{"product_id":"we-shall-overcome-joanne-henry-9780615475288","title":"We Shall Overcome: Sacred Song on the Devil's Tongue: The Story of the most Influential song of the 20th Century, how it became \"We Shall Overcome\" an","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eEverything you think you know about the history of \u003ci\u003eWe Shall Overcome\u003c\/i\u003e is probably wrong.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eWe Shall Overcome: Sacred Song on the Devil's Tongue\u003c\/i\u003e uncovers the largely untold origins of the world's most influential freedom anthem and traces the author's decade-long search for its forgotten source.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt the center of this investigation is Louise Shropshire-a sharecropper's daughter who once described herself as a \"nobody,\" yet through faith, perseverance, and devotion to her community, became a respected gospel composer and a trusted figure within the African American Civil Rights Movement. Closely connected to leaders such as Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, and Rev. Thomas A. Dorsey, Shropshire composed and copyrighted a popular gospel hymn, \u003ci\u003eIf My Jesus Wills\u003c\/i\u003e, widely known in Black churches as \u003ci\u003eI'll Overcome\u003c\/i\u003e. This book presents compelling evidence that her hymn served as a crucial, long-overlooked antecedent to \u003ci\u003eWe Shall Overcome\u003c\/i\u003e.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFeaturing more than 100 rare and extraordinary photographs, the book documents not only the song's transformation but also the broader historical conditions that enabled its misattribution. It explores longstanding patterns of exploitation, appropriation, and erasure of Black cultural and intellectual labor in American history-forces that allowed the song's origins to be obscured for decades.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAlthough the Library of Congress has recognized \u003ci\u003eWe Shall Overcome\u003c\/i\u003e as \"the most powerful song of the twentieth century,\" Louise Shropshire died poor and largely unrecognized for her contribution. \u003ci\u003eWe Shall Overcome: Sacred Song on the Devil's Tongue\u003c\/i\u003e seeks to restore her place in history and to challenge readers to reconsider how cultural memory is formed, preserved, and corrected.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Joanne Henry,Isaias Gamboa\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0615475280\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780615475288\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Gamboa Music Group Publications\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 06\/19\/2012\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 282\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.24lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 10.00h x 8.00w x 0.59d","brand":"Joanne Henry","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":48443584479487,"sku":"9780615475288","price":29.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_d3a0060a-c128-48c6-82a2-fa9c829e8fd1.jpg?v=1777206429","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/we-shall-overcome-joanne-henry-9780615475288","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}