After its epic Next Stop Is Vietnam collection, Germany's Bear Family Records and producer Hugo A. Keesing quickly came up with their next collection of war music.
Battleground Korea: Songs And Sounds Of America's Forgotten War with its four CDs offering a genre-spanning gathering of 121 tracks about or inspired by the war, ranging from the likes of blues and R&B stalwarts John Lee Hooker, Fats Domino. Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Lightnin' Hopkins to country artists such as Ernest Tubb, Gene Autry, Merle Travis and Jimmie Osborne, whose 1953 song 'The Korean Story,' which Keesing calls 'a three-minute summary of the war,' is below.
'I think of pop music up through the Vietnam Era as what bloggers are doing today; It's an opportunity for people to write down their thoughts and share them,' Keesing, a historian who taught Popular Music in American Society classes for the University of Maryland and worked as an instructor for the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency before retiring in 2006, explains to Billboard. 'Korea, I thought, was a very legitimate topic. At the time I began this Trump was not in office so Korea was in the news for its intercontinental missiles and nuclear tests, but right now it's big in the headlines, front page, above the fold. And with the Olympics in Korea this year the timing is good for this to come out, and I hope it can serve as a history lesson.
'Besides the wide range of genres, Battleground Korea -- which also includes spoken-word audio and news reports as well as a book by Keesing and package executive producer Bill Geerhart - also traces a gamut of viewpoints about the war that reflect attitudes back on U.S. soil. There are tongue-in-cheek songs making fun of North Korea as well as patriotic anthems and protest songs. Keesing notes that the bulk of the war-related music came from outside the pop mainstream. 'Pop music largely stayed away from it,' he says. 'Country music, which was labeled Western, was either tongue-in-cheek or patriotic. Blues or 'race music' artists were complaining about getting their message from Uncle Sam that they were being recalled (for military service) or were getting their draft notices. There was certainly a racial divide in how the early, beginning of the war was put into musical terms.' And after studying the Billboard charts of the time, Keesing learned that war 'hits' -- such as 1953's 'Dear John'- were few and far between.
'The record-buying public was not much interested in the war,' Keesing says. 'These are not songs that became huge hits. And back in those days Billboard rated records that came out on a 0-100 scale, and most of the ratings for these songs were in the 60s or 70s -- mostly OK, but nothing stood out.'
CD1 Going To War Again
1. U.N. Spokesperson - War starts in Korea' (June 25, 1950) (narration)
2. Lightnin' Hopkins - War News Blues
3. Sunshine Boys Quartet - God Please Protect America
4. Wally Fowler and His Oakridge Quartet - Pray, Pray, Pray (For The U.S.A.)
5. President Truman - President Truman speaks on war in Korea (April 1951) (narration)
6. Hank Harral and His Palomino Cowhands - When They Raised The U.N. Flag In South Korea
7. The Four Barons - Got To Go Back Again
8. Sunnyland Slim and His Trio - Back To Korea Blues
9. Harry Choates and His Fiddle - Korea, Here We Come
10. Vince Mondi - Goodbye Maria (I'm Off To Korea)
11. Paul Mims - My New Career Is In Korea
12. Vance Brothers - Draftboard Blues
13. Ray Anderson and Tennessee Mountaineers - Draft Board Blues
14. Arkie Shibley and His Mountain Dew Boys - Uncle Sam Has Called My Number
15. Smilin' Eddie Varnado and The Delta Ranch Hands - I'm A Soldier Boy Again
16. Harvey Stone - Here We Go Again
17. Fats Domino - Korea Blues
18. Clifford Blivens with the Johnny Otis Band - Korea Blues
19. Willie Brown - Korea Blues
20. Max Bailey - Sorry Girl Blues
21. B.B. King - Questionnaire Blues
22. John Lee Hooker - Questionnaire Blues
23. Sonny Thompson - Uncle Sam Blues
24. Lloyd Price and His Orchestra - Mailman Blues
25. Big Boy Crudup - Mr. So And So
26. Bob Newman - Greetings
27. Tani Allen and His Tennessee Pals - I'm Back In The Army
28. Cactus Pryor and His Pricklypears - (In Again, Out Again) Packing Up My Barracks Bags Blues
29. Montana Slim (Wilf Carter, The Singing Cowboy) - The K.P. Blues
30. Vic Damone / Vaughn Monroe - Message From Vic Damone (incl. excerpt from 'Sound Off' by Willie Lee Duckworth)
31. The Rockets and Hugo Winterhalter and His Orchestra - The Girls Are Marching
CD2 In Korea
1. Newsreel Announcer - Heading for Korea
2. The Gospel Pilgrims - Korea (Fightin' In The Foreign Land)
3. Bill Cason - Foxhole In Korea
4. Steve Rogers - Inchon
5. Jimmie Osborne - Thank God For Victory In Korea
6. John Carpino - The Ballad Of Chosin
7. Oscar Brand & Short Arms - We're Moving On
8. J.B. Lenoir - I'm In Korea
9. Narrated by Eric Sevareid / Robert Pierpoint, CBS News - Robert Pierpoint under fire in Korea' (May 17, 1951) (narration)
10. Delmore Brothers - Heartbreak Ridge
11. Ernest Tubb - A Heartsick Soldier On Heartbreak Ridge
12. The Four Lads with Narration by Edward R. Murrow - Where The Need Is
13. Elton Britt - Korean Mud
14. Howdy Doody - Request for blood donations
15. Tommy (Weepin' and Cryin') Brown - No News From Home
16. Sherman "Blues" Johnson & His Clouds of Joy - Lost In Korea
17. Jack Powers - From A Foxhole
18. William Cook Accompanied by The Marshall Brothers - A Soldier's Prayer
19. Rocky Porter - Please Say A Prayer (For The Boys Over There)
20. Lightnin' Hopkins - Sad News From Korea
21. Sonny Osborne - A Brother In Korea
22. The Louvin Brothers - From Mother's Arms To Korea
23. Carl Sauceman and The Green Valley Boys - Wrap My Body In Old Glory
24. Slim Rhodes - Red White And Blue
25. Elton Britt and The Skytoppers - Rotation Blues
26. Billy Mize with Bill Woods and His Orange Blossom Playboys - Pusan
27. Jim Eanes - A Prisoner Of War
28. Kay Kellum and His Dixie Ramblers - When I Get Back
29. The Kalvin Brothers - Somewhere In Korea
CD3 On The Homefront
1. Newsreel Announcer - A GI Writes to His Kids
2. Red Foley - Dear Little Girls
3. Tex Ritter - Daddy's Last Letter
4. Tiny Hill - Two Letters
5. Jackie Doll and His Pickled Peppers - When They Drop The Atomic Bomb
6. Alan Jackson, CBS News / President Truman - The Truman
7. R.D. Hendon With The Western Jamboree Cowboys - Oh! Mr. President
8. General MacArthur - General Of The Army Douglas MacArthur Reports To Congress' (April 19, 1951) (narration)
9. Gene Autry - Old Soldiers Never Die
10. Jimmie Short and the Silver Saddle Ranch Boys - (Old Generals Never Die) They Just Fade Away
11. Ray Snead - Fade Away Baby
12. James E. Van Zandt - Rep. James E. Van Zandt supports the use of the Atomic Bomb in Korea' (May 8, 1953) (narration)
13. Skeets McDonald - Please Daddy, Don't Go To War
14. George Simerly and His Tennesseans - Why Does The Army Need My Daddy
15. Cecil Gant - God Bless My Daddy
16. Oklahoma Sweethearts - Don't Steal Daddy's Medal
17. Jimmie Heap and The Melody Masters - God Is On Our Side
18. The Dixie Ramblers - I'll Be Glad When It's Over (Over There)
19. Roscoe Hankins - I'm Prayin' For The Day (When Peace Will Come)
20. Edna McGriff - Heavenly Father
21. Gene Autry - At Mail Call Today
22. Jean Shepard with Recitation by Ferlin Husky - A Dear John Letter
23. Pete Lane and Bernice Stabile - John's Reply
24. Jack Cardwell - Dear Joan
25. Jean Shepard with Recitation by Ferlin Husky - Forgive Me John
26. Emitt Slay Trio - Male Call
27. Hank Penny - A Letter From Home
28. The Promenade Band with Male Chorus - I Like Ike
29. General Eisenhower - I shall go to Korea…' (October 24, 1952) (narration)
30. Little Maxie - Drive Soldier Drive
31. Eddie Kirk - Five Star President
CD4 Peace and Its Legacies
1. President Eisenhower - 'announces an armistice in Korea…' (July 27, 1953) (narration)
2. Sister Rosetta Tharpe - There's Peace In Korea
3. The Revelers - Ike
4. Jimmie Osborne - The Korean Story
5. Arthur Big Boy Crudup - The War Is Over
6. Lightening Hopkins - The War Is Over
7. Soldier Boy Houston - Leavin' Korea
8. Jimmie Dale - Hello Maria
9. King Perry Orchestra with Vocal by Dell St. John - Welcome Home Baby
10. Rose Brown and Jimmie Harris with Bubbles and His Band - Back From Korea
11. Dave Bartholomew - No More Black Nights
12. Jimmy Witherspoon - Back Home
13. Margie Collie - His New War Bride
14. Newsreel Announcer - Harry Holt brings Korean war orphans to Portland, Oregon' (circa 1956) (narration)
15. Kwan Li - The Legend Of Harry Holt
16. Don Windle with Band - The Iron Curtain Has Parted
17. Ernest Tubb - Missing In Action
18. Smilin' Jim Eanes and His Shenandoah Valley Boys - Returned From Missing In Action
19. Billy Strange - I'm Still A Prisoner
20. Merle Travis - Re
21. Red River Dave - The Red Deck Of Cards
22. Eddie Hill - I Changed My Mind (And I'll Go Home Again)
23. Jim & Jesse and The Virginia Boys - Purple Heart
24. Don Red Barry - White Cross In Korea
25. Marvin Rainwater - Korea's Mountain Northland
26. Carl Sauceman with the Green Valley Boys - A White Cross Marks The Grave
27. Elton Britt - The Unknown Soldier
28. Red River Dave - Searching For You, Buddy
29. Don Reno, Red Smiley And The Tennessee Cutups - Forgotten Men
30. Dick Curless - China Nights (Shina No Yuro)
