The greatest poet of the Beat movement and one of the most renowned American writers of the 20th century, Allen Ginsberg transcended literary and intellectual barriers to exert a profound influence on the culture at large. His accomplishments are too numerous and his oeuvre too large for a music reference resource to do them justice; many other... [+] Read More

The greatest poet of the Beat movement and one of the most renowned American writers of the 20th century, Allen Ginsberg transcended literary and intellectual barriers to exert a profound influence on the culture at large. His accomplishments are too numerous and his oeuvre too large for a music reference resource to do them justice; many other sources exist that offer more complete perspectives on his life and work. Ginsberg made sporadic recordings of his work, both formal and otherwise, starting in his heyday of the late '50s and continuing into the '90s. Most of them were poetry readings, naturally, but Ginsberg also experimented with songs, often accompanying his singing on the harmonium.

Irwin Allen Ginsberg was born June 3, 1926, in Newark, NJ, and grew up in nearby Paterson. His father Louis was a published poet, a teacher, and politically a socialist; his mother Naomi was a Communist radical, but unfortunately her bouts with mental illness (mostly severe paranoia) consumed much of Ginsberg's childhood. He began writing in a journal at age 11, around the same time as his mother's suicide attempt, and discovered his major poetic influence Walt Whitman in high school. He enrolled at Columbia University in 1943, originally planning to become a labor lawyer, but soon fell in with a literary crowd that included Jack Kerouac (a fellow student), Neal Cassady, and William S. Burroughs. Ginsberg began writing seriously around 1945, and around the same time he began to experiment with drugs, and had some of his first homosexual experiences. He graduated from Columbia in 1948 and began traveling, visiting Burroughs in Texas; there he was arrested as a reluctant accomplice in his roommates' burglary ring, and voluntarily committed himself to Columbia's mental hospital. He attempted to renounce homosexuality and took a job as a market researcher upon his release, but hearing the poet William Carlos Williams at a reading drew him back into literature, and he gave up trying to fit into mainstream society.

Ginsberg moved to San Francisco in 1954, and that year met artist's model Peter Orlovsky, who became his lover; their relationship, though nonmonogamous and marked by periods of separation, would prove to be lifelong. Though he'd written quite a bit of poetry by this point, very little of it had been published, and he was better known as an advocate of fellow Beat writers like Kerouac and Burroughs. That all changed in October 1955, when Ginsberg read parts of his new epic poem "Howl" at the Six Gallery. An impassioned, defiant critique of American culture that served as something of a Beat manifesto, it was an immediate sensation. The local City Lights bookstore, which had just started its own publishing arm, released Ginsberg's first book, the seminal Howl and Other Poems, in 1956. The following year, City Lights owner Lawrence Ferlinghetti was arrested on obscenity charges for selling copies of the book; authorities objected mostly to its homosexual content. A judge ruled that the book was not obscene, and the attendant publicity helped make Ginsberg a household name. He recorded his first album of poetry readings, also titled Howl and Other Poems, for the Fantasy label in 1959.

Over the next decade, Ginsberg became a leading countercultural figure. He spoke out in favor of the First Amendment and against the Vietnam War; he was turned on to LSD by Timothy Leary and to Buddhism by Kerouac; he traveled a bit with Ken Kesey's Merry Pranksters; he traveled all over the world in search of intellectual and spiritual enlightenment; he appeared in the background of Bob Dylan's "Subterranean Homesick Blues" music video; he took part in the famed antiwar demonstrations in 1968 that resulted in the arrest of the so-called Chicago Seven; he was, unsurprisingly, the subject of a massive FBI dossier. Of course, he also continued to write prolifically. In 1961, he published another lengthy signature poem, "Kaddish," which explored his relationship with his mother (she'd passed away in an institution in 1956). Five years later, Atlantic Records issued a recording of the work titled Allen Ginsberg Reads Kaddish: A 20th Century American Ecstatic Narrative Poem. Ginsberg's next album was William Blake's Songs of Innocence and Experience, which set the works of one of his favorite poets to jazzy musical backing; it was issued by Verve in 1970.

As time passed and his lasting impact became clearer, Ginsberg was increasingly accepted by the literary establishment, culminating in his winning a National Book Award for The Fall of America: Poems of These States in 1974. He recorded with John Lennon and Leonard Cohen, and undertook several song-oriented sessions of his own during the course of the '70s, including a collaboration with Bob Dylan. The best results of these efforts were finally released in 1983 as First Blues: 1971-1981 on former Columbia executive John Hammond's own label. Additionally, Ginsberg performed the song-poem "Capitol Air" in concert with punk rockers the Clash, and appeared on the track "Ghetto Defendant" on their hit Combat Rock album. He abandoned singing on his next album, 1989's The Lion for Real, a set of spoken word pieces with musical backing. That same year, he teamed up with composer Philip Glass to transform the antiwar poem "Wichita Vortex Sutra" into a musical theater piece; the collaboration worked well enough that they reteamed for a full album, 1993's Hydrogen Jukebox. In 1994, Rhino Records issued an exhaustive four-CD box set of Ginsberg recordings titled Holy Soul Jelly Roll: Poems and Songs 1949-1993. Sadly, Ginsberg contracted liver cancer as a complication of hepatitis, and passed away at his New York City loft on April 5, 1997. Fantasy reissued Howl and Other Poems on CD the following year, and in 2002 the Locust label assembled the compilation New York Blues: Rags, Ballads and Harmonium Songs. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Jack Kerouac was the major writer of the "Beat" movement in the '50s. His major work was On the Road (1957), an autobiographical novel describing his travels in the company of a unique character named Dean Moriarty (in real life, Neal Cassady). In later novels, Kerouac told other tales of life on the road and also wrote of his childhood and... [+] Read More

Jack Kerouac was the major writer of the "Beat" movement in the '50s. His major work was On the Road (1957), an autobiographical novel describing his travels in the company of a unique character named Dean Moriarty (in real life, Neal Cassady). In later novels, Kerouac told other tales of life on the road and also wrote of his childhood and upbringing in Lowell, MA. Although he was a profound influence on the youth of the '60s (and although Cassady, in contrast, enthusiastically joined in on the hippie movement as part of the Merry Pranksters and as a mentor to the Grateful Dead), Kerouac largely disavowed the hedonism and drug use of the '60s counterculture. His poetry and novels continue to influence young people decades after his death. ~ William Ruhlmann, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Civil rights champion Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in Atlanta, GA, on January 15, 1929; progressing through Morehouse College, Crozer Theological Seminary, and Boston University, he grew increasingly influenced by Mahatma Ghandi's non-violent strategies for social change, completing his Ph.D. in systematic theology in 1955. Rejecting a... [+] Read More

Civil rights champion Martin Luther King, Jr. was born in Atlanta, GA, on January 15, 1929; progressing through Morehouse College, Crozer Theological Seminary, and Boston University, he grew increasingly influenced by Mahatma Ghandi's non-violent strategies for social change, completing his Ph.D. in systematic theology in 1955. Rejecting a series of academic offers, King instead opted to become pastor of Montgomery, AL's Dexter Avenue Baptist Church; on December 5, 1955 -- just five days after Rosa Parks' landmark refusal to conform to the city's segregationist busing policies -- he was named president of the new Montgomery Improvement Association, setting his public career into motion. Spearheading the local African-American community's boycott of the city's bus system, King rose to national renown, even as his house was firebombed and he faced conviction on charges of conspiracy against the bus company. Still, as 1956 drew to a close, Montgomery's buses became integrated and the United States Supreme Court declared Alabama's segregation laws unconstitutional.

In 1957, King joined with other African-American religious leaders to found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference; a year later, he published his first book, Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story. As the 1960s dawned, he was widely regarded as black America's preeminent spokesman, although his policies of non-violence were often in conflict with younger, more militant factions of the civil rights movement; mass demonstrations in communities throughout the U.S. culminated in the August 28, 1963, march on Washington, D.C., where, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial, King delivered his celebrated "I have a dream" speech to an audience of over 250,000 protesters. That December he was named Time magazine's Man of the Year, and a year later collected the Nobel Peace Prize. However, internal divisions within the black community threatened to undermine his leadership, as emerging voices like Malcolm X and Stokely Carmichael offered a stark counterpoint to King's peaceful methods.

Of course, King encountered his greatest resistance from white leaders -- FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover waged a bitter war of surveillance and harassment, declaring him "the most dangerous man in America, and a moral degenerate." King also lost the support of many white liberals for his criticism of the United States' involvement in the escalating conflict in Vietnam. Still, he forged on, mounting a 1965 march from Selma to Montgomery march which proved pivotal in the passage of the Voting Rights Act later that year. While in Memphis, TN, to speak out on a local sanitation workers' strike, King was assassinated on April 4, 1968; although James Earl Ray was convicted of the murder, the case remains a source of controversy and conjecture even decades after the fact. In the wake of his death, his widow, Coretta Scott King, established the Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, and in 1986 his birthday was declared a federal holiday. Many of King's most celebrated speeches are available as commercial recordings. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide [-] Hide

Holy Soul Jelly Roll: Songs & Poems (1994) is an ambitious collection from the now-defunct WordBeat division of Rhino Records. This astounding aural compendium features the collected recordings of beat poet/writer/activist Allen Ginsberg. Accompanying the discs is a 64-page text replete with not only Ginsberg's own recollections and... [+] Read More

Holy Soul Jelly Roll: Songs & Poems (1994) is an ambitious collection from the now-defunct WordBeat division of Rhino Records. This astounding aural compendium features the collected recordings of beat poet/writer/activist Allen Ginsberg. Accompanying the discs is a 64-page text replete with not only Ginsberg's own recollections and track-by-track analysis, but also contributions from a who's who of hip, including Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Michael McClure, Bob Dorough, and Bob Dylan. Ginsberg's contribution to post-World War II literature and culture is incalculable. Among his earliest influences were the talkin' blues of Ma Rainey, Leadbelly, and Bessie Smith. In part, Ginsberg's genius lies in adapting his fascination with that traditional American lyric form into his often scatological poetry and prose. Each of the four volumes is presented with a rough chronology of materials -- ranging from professional to very private recordings. Among the more interesting are the earliest lot on volume one, "Moloch!" -- a majority of which are derived from homemade tapes -- from sources as disparate as Neal Cassidy or Laurence Lipton's respective dwellings to the Town Hall Theatre in Berkeley, CA. The highlight of the disc, however, is an unexpurgated reading of the epic "Howl," which is presented in its half-hour entirety. Volume two, "Caw Caw," commences with the 63-plus-minute reading of "Kaddish (For Naomi Ginsberg 1894-1956)" from a November 24, 1964, recitation at Brandeis University that was the focus of Allen Ginsberg Reads Kaddish: A 20th Century American Ecstatic Narrative Poem (1966). Also on this second volume are "To Aunt Rose" and "Guru" from the Hal Willner-produced Lions for Real (1989) disc -- plus, a 1965 rarity, "Kral Majales (King of May)," which was included on the Cold Turkey Press/Klacto Present a Cold Turkey Press Special (1972) LP issued only in Holland. Volume three, "Ah," includes several astonishing pieces, commencing with the previously unissued version of "Wales Visitation" -- which is described in the liner notes by Ginsberg as having been conceived during the "sixth or so hour of an acid trip in Wales." The majority of the disc consists of tracks from the Allen Ginsberg/William Blake: Songs of Innocence and Experience (1970) word and musical jazz album. This title features notable contributions from jazz legends Don Cherry (percussion/trumpet) and Bob Dorough (keyboard/harpsichord). There is also a handful of previously unearthed material from Pacific High Studios in San Francisco, documented during the summer of 1971. Pop and rock music fans will perhaps be most drawn to the rarities on volume four, "Ashes & Blues." Here are unreleased collaborations with the Clash ("Capitol Air") and Bob Dylan (" Vomit Express," "Airplane Blues," and "September on Jessore Road"). ~ Lindsay Planer, All Music Guide [-] Hide

This triple-disc box set is centered on the reissue and restoration of Jack Kerouac's three long-players: Poetry for the Beat Generation (1959), Blues and Haikus (1959), as well as Readings by Jack Kerouac on the Beat Generation(1960). The Jack Kerouac Collection (1990) also adds over a half-hour of previously unissued material. These include... [+] Read More

This triple-disc box set is centered on the reissue and restoration of Jack Kerouac's three long-players: Poetry for the Beat Generation (1959), Blues and Haikus (1959), as well as Readings by Jack Kerouac on the Beat Generation(1960). The Jack Kerouac Collection (1990) also adds over a half-hour of previously unissued material. These include outtakes from the Blues and Haikus sessions, recitations from On the Road and Visions of Cody from the Steve Allen Plymouth Show, as well as a candid recording from a symposium titled "Is There a Beat Generation," which was held at the Hunter College Playhouse and sponsored by Brandeis University. As a poet, Kerouac's readings were rarely as entertaining as those of his contemporaries William S. Burroughs or Allen Ginsberg. However, the liberation in his writing style is absolutely replete with a youthful joy tethered by somber optimism. His blend of achingly poetic verbiage and stream of consciousness were intersected by his rapier wit and perpetual vision. Much like the instrumental jazz musicians of his time, his poetry and prose were wide open to interpretation and the delivery often bears a crude and uncomfortable nature -- much like the uncertainty that faces many of the characters he animates. Accompanying Kerouac on his spoken-word jazz odysseys are Steve Allen (piano) on Poetry for the Beat Generation as well as Zoot Sims (tenor sax) and Al Cohn (tenor sax) on Blues and Haikus. The Jack Kerouac Collection also includes a 32-page liner-notes booklet with essays and commentary from Ginsberg, Burroughs, Jerry Garcia, Ray Manzarek, David Perry, and Steve Allen, among others. There is also copious discographical, biographical, and bibliographical information as well. This set is an essential piece of Americana and is highly recommended for literary buffs and beatniks alike. ~ Lindsay Planer, All Music Guide [-] Hide

This is arguably the best-known recording to feature any beat-era poet. Fantasy Records originally issued Howl and Other Poems in 1959 and the title was kept in print until the late '80s, when CDs replaced traditional vinyl records and cassettes. Prior to this 1998 release, the contents were available in the digital domain on the Howls, Raps &... [+] Read More

This is arguably the best-known recording to feature any beat-era poet. Fantasy Records originally issued Howl and Other Poems in 1959 and the title was kept in print until the late '80s, when CDs replaced traditional vinyl records and cassettes. Prior to this 1998 release, the contents were available in the digital domain on the Howls, Raps & Roars (1993) multi-disc box set. Although "Howl" is the centerpiece, the peripheral works -- especially the mantra-like "Footnote to Howl" and "Howl" (Part One)" -- are given empowering presentations that magnify the greatness that's inextricably inherent in both art and artist. Indeed, the genesis of Allen Ginsberg's brilliance as both poet and performer has rarely been equalled. The modern listener remains entranced by his vaudevillian sense of provocation as it couples with an unspoken, yet palpable obsession of a postmodern amphetamine-fuelled Shakespeare. The material is split between the live recitations of "Howl," "Sunflower Sutra," and the opening section from "Kaddish," which had been collectively documented at Ginsberg's "Big Table" readings during the 1959 Shaw Festival in Chicago. The other works consist of studio recordings made in June of 1959 in the Bay Area -- where the poet resided semi-permanently. Although a majority of the titles featured on Howl and Other Poems also appear on the four-volume Holy Soul Jelly Roll: Songs & Poems (1994) box set, they are not the same performances. Of particular note are full-length versions of both "Howl" and "Kaddish," which are otherwise only available on the previously mentioned and highly recommended compendium. Literary enthusiasts are greatly encouraged to compare and contrast the respective readings as they offer additional insight to the schizophrenic embodiment of the poet and performer. ~ Lindsay Planer, All Music Guide [-] Hide

A collection of nine speeches from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, In Search of Freedom contains some of the most profound and powerful messages ever voiced, including the legendary "I Have a Dream" address. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide

A collection of nine speeches from the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, In Search of Freedom contains some of the most profound and powerful messages ever voiced, including the legendary "I Have a Dream" address. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide [-] Hide