Blackbird page 4

 Blackbird page 4 by ric gustafson

The spiritual ' I'll Fly Away' is flight themed. The ' Fly Away' theme is profound in Negro spirituals. A group called the Swan Silvertones were nicknamed ' The Beatles of Gospel'. The group had an influence on black and white pop artists. The lead singer was Reverend Claude Jeter. The group's music went back to the days of slavery. Spiritual hymns gave enslaved people sky bound hope. From the late 50's to early 60's, the group recorded on Vee Jay. The Chicago label was the first to release Beatle records in the US.

In 1967, the song ' Flying' was credited to all four Beatles. The band wrote many songs with birds as a theme. The Beatles had a profound love for black music. The group used birds as song objects. Paul McCartney was a life long bird lover. Birds abound in the folk arts of the British Isles.

Chuck Berry was influenced by plantation songs. John Lennon was influenced by Chuck Berry. Lennon called Berry a rock poet. Berry was a hero to all of the Beatles. Berry's ' Maybelline' influenced ' Ticket To Ride' ' Day Tripper' and ' The One After 909'.

research help: ' Blackbird' by Katie Kapurch and Jon Marc Smith

Peace and God's blessings. Love Ric