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Larry Long’s lost classic Run For Freedom has been reissued and remastered digitally for the first time. Run for Freedom is a tapestry of working-class anthems and social justice hymns from a bygone era that still speak urgently to the social and environmental justice activations of the present day. We encourage you to discover Run For Freedom for yourself and dig deep into the legacy of one of America’s still-living folk greats!  – Scott Herald, Rock the Cause Records   (Click to stream or download)

From Woody Guthrie’s America, Larry Long has come a-singing and organizing, his dog Dubious at his side, his guitar slung handsomely over his faded work shirt. Long hasn’t made a record in a number of years and if you studied his calendar, you’d see why he hasn’t had the time.  For one he spent three years organizing chapters up and down the Mississippi ver, trying to clean up the Big Muddy.  Two, he’s put in a lot of time singing for the American Indians and their numerous causes, not to mention Central American peace committees, farmers who are about to lose the seat of their pants plus their land, and just about anyone else who asks to be on his mailing list.

So, Run for Freedom is a long-time a-comin’, but it’s come out real good (as they say down on the farm) in the long run.  Moving to the city from his little Granite City abode in St. Cloud has sharpened his musical wits and exposed him to a wide range of non-folkie players, most of whom he uses judiciously and, in the case of Billy Peterson, the grand Twin Cities bassist, poetically.  Peterson’s playing on “Michael” is as spirited as it can get without drawing to much attention to itself.  And although the ubiquitous Claudia Schmidt falls apart on “It Feels OK,” crumbling into the contagious laughter Long can elicit with his own big grin and muse, that’s OK, too. ‘Cause throughout “Run for Freedom” a genuine spiritless remains – even when the story is told at the expense of songcraft, “Anna Mae” is a case in point.  The song seeks to immortalize people such as Anna Mae Aquash, a recent Indian hero, and by some accounts, including Long’s, a martyr for a human and just cause – Indian rights. The message gets in the way, but the emotion runs so true within the tale that it finally doesn’t matter whether the songs itself works.

The rest of Long’s second record is chock full of American folksinger attributes – tuneful melodies and strong lyrics looped over tunes about the wide panorama of North America’s varied regions. It has what John Wayne called “true grit”.

In “Blue Highway” Long confirms the sentiment of William Least Heat Moon’s travelogue, “Blue Highways”.  Both are about life on the road, as so many good American stories are, and Long underlines the same dimension: the unseen people who live along those untraveled backroads and affect us with their invisibility.  (Long penned this song as he watched the river near St. Anthony Falls and claims that he never laid eyes on Moon’s best seller).

The passing of causes and individuals – whether their American Indians or farmers resorting again to penny sales Long sings about in “Grandma’s Penny Sale” – represents an important time in American history. The folk singer has always been there to record his or her version of these transitions, whether they’re tragic or magical, (the feeling behind “Sacred Black Hills” covers both). To his credit, Long’s written and recorded the transitions of our time in one of the finest national anthems the USA has ever heard – “American Hymn” – a deep song that makes room for everyone, regardless of political motivation or how you feel about corporations or fishing rights on Leech Lake.

Larry Long has a pretty good idea about what’s bad in America.  But more importantly he understands it’s people.  So, when he’s singing these songs, he’s really just singing about me and you, and how we stand above what some other folkie once called “the fruited plain”.  The patriot who wrote those lines would do well to check out the “Run for Freedom” LP.  The population has changed quite drastically – more newborn babies, worldwide immigrants, and illegal aliens everyday – since “purple mountains’ majesty” was an “in phrase”.  Long might be able to provide quite a few new lines for “America the Beautiful.”  Knowing his budget for such endeavors, it’s likely he’d work cheap with this fellow songwriter, providing, of course, the chap picks up a copy of this vinyl history.  – Martin Keller | City Pages| 1984

Featuring: Tatiana Riabokin, the haunting Ukrainian singer and bandura player (the national instrument of Ukraine) with singer Nataly Nowytski, troubadour Larry Long with cellist Jacqueline Ultan, John Munson of the New Standards, clever singer/songwriter Dylan Hicks with cellist Michelle Kinney, singer-songwriters Fendrick and Peck, poets Hawona Sullivan-Janzen, Thomas R. Smith, Dougie Padilla, Jim Lenfestey, Robert Bly in absentia, poet-musician Tim Frantzich.

LISTEN to interview with Larry Long & Michael Bland:
American Roots Revue Returns to the Dakota in Minneapolis for Two Shows on November 12
from KBEM/Jazz88—Twin Cities Weekend

“Music brings us all together so that we can touch heart to heart because we’re all human beings. I think people will be amazed at what they hear because they’re gonna hear almost every genre of music within the American music spectrum.  African American music, folk music, the blues, gospel, all of it’s there.” — Billy Steele, Keyboards & Vocals

“Everybody in this group is about the project and the music and believes in it. So that makes all the difference in the world. I heard somebody describe live performance is like sharing air they called it collective effervescence. Isn’t that wonderful?” — Claudia Schmidt, Featured Artist

“I think all of us are trying to put our best foot forward and create a moment that people can take with them forever. That’s kind of like why we do what we do. We want everybody to walk away with that moment. If I can say one thing to wake you up or to keep you encouraged to keep living, I’ve done my job.” — Robert Robinson,  Featured Artist

“Music is love as far as I’m concerned. I always want people to be uplifted.” — Michael Bland, Leader of the Band & Drums

Wow!”  “Breathtaking!” “I wish I had heard music like that as a kid!”   These were just some of the reactions shared by those who attended the Larry Long and friends’ performance on August 17 at the Danish American Center, Minneapolis.  This was the first in a series of concerts entitled, “Music on the Mississippi” organized by Danish American Center members Scott Thomsen and Paul Juhl.

Larry Long, a local social activist and internationally known singing troubadour invited four other friends and local jazz performers to join him in a 90-minute concert: Scott Fultz-saxophone; Jacqueline Ultan-cello; Will Kjeer-piano; Billy Peterson-bass.   Regarded as one of the world’s top bassist, Billy Peterson has worked with numerous top musicians including being a member of the Steve Miller Band for over 20 years. And Will Kjeer has just received a full ride to The Juilliard School in New York. These are talented performers.  What a treat to have them at the DAC!

Most of the songs they played were composed by Long, some were performed for the first time.  Drawing from themes of nature that included butterflies, rivers and beauty, his life affirming lyrics could have come from a Grundtvig text.  The heartfelt piano, bass, sax and cello contributed to the intricate healing music for the soul.   Truly a night to remember.

Story by Diane Greve, Minnesota Local Editor