“People today are still living off the table scraps of the sixties.
They are still being passed around - the music and the ideas”. -- Bob Dylan

As someone who grew up during the 1960s I can attest to the fact that the music of that era was incredible. Hearing both Bob Dylan and the Beatles for the first time before the age of 13 was a huge influence on my life. Musically the 1960s were filled with groundbreaking, innovative sound, starting with the folk revival in Greenwich Village in 1960 to the British invasion in 1963-64 and the emergence of rock music. On Sunday March 2 at 2:00 p.m., Bob Frank from Roots of American Music, will present “The Sixties: A Time of Social Change,” for Lakewood Public Library’s free “Sunday with the Friends” series. Through discussion and live music, Bob will take us on an exploration of what is often said to have been the most turbulent decade of the twentieth century. It was a decade of social activism, with the civil rights movement and the mass anti-war protest movements, both of which shared a vision distinctly different from the prevailing political values of the day. Change was as constant as Bob Dylan's song, “The Times They Are A-Changin,’” suggests.

The program will look at some of the most important musical forces of the 1960s including Bob Dylan, The Beatles, John Coltrane and Leonard Bernstein. Mr. Frank will discuss the “folk boom” and the rediscovery of the blues that lead up to the popularity and influence of Bob Dylan’s music. The tremendous impact of the Beatles will be examined as well as the influences of Indian and psychedelic music.

Kevin T. Richards, founder and Executive Director of Roots of American Music (ROAM) and creator of the Sixties program says a considerable portion of the program is devoted to the importance of the Civil Rights Movement, particularly Lyndon Johnson’s Civil Rights Act of 1964, the landmark legislation that outlawed segregation in U.S. schools and public places. The Viet Nam War and the pro- and anti-war songs surrounding it are talked about from the points of view of the anti-war protestors as well as the supporters of Richard Nixon. The program ends with a discussion the shootings at Kent State on May 4, 1970; the tragic conclusion to a tumultuous decade.

Bob Frank, the program’s presenter, is co-leader of the award winning jump/blues/swing band, Blue Lunch. He is also director of Program Development for Roots of American Music. In the past 25 years, Bob has fronted over 2,500 traditional American music assembly programs for Roots of American Music and numerous other art organizations.

Kevin Richards is also the Founder and Director of the Fairmount School of Music where he has taught since 1988. Kevin developed ROAM in order to utilize traditional American music as a learning tool for non-musicians such as students and professional educators. ROAM uses arts-based non-textbook teaching to reinforce geography, history, social studies and other academic subjects. Kevin developed the Sixties program at the request of a professor from John Carroll University.