Holidays inspire patriotic clichés. Late December is when kids learn the Pentagon is a kid-friendly organization that tracks Santa Claus. On Thanksgiving, we see violence-averse presidents pardon defenseless turkeys. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is more complicated. Newspapers that during his lifetime denounced the great and complicated man “celebrate” him …
Read More »Flashback: Stevie Wonder Sings 'Happy Birthday' at 1986 Martin Luther King Jr. Tribute
By network broadcasting standards, the night of January 20th, 1986, had more than its share of rarely-seen-on-TV highlights. Bob Dylan and his band glided through a gently pulsing, almost R&B take on “I Shall Be Released,” and Dylan joined Peter, Paul and Mary for “Blowin’ in the Wind” — remarkably, …
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