 19: Joe Hill Museum, Gävle, Sweden

April 20: Runö Conference Centre, Åkersberga, Sweden

April 21: Kafé 44, Stockholm, Sweden

April 23: Folkets Hus, Copenhagen, Denmark

April 28: Langsøhus, Silkeborg, Denmark

April 29: Kulturhuset Silkeborg, Silkeborg, Denmark

April 30: 1000 Fryd, Aalborg, Denmark

May 2: Klub – Bildung & Kultur am Besenbinderhof 62, Hamburg, Germany

May 15: Landquart, Switzerland

May 16: Wallhalla, Davos, Switzerland

May 17: Rössli Bar, Bern, Switzerland

May 2015

5/1-2/2014 Chicago Commemoration. Among events being organized are a Friday night concert and ceremonies at the Haymarket Monument on Friday May 1 (Illinois Labor History Society, Noon) and at Waldheim Cemetery Saturday May 2 (11 a.m., includes scattering of ashes of former IWW General Executive Board chair Fred Lee, who secured the release of Joe Hill’s ashes from federal custody).

Concert: 5/1-10/2015 Joe Hill Road Show. Concerts in Chicago, Madison, Milwaukee, Oshkosh, St. Paul, and more.

roadshow.smallJoe Hill Road Show: 5/1/2015 May Day Kickoff with Anne Feeney, Jan Hammarlund direct from Sweden and more! Haymarket Monument, 175 N. Desplaines St., Chicago. Free

Friday, May 1: Chicago: HideOut, 1354 W Wabansia Ave. with Bucky Halker, JP Wright, Anne Feeney, Jan Hammarlund, and a short talk on Joe Hill by Alexis Buss. http://www.hideoutchicago.com

Sunday, May 3: Batavia, IL: Fox Valley Folk Society, with Bucky Halker, JP Wright, Anne Feeney, Jan Hammarlund http://foxvalleyfolk.com

Tuesday, May 5: Sheboygan WI: Paradigm Café, 1202 N 8th St. with Bucky Halker, JP Wright, Anne Feeney, Jan Hammarlund, Lil’ Rev and guest Michael Lee Amons. http://paradigmvenue.com/

Wednesday, May 6: Madison, WI: Barrymore Theater, 2090 Atwood Ave.  with Bucky Halker, JP Wright, Anne Feeney, Jan Hammarlund, Lil’ Rev and special guests David HB Drake, Steven Lee Rich, David Sewell,  Moe Hirsch, The Solidarity Sing-A-Long Singers, the Forward Marching Band, and spoken word with Marty Kehrein and Martha Stahl. http://www.barrymorelive.com/

Thursday, May 7: Green Bay, WI: Luna Café, 330 Main Ave. with Bucky Halker, JP Wright, Anne Feeney, Jan Hammarlund, Lil’ Rev and special guest Skip Jones.  https://lunacafe.com/

Friday, May 8: Milwaukee, WI: Anodyne Café, 224 W Bruce St. with Bucky Halker, JP Wright, Anne Feeney, Jan Hammarlund, Lil’ Rev and special guests David HB Drake, Will Branch and Harvey Taylor.  https://anodynecoffee.com/

Saturday, May 9: Oshkosh, WI: New Moon Café, 401 N Main St. with Bucky Halker, JP Wright, Anne Feeney, Jan Hammarlund. http://newmooncafe.com/

Sunday, May 10: St. Paul, MN: East Side Freedom Library, 1105 Greenbrier St.with Bucky Halker, JP Wright, Anne Feeney, Jan Hammarlund, and special guests Emmett Doyle and Paul Metsa. http://eastsidefreedomlibrary.org/

5/1-3/2015  Pacific Northwest Labor History Association conference, celebrating the centenary of the writing of “Solidarity Forever” and honoring the life of Joe Hill on the centennial of his execution. Seattle, Washington.

June 2015

unnamedConcert & Book Release: 6/6/2015. Tribute to Joe Hill celebrates release of a new French translation of Franklin Rosemont’s book on Joe Hill and working-class culture, and several musicians performing Joe Hill’s songs in French and English. CNT complex, 33 rue des Vignoles, 75020 Paris, France.

Concert: 6/13/2015 Joe Hill Roadshow featuring Magpie, George Mann and Charlie King. Guthrie Center, 2 Van Deusenville Road, Great Barrington MA.

Concert: 6/6-19/2015 John McCutcheon’s “Joe Hill’s Last Will” tour

6/6/2015 Sutter Creek Theater, 44 Main St., Sutter Creek CA

6/7/2015 Grass Valley Center for the Arts 314 W Main St., Grass Valley CA

6/8/2015 Chico, Calif. Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, 1075 E 20th St.

6/10/2015 Fresno, Calif. John McCutcheon’s “Joe Hill’s Last Will” tour hits the site of one of the classic IWW free speech fights

6/11/2015 Modesto, Calif. Church of the Brethren, 2301 Woodland Ave.

6/12/2015 Fremont, Calif. St. James Episcopal Church, 37051 Cabrillo Terrace

6/13/2015 Berkeley, Calif. Freight & Salvage, 2020 Addison

6/14/2015 Sonoma, Calif. Sebastiani Theater, 476 First St. East

6/19/2015 Richmond, Virginia. Singleton Center for Performing Arts, 922 Park Ave.

July 2015

7/5/2015 Concert: David Rovics, Joe Hill Commemoration Concert, opening LaborFest 2015 at ILWU Local 34 Hall in San Francisco.  On July 5, 1934,  two longshore strike supporters  were gunned down by police, igniting the 1934 San Francisco general strike.  LaborFest is an annual working class cultural, music and film festival. www.laborfest.net

7/14/2015: Poetry & Music:  Bastille Day, Words on the Anniversary of Joe Hill’s Death. LaborFest, San Francisco. Tuesday, July 147:00 p.m. Free. First Unitarian Universalist Church – 1187 Franklin Street. Poets Judith Ayne Bernard, Dorothy Payne, John Curl, Mahmaz Badihian, Jack Hirschman, Agneta Falk, Karen Melander Magoon and others. Music with Troubadour Vic Sadot.

7/15/2015: Film:  “The Ballad of Joe Hill”(1971, Sweden) by Bo Widerberg. San Francisco. FilmWorks United International Working Class Film & Video Festival. Wednesday, July 15, 7:00 p.m. Free. ILWU Local 34 Hall, 801 2nd St. next to AT&T Ball Park.

This dramatic film tells Joe Hill’s story as an immigrant coming to the United States. This rarely seen Academy Award-nominated film is about an ingenious immigrant labor organizer who is framed on a murder charge in a highly sensationalized trial with little evidence.  Despite worldwide appeals, Hill is martyred by a Utah firing squad after one of the most controversial capital punishment trials of the 20th Century. Today, on the hundredth anniversary of his death, the state of Utah has reinstated the firing squad. Despite the bullets that ended his life, his legacy, humor, principles and solidarity with workers of the world live on.

roadshow.small7/23 – 8/2/2015 Joe Hill Roadshow, East Coast leg begins in Washington, D.C. and ends in Cambridge, Mass.

Thursday, July 23, Washington, DC:  Magpie, Charlie King, DC Labor Chorus and George Mann in concert. Washington Ethical Society, 7750 16th St NW, 7:30 pm. $10-$15, no one turned away for lack of funds.

Friday, July 24, Baltimore:  Magpie, Charlie King and George Mann in concert. First Unitarian Church, 514 N Charles St., 7:30 pm. $15, $10 students and seniors, no one turned away for lack of funds. Advance tickets: 410.685.2330

Saturday, July 25, Philadelphia:  Magpie, Charlie King and George Mann with special guest John Braxton in concert. University Lutheran Church, 3637 Chestnut St., 7:30 p.m. Sliding Scale, $10 – $30, children $5. Sponsored by Crossroads Concerts; co-sponsored by American Swedish Historical Museum and IWW Hungarian Literature Fund.

Sunday, July 26, Ithaca, NY:  Magpie, The Burns Sisters and George Mann in concert. The Space at Greenstar, 700 W Buffalo St., 7:00 pm. $15, no one turned away for lack of funds.

Wednesday, July 29, New York City:  Magpie, Charlie King, George Mann and New York City Labor Chorus in concert. Local 1199 Union MLK Auditorium, 310 West 43rd Street, New York, 7:30 pm, $10-$15, no one turned away for lack of funds.

Thursday, July 30, Schenectady, NY: Charlie King, Magpie, Joe Jencks, and George Mann onstage in the underground theater. Eighth Step at Proctors, 432 State Street, Schenectady, 7:00 pm

Friday, July 31, Barre, VT: Magpie, Charlie King and George Mann (with special guests Anything Goes) in concert. Old Socialist Labor Hall, 46 Granite Street, 7:30 pm, tickets $15, seniors and students $12, no one turned away!

August 2015

Joe Hill Roadshow, Northeast Leg

Saturday, August 1, Springfield, MA: Magpie, Charlie King and George Mann in concert. Bing Art Center, 718 Sumner Ave., 8:00 pm. $15, students and seniors $10, none turned away for lack of funds.

Sunday, August 2, Cambridge, MA: Magpie, Charlie King and George Mann (with special guest Evan Greer) wrap up the Northeast leg with a concert at this venerable, historic folk music venue. Club Passim, 47 Palmer Street, Cambridge, MA 8:00 pm. Tickets $20, $18 for members.

through Sept. 7: Exhibit: Joe Hill – martyren från Gävle. Länsmuseet Gävleborg, Gävle, Sweden.

8/13-15/2015 Still Building Internationalism Conference, Gävle, Sweden. Three days of music, books, and organized discussions around the topics of Work and Migration, Work and Repression, and Building Internationalism, Connecting Struggles. Organized by the SAC union,Joe Hill-sällskapet and Federativs Förlag, the conference will be attended by members of self-managed and radical unions across Europe. Click here for information on registration.

September 2015

joe-hill-who-is-singing-300x3009/5/2015 Concert: The Joe Hill Organizing Committee hosts a day-long celebration of Joe Hill’s life and work Saturday, Sept. 5, at Sugarhouse Park (which stands on the site of the prison where Joe Hill was held and executed) in Salt Lake City, Utah.  Noon to 8 p.m. Judy Collins, Mark Ross, Anne Feeney, David Rovics, Mischief Brew, Joe Jencks, and many more. Free.

9/6/2015 Exhibition on life and legacy of Joe Hill opens at American Swedish Historical Museum, Philadelphia. Ran through Labor Day 2016.

through Sept. 7: Exhibit: Joe Hill – martyren från Gävle. Länsmuseet Gävleborg, Gävle, Sweden.

9/7/2015 Concert: Bucky Halker sings labor songs at the historic Pullman site in honor of Labor Day and Joe Hill. Pullman Historical Site (Chicago suburbs), Noon – 2:00 p.m., free.

Joe Hill 100 Roadshow in Sweden!
Anne Feeney and Jan Hammarlund on tour, singing the songs of Joe Hill in English and Swedish.

Friday 9/11/2015 – Sunday 10/13/2015. Vaensterdagarna, Malmo  http://vansterdagarna.vansterpartiet.se/

Sunday 9/13/2015, 8:00 p.m. Jonskoping

Tuesday 9/15/2015 7:00 p.m. Tellus, Misommarkransen.  www.tellusbio.nu/

Wednesday, 9/23/2015 8:00 p.m. FolkKulturCentrum
Stockholm. http://folkkulturcentrum.se/

Saturday, 9/26/2015 8:00 p.m. Kultarnatten, Norrkoping

October 2015

Exhibition on life and legacy of Joe Hill continues at American Swedish Historical Museum, Philadelphia.

10/4/2015 Concert: Joe Hill Roadshow, Atlanta, Georgia, 7:00 p.m. With I Want Whiskey, George Mann, Lee Furey, Jumpin’ Jesus Christers, and Craig Rafuse. Sunday, Oct. 4,  Eyedrop, 88 Forsyth Street, Georgia. $10 – $20 sliding scale.

10/8/2015 Concert: Bucky Halker. Woody Guthrie and songs of the Dustbowl. The show will also include several Joe Hill songs. Chillicothe Library, 430 N Bradley Ave, Chillicothe, IL. 2:00 p.m., free.

10/9/2015 Joe Hill Roadshow, Louisville, Kentucky. 7:00 p.m. With John Gage, Will Oldham, Sue Massek, John Paul Wright, Walter Thomas Beck (poet), The Joe Hill Players and Special Guest Ira Grupper. Nelligan Hall, 2010 Portland Ave. $10.

10/10/2015 Concert: Shelby Bottom String Band, The Cantrells, Todd Sharp, Jack Herranen & The Little Red Band and others commemorate Joe Hill. Nashville, Saturday Oct. 10, 7:30 p.m.
Douglas Corner, 2106 8th Avenue South, Nashville TN 37204. Tickets $12 advance, $15 at the door. (Checks can be mailed to TAP, PO Box 60338, Nashville TN 37206) Sponsored by Tennessee Alliance for Progress, Nashville Peace and Justice Center.

10/17/2015 Concert: Joe Hill Roadshow in Pittsburgh. Anne Feeney, Mike Stout and the Human Union, and Smokehouse Lightning. Saturday, Oct. 17, 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. The Pump House (location of the Historic Battle of Homestead), 880 E. Waterfront Dr., Munhall, Pennsylvania.

10/22-24/2015 Conference: The North American Labor History Conference will feature a round table on Joe Hill’s legacy and other events. Detroit, MI.

10/23/2015 Concert:  An evening of Rebel Music commemorating Joe Hill’s centenary with Len Wallace, The Adrays, and The Slowdown. Friday Oct. 23, 8:00 p.m.,Cass Commons, 4605 Cass at Forest, Detroit. Sponsored by the Detroit Branch of the IWW, the Michigan Chapter of the National Lawyers Guild, and the Sugar Law Center for Economic & Social Justice. $10 donation.

November 2015

Centenary of the murder of IWW songwriter and organizer Joe Hill by the state of Utah.

Exhibition on life and legacy of Joe Hill continues at American Swedish Historical Museum, Philadelphia.

Joe Hill Roadshow, West Coast leg. Nov. 5 through Nov. 20. Chris Chandler, George Mann and David Rovics, with special guests.

November 5, San Diego: Chris Chandler, George Mann & David Rovics, Thursday, Nov. 5, 7:00 p.m. San Diego Education Association hall, 10393 San Diego Mission Rd. $5 – $15 sliding scale. Sponsored by IWW San Diego Organizing Caucus. Co-sponsored by San Diego Education Association (SDEA) & San Diego-Imperial Counties Labor Council (AFL-CIO); endorsed by Activist San Diego, Coalition for Labor and Community Solidarity, UCSD Union Coalition, Committee Opposed to Militarism and the Draft, Interfaith Center for Worker Justice, University Technical and Professional Employees Local 9, Groundwork Books Collective.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdAbXZknnW0
November 6, Los Angeles/San Pedro: Chris Chandler, George Mann & David Rovics, Friday, Nov. 6, 8:00 p.m. (Reception at 7:00) IATSE Local 80 Hall, 2520 W. Olive Ave., Burbank. (Parking onsite) $10 – $20 sliding scale. Sponsored by IATSE, IWW Los Angeles, and Arbeiter Ring/Workmen’s Circle.
November 7, San Francisco Bay Area: San Francisco Labor Heritage/Rockin’ Solidarity Chorus will join the Road Show’sChris Chandler, David Rovics and George Mann for this concert. Saturday, Nov. 7, 7:30 p.m. City College of San Francisco, 50 Phelan Ave. $10-$20, no one turned away for lack of funds.
November 8, Nevada City, CA: Chris Chandler, George Mann & David Rovics with special guests Bodie Wagner and Duncan Phillips. Sunday, Nov. 8, 6:30 p.m. (Live broadcast) KVMR Radio Station Community Room, 120 Bridge St., Nevada City. $10 – $15 sliding scale. This show also honors the legacy of IWW singer U. Utah Phillips, who lived in Nevada City for many years.
November 9, Reno, NV: Chris Chandler, George Mann & David Rovics with special guests Tim Gorlangton and David Fennimore. Monday, Nov. 9, 7:30 p.m. Studio on 4th, 432 E 4th St. $10 – $15 suggested donation.
November 11, Weed, CA: Patrick Dodd, George Mann, Mark Ross & David Rovics perform from a boxcar stage. Wednesday, Nov. 11, Community Dinner 6:00 p.m., Show 8:00 p.m. Black Butte Center for Railroad Culture, 800 Black Butte Rd. $10.
November 12, Phoenix OR: Chris Chandler, George Mann & David Rovics. Thursday,  Nov. 12, 7 p.m. Grass Shack Hawaiian Café, 205 Fern Valley Road, Phoenix, in the Shoppes at Exit 24. 6 p.m. buffet outside, 7 p.m. concert inside. Buffet is $13.95 (Please RSVP for dinner headcount 541-622-9483), Concert is $10 – $20 sliding scale. Nobody will be turned away from the concert for lack of funds. Sponsored by: Southern Oregon Jobs with Justice.
November 13, Eugene, OR: George Mann and David Rovics with Special Guest Mark Ross. Friday, Nov. 13, 7:30 p.m. First Christian Church of Eugene, 1166 Oak St. Suggested donation $10-$20, no one turned away for lack of funds.
November 14, Portland, OR: George Mann and David Rovics special performance for the Cascade Media Convergence, Liberty Hall, 311 N. Ivy St. Suggested admission $5-$10.
November 15, Bellingham, WA:  Linda Allen, George Mann, David Rovics and Rebel Voices (Janet Stecher and Susan Lewis). Sunday, Nov. 15, 7:00 p.m. Unitarian Universalist church, 1207 Ellsworth St. Sponsored by Bellingham GMB, Industrial Workers of the World. $10 – $20, no one turned away for lack of funds.
November 20, Salt Lake City, UT:  Otis Gibbs, Duncan Phillips, Kate Macleod, Walter Parks and many special guests. Friday, Nov.  20, 8:00 p.m. The Stateroom, 638 South State St. $15 admission

11/5-28/2015 Play: The Subversive Theatre Collective presents Si Kahn’s “Joe Hill’s Last Will.” Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. Tickets $25, $20 for students, seniors and union members, Thursdays are pay what you can. Manny Fried Playhouse, 255 Great Arrow Avenue, Buffalo NY (third floor of North Buffalo’s historic Great Arrow Building).

11/7/2015 Concert: “Joe Hill…The Man Who Never Died… 100 Years Ago!” Everett, Washington. Featuring Gary Kanter, Friends & Fellow Travelers. Saturday, Nov. 7, 7 p.m. Firewheel Community Coffee House 2727 Colby Ave.

AnywhereFullSmall11/13/2015 Concert: Bucky Halker, Anywhere But Utah – The Songs of Joe Hill. Friday, Nov. 13, 7:00 p.m. Uri-Eichen Art Gallery, 2101 S Halsted St, Chicago. Bucky will be sharing new recordings from his new release “Anywhere But Utah – The Songs of Joe Hill” in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the murder of Joe Hill. Some of these songs have never before been put to vinyl, disc or acetate. Doors will open at 6:00  p.m. for an exhibition of artwork from the IWW, the Illinois Labor History Society, Fight for Joe Hill, Molly Crabapple and Jon Langford, and a talk by public historian Paul Durica. The exhibit runs through Nov. 23.

11/16/2015 Lecture: William Adler, Ogden, Utah.  Adler
will speak on The Man Who Never Died: The Life and Legacy of Joe Hill After a Century, 7 p.m., Dumke Legacy Hall in the Hurst Learning Center at Weber State University; free.

11/17/2015 Tom Morello & Friends Joe Hill Memorial Concert. Tuesday, Nov. 17, 8:00 p.m. Troubadour, 9081 Santa Monica Blvd. Los Angeles. Performers include: Tom Morello, Joan Baez, Ziggy Marley, Van Dyke Parks, Boots Riley, Rich Robinson, The Last Internationale, Tim Armstrong, Wayne Kramer, Jill Sobule, David Rovics, and Built for the Sea. Part of events marking the centenary and celebrating the release of the new edition of The Letters of Joe Hill. Tickets $20.

11/18/2015  Lecture: William Adler, Salt Lake City, Utah. Adler, author of The Man Who Never Died, speaks at 7 p.m. at Ken Sanders Rare Books, 268 S. 200 East, Salt Lake City; free.

11/19/2015  Vigil to mark centenary of the execution of Joe Hill, Salt Lake City. Sugar House Park,1400 East 2100 South, 6:00 p.m.

11/19/2015  Vigil: 7:21 a.m. Si Kahn & John McCutcheon will stand vigil on the very spot where Joe Hill was tied to a chair, blindfolded and, with a paper heart pinned to his chest, shot to death by a firing squad.  Anyone in the Salt Lake City area is invited to join.

11/19/2015 Concert: Bucky Halker and Lil’ Rev,“Anywhere But Utah – The Songs of Joe Hill.”  7:30 p.m., Beulah Briton House, 2590 S Superior St., Bayview, WI. Donation.
IMG_152511/19/2015 Soapboxing:  The Upstate New York Branch of the Industrial Workers of the World will lead a traditional soapboxing demonstration at noon, on Thursday, Nov. 19 ,at Washington Avenue, downtown Albany, on the sidewalk adjacent to West Capitol Park. Presentation & Concert: That evening, IWW delegate Greg Giorgio will discuss Joe Hill’s Legacy and lead a sing-along of Joe Hill’s songs. 6:30 p.m. at the Altamont Free Library.
11/19/2015 Concert: John McCutcheon, “Joe Hill’s Last Will.” Salt Lake City. The State Room.
11/19/2015 Bo Widerberg’s film Joe Hill will be shown in a newly restored and digitally remastered version produced by the National Library of Sweden as part of a Joe Hill Centenary event in Melbourne, Australia, on Thursday, Nov. 19. Victorian Trades Hall, Lygon and Victoria Streets,  Carlton, commencing at 5.00 p.m.
11/19/2015 Concert: Anne Feeney, Honoring the Legacy of Joe Hill. Sponsored by NW Oregon Labor Council. 8 p.m. Alberta Rose Theatre, 3000 NE Alberta St., Portland OR 97211.

11/19/2015 Concert: 100 years later: Tribute Concert for a true rebel that never died. Berlin. Bernd Köhler & Blandine Bonjour, Geigerzähler, The Overall Brigade. Supamolly, Jessner Str. 41, D-10247 Berlin, Germany. 6:00 – 12:00 p.m.

11/19/2015 Soapboxing. The General Executive Board of the Industrial Workers of the World has called for Wobblies and others to emulate Joe Hill on the centenary of his execution by speaking on a sidewalk, public park or other public place about Joe Hill and the struggle for workers’ emancipation. A pamphlet issued to support the actions is available as a free download.

11/19/2015 The Letters of Joe Hill. Former IWW General Secretary-Treasurer Alexis Buss will discuss the life and legacy of Joe Hill, and in particular his writings collected in the new expanded edition of The Letters of Joe Hill (for which she collected extensive new material and updated and expanded the notes). John Braxton will sing Joe Hill’s songs. Thursday, Nov. 19, 6:30 p.m., Swedish American Historical Museum, Philadelphia. 

11/19/2015 Concert: “Don’t Mourn, Organize: The Musical Legacy of Joe Hill,” Chico, California. Jim Brobeck, Michael Cannon, Laurie Dana, Kim Gimbal, Mackenzie Howlett, Mark Johnson, David Longaker, Mark McKinnon , Gordy Ohliger, Laurel Paulson-Pierce, Katrina Rodriguez, Jim Williams, and David Zink will share music by Joe Hill and inspired by him. 7:00 p.m., Blue Room Theater, 139 West 1st Street, Chico (above Colliers Hardware, accessible). $15, reservations or advance tickets required. (Proceeds benefit the Bernie Sanders campaign; Joe Hill’s “Mr. Block” suggests he might have preferred a different strategy.)

11/20/2015 Concert: “Joe Hill…The Man Who Never Died… 100 Years Ago!” Seattle, Washington. Featuring Gary Kanter, Friends & Fellow Travelers. Friday, Nov. 20,  7 p.m. Couth Buzzard Books, 8310 Greenwood Ave., Seattle.

11/20/2015 Don’t Mourn, Organize! Performances in Celebration of Labor Troubadour Joe Hill. New York City. Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! will lead a group of musicians and actors in a rousing evening honoring the great labor troubadour Joe Hill: Musicians Allison Moorer, Stephen Said, Son of Nun and Jamie Kilstein, actors Susan Pourfar and Brian Jones, comedian Hari Kondabolu, and writer Walter Mosley. Friday, Nov. 20, 7:00 p.m. New School’s Alvin Johnson/J.M. Kaplan Hall, 66 W 12th St., Manhattan. The event celebrates publication of the new edition of The Letters of Joe Hill. Admission free, but tickets required.

11/20/2015 Concert: John McCutcheon, “Joe Hill’s Last Will.” Denver, CO. Bread & Roses Cultural Center.

11/20/2015 Commemoration Concert: Kansas City MO. Danny Cox, Dr. Joyce Downing, Tom James, Bill Clause, Kasey Raush & Scott Stanton, Ariana Eakle, Bob & Diana Suckiel and more. Friday, Nov. 20, 7:30 p.m. Trailside Center, 9901 Holmes Rd. $15 donation. Be prepared to sing.

11/21/2015 Concert: John McCutcheon, “Joe Hill’s Last Will.” Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Legion Arts.

11/21/2015. Joe Hill Roadshow, Knoxville TN. Jack Herranen & the Little Red Band, Black Atticus, Shelby Bottom Duo, Matt Kinman & Friends. Saturday, Nov. 21, Potluck 5:00 p.m., Show 7:00 p.m. Candoro Marble Building, 4450 Candora Ave., Knoxville. $5 donation.

11/22/2015 Commemoration: Joe Hill funeral re-enactment with a casket, brass band and several performers (including Swedish and Italian).  Bucky Halker, Jon Langford, Sally Timms, and more.  The Hideout, 1354 W Wabansia Ave, Chicago.

11/22/2015 Concert: John McCutcheon continues his Joe Hill’s Last Will tour in Madison, Wisconsin.

11/23/2015 Concert: John McCutcheon concludes his Joe Hill’s Last Will tour in Rockville, Maryland.

Exhibition: Joe Hill 100 Years Part 5. URI-EICHEN Gallery, 2101 S Halsted, Chicago. Posters and other memorabilia from the Industrial Workers of the World General HQ’s Collection, Molly Crabapple,  and Pocket Guide to Hell’s Paul Durica. Live music with Bucky Halker.

December 2015

12/12/2015 Presentation: “Don’t Mourn, Organize!” commemorating the life of Joe Hill and raising funds for Haymarket Books, publisher of the expanded edition of The Letters of Joe Hill. Bill Ayers, Rick Kogan, Maya Schenwar, Jesse Sharkey, Sharon Smith, James Thindwa, and other special guests will read from Joe Hill’s writings and perform his songs. Saturday, Dec. 12, 7:00 p.m., Preston Bradley Center, 941 W. Lawrence Ave., Chicago. Tickets $10 – $45, includes a copy of the new edition of The Letters of Joe Hill, compiled by Alexis Buss, with a new foreword by Tom Morello.

2016 events

Tuesday, Oct.  25, 2016. Musical History of Joe Hill & the Early Labor Movement Tour with the Shelby Bottom Duo (Michael August and Nell Levin) United Auto Workers Local 737, 6207 Centennial Blvd, Nashville TN, 2 pm.
Thursday, Nov. 17, 2016. SPECIAL ALBUM RELEASE SHOW! Musical History of Joe Hill and the Early Labor Movement Tour with Shelby Bottom Duo, Nashville Peace & Justice Center, Friends Meeting House, 530 26th Avenue N., Nashville, 7 pm.

Friday, Sept. 30, 2016. The Joe Hill Roadshow makes a return appearance at the MSU Community Music School, Lansing, Michigan, 7:30 p.m.. Tickets are $18, $5 for students.  Performing are Magpie (Greg Artzner and Terry Leonino), Charlie King and George Mann.