Album leaves legacy for former presidential nominee

October 23, 2016 — by Neil Rao and Navin Tiwary

Juniors talk about Bernie Sanders and his newly popularized album. 

Democratic socialist “Bernie” Sanders offered a breath of fresh air during this convoluted mess of a presidential election.

With his charming combination somewhere between being a hippie and a grandfather, Sanders enticed America’s youth with a new perspective.

Amazingly, he is also a singer — or at least he was.

Released in 1987, Sanders’ album, “We Shall Overcome,” mixes a rap of political ideals with mellow jazz tones of the ‘80s. At the time of the album’s release, Sanders was the mayor of Burlington, Vt., and expressed his socialist ideals, which were considered far more radical at the time, through his music.

Owner of White Crow Audio recording studio, Todd Lockwood told Rolling Stone that he inspired Sanders to record the album. Lockwood and Sanders planned to record the album to showcase inequality issues among people in the U.S., and what started as a small project soon involved the entire community of Burlington. Before long, singers from around the town volunteered to be featured in his songs and although not a singer by heart, Sanders music turned out great considering his lack of experience, Lockwood told Rolling Stone.

Much of Sanders’ music was influenced by pop icon Michael Jackson and his album “We Are the World,” released in 1985. According to Lockwood, Sanders was a major hit during his short-lived music career, at least in his city. The album included five songs all based on famous cultural hymns from the ’50s and ’60s.

In 2014, however, Sanders’ album was remastered and rereleased, gaining exposure during his presidential run. Over 2,000 people have purchased his album and all profits were donated to charity.

Although Sanders is far from a master vocalist, his efforts were for a positive cause and entertained many listeners around the world, both in 1987 and 2016.

Junior Varun Meduri, a passionate political follower, said Sanders’ album taught him new perspectives about leadership.

“Sanders’ unique approach to expressing his views has helped me learn new methods of helping society,” Meduri said. “For many youths specifically, it is hard to pay attention to important matters, but with interesting approaches such as music, [understanding] becomes easier.”

 

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