Larry Long singing in New Orleans with a group of people

Larry Long recording a song collectively written with residents from the 9th Ward of New Orleans through his Elders’ Wisdom, Children’s Song program in partnership with the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Author Studs Terkel called Long “a true American Troubadour.” When Pete Seeger was told that Larry is often referred to as the Pete Seeger of Minnesota, Pete replied, “I would be honored to be called the Larry Long of New York.”

“Out of muteness, silence, and pain there comes a song. It rises from the earth, the exploitation, work, and sorrow of the people. It rises from struggle kept alive in our wonderful multiplicity and sounds the tenderness of our solidarity. Bird song, people’s songs, from struggle and death, from the lost and gone and mute, out of the corpse of our death we sing.

Then our joyous singer like Larry Long begins to come where we are working, where we are living, and listens, repeats like a mockingbird, or notes of nightingales or meadowlarks, makes songs out of the first and last breath. He sings where we are, about what is happening. He takes the real sound, the real words and gives us back our songs and we hear what singers we all are and how beautiful, and how strong.”  —Meridel Le Sueur, American Author & Poet

Larry Long Interview on JAZZ 88.FM about American Roots Revue Live at the Dakota on January 13th

Larry had a lengthy association with folk music icon Pete Seeger. When Larry got together with Phil Nusbaum from JAZZ 88.FM to talk about the American Roots Revue, Larry first […]

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Congratulations to Nadia Mohamed

For over 40 years Larry Long worked in communities throughout the United States honoring over one-thousand elders through his program Elders’ Wisdom, Children’s Song.  Two years ago his alma mater, […]

Learn More

American Roots Revue feat. Robert Robinson, Tonia Hughes Kendrick, Larry Long & Barbara Cohen

American Roots Revue is baaaaack! The Revue’s stellar players slated for the band’s return for two shows on Saturday, January 13th in the new year include gospel legend Robert Robinson, R&B, soul […]

Learn More

Larry Long Interview on JAZZ 88.FM about American Roots Revue Live at the Dakota on January 13th

Larry had a lengthy association with folk music icon Pete Seeger. When Larry got together with Phil Nusbaum from JAZZ 88.FM to talk about the American Roots Revue, Larry first addressed the influence of Pete Seeger.  The show will be broadcast the week of January 8; Monday 8:20PM Thursday 11:20AM and 5:20PM.  Listen now by clicking on JAZZ 88FM.
Showtimes: 6:30 & 8:30 PM
For tickets: www.dakotacooks.com
Box Office: 612-332-5299
 Dakota Address: 1010 Nicollet Mall | Minneapolis MN 55403

Congratulations to Nadia Mohamed

For over 40 years Larry Long worked in communities throughout the United States honoring over one-thousand elders through his program Elders’ Wisdom, Children’s Song. 

Two years ago his alma mater, St. Louis Park Schools, contracted Larry to assist in integrating Elders’ Wisdom, Children’s Song  into their curriculum.

One of the elders they honored was Nadia Mohamed, subsequently elected mayor of St. Louis Park, becoming the first elected Somali American immigrant in the US to serve as mayor in any state.

Here is a portion of the words she shared with 4th grade students in the St. Louis Park Schools. In response, the students then honored Ms. Mohamed and other community elders with a song and celebration.

I am Somalian American. That means I come from Africa. I’ve been here for about 15 years. I graduated from the high school, and I have a twin brother, which is a pretty cool thing.   I have a little brother, a little sister, and one older brother.  So in total we are a family of seven including my two parents. . .We all grew up in St. Louis Park. . . it was pretty difficult for me because there wasn’t a lot of kids that looked like me. And there weren’t kids that were dressed like me. When I say dressed like me, as you guys can tell, I wear a longer skirt, right? And I wear a hijab. . . or a scarf.

There are a lot of times where I didn’t feel like the things that were being done around me were right. So, I think I waited up until like college to start talking. That’s when I found my voice, I started going to community events. I actually went to Susan Lindgren. . .to their parent-teacher committee. .  I had conversations with them about how to be more inclusive with their students, with parents of color, and just kind of having those conversations and going to those community events, my voice got louder and louder and louder. Then I won a human rights award from the city, which is just basically saying that you fight for, or you advocate for human rights. Right?

After I won the human rights award, the council member before me reached out. . . you should run for office. . . at the time, I think the only person of color . . . in a position of an elected official was Barak Obama. . .

So, when you come from a different country, especially from Somalia, it is so different from America, right? Our grocery stores are like fresh markets. Everything is outside. Our fruits are outside, our meats. Everything is just fresh. There’s no like frozen stuff. I don’t know if you guys know this, but the main reason why a lot of people moved away from Somalia, because there was a war that broke out.

There was no school systems set up. There was no health system set up, a lot of the things that we had that made us a successful country, we lost during the war. So, a lot of people were like my children, needing a better future.  They need to get an education.  They need to do better than I am.  I can’t keep being afraid for my life.

Be kind to yourself as much as you are kind to others. And truly and actually believe in yourself that you can quite literally do anything.”

 

 

American Roots Revue feat. Robert Robinson, Tonia Hughes Kendrick, Larry Long & Barbara Cohen

American Roots Revue is baaaaack! The Revue’s stellar players slated for the band’s return for two shows on Saturday, January 13th in the new year include gospel legend Robert Robinson, R&B, soul singer and actor Tonia Hughes Kendrick, American Troubadour Larry Long, singer-songwriter and film composer Barbara Cohen, vocalist & keyboardist Billy Steele, drummer Michael Bland with Cellist Jacqueline Ultanlead guitarist Jeremy Yivisaker, Fiddlin’ Pete Watercott, bassist Liz Draper, and Anishinaabe Ojibwe singer Alana Dickenson-Gaabay Aniikwaad.

Indigenous song, Gospel, R&B, Blues, Folk, Rock and all stops in between and combined are on tap when the American Roots Revue takes the Dakota stage with its most robust – and rootsiest – lineup ever! The evening will swing from an Anishinaabe Ojibwe tribute for water to rhythm and blues, old-time fiddle tunes, soul, folk, and gospel and a handful of memorable Larry Long original tunes.

Band Led by former Prince and current Soul Asylum Drummer Michael Bland and Keyboardist Billy Steele from Sounds of Blackness.

Show Times: 6:30 & 8:30 p.m.
For tickets: www.dakotacooks.com
Box Office: 612-332-5299

“You could think of the American Roots Revue as Larry Long’s version of Bob Dylan’s Rolling Thunder Revue. Well-known rockers, soul singers, folkies and other first-class musicians rotate through the line-up at different gigs, giving audiences the rare chance to see different artists collaborating on each other’s songs.” – Martin Keller, Twin Cities Author & Journalist

American Roots Revue’s last performance at the Dakota in October 2022 was featured on the inaugural of STAGE TPT-PBS.

That performance is also captured on American Roots Revue Live at the Dakota and is now available on all social media platforms, Spotify, Apple, etc., plus on CD.  Available for purchase online through the Dakota.

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