Above: Kim and Reggie Harris sing "Hallelujah, I'm a Bum," in Albany in 2010.
In honor of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, the West Kortright Centre is hosting two concerts this weekend that feature 19th century songs, music, parody and prose about the war and the Civil Rights movement that followed it.
On Thursday, guitar player and singer Reggie Harris will sing his way through a century of struggle against slavery and segregation. (There are some great ditties born of that struggle -- check out Harris's rendition of "Hallelujah, I'm a Bum," above.)
Then on Sunday afternoon, eleven renowned singers and instrumentalists team up to perform "Four Seasons, Four Years," a genre-busting program of music from 1850 to 1965, including Negro spirituals, marching songs, and the complicated art of shape-note singing. (Check out selections from the program in the video below.)
3:45pm: The free tickets have been claimed. Thanks! -- Julia Reischel
9/27/12 correction: Only Reggie Harris, and not his wife Kim, will be playing at the WKC concert on Thursday. This post has been changed to reflect that. -- Julia Reischel
