Shelton Ridge Love
Composer • Organist • Pianist
We Shall Overcome
The following quote is from Songs of America: Patriotism, Protest, and the Music That Made a Nation
by Jon Meacham and Tim McGraw.
When I hear “We Shall Overcome,” I think of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr… We hear it and we see the photographs of those brave souls who marched and who died in the towns and cities that so many of us love but that, not too long ago, were battlefields.
I also hear passages from Dr. King’s speeches – which were really sermons, calling on America to repent and make amends, to be who we said we were – intermingled with the simple but powerful words that came out of the labor and civil rights protest movements.
And in it I sense the power of music to move people. The brilliance of “We Shall Overcome” lies in its capacity for many different voices to join us – a fitting metaphor if ever there was one. A folk song, it has all the hallmarks of great folk music in that is summons the listeners to become singers – it’s music as action.
Featured Composition
About
Shelton Ridge Love grew up in a musical family. His love for music began by watching his mother play the organ at their home church. It was not long before Shelton was actively involved in the church music ministry. Since that time, he has served as pianist, organist, and director of music in several churches in Kansas City, MO and Upstate South Carolina.
