Get the TAB 👉 <a href="https://Patreon.com/CliftonHicks" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">https://Patreon.com/CliftonHicks</a><br />I learned "You Shall Be Free" from a 1920s recording of Bill and Belle Reed. Little is known of the duo beyond their stage names, yet they were libeled by the owners of @Dust-to-Digital in a recent @The New York Times interview.<br /><br />Original 1928 recording: <a href="https://youtu.be/oKrRTTTTcsM" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">https://youtu.be/oKrRTTTTcsM</a><br /><br />While the song does contain racial epithets, it does not contain any reference to lynching, as was falsely claimed by April and Lance Ledbetter. I contacted the Ledbetters and NYT to explain their error and request a correction, to no avail.<br /><br />The verse in question is used twice:<br />"Some folks say a ****** won't steal<br />But I caught three in my corn field,<br />One had a bushel the other had a peck<br />One had a ROASTING EAR around his neck."<br /><br />"... One had a CRIB TIED around his neck."<br /><br />This was misquoted by the Ledbetters as:<br />"... One had a ROPE TIED around his neck."<br /><br />The Reeds never "jubilantly harmonized about a lynching," as the Ledbetters maintain. In truth, the verse references traditional maize agriculture. Red roasting ears were a prize shown off during corn-shucking parties, and a "crib" is a small manger used to feed livestock.<br /><br />Banjo Heritage<br /><a href="http://BanjoHeritage.com" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://BanjoHeritage.com</a><br /><br />Merch<br /><a href="https://www.BanjoHeritage.org" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">https://www.BanjoHeritage.org</a><br /><br />SubscribeStar<br /><a href="https://www.subscribestar.com/cliftonhicks" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">https://www.subscribestar.com/cliftonhicks</a><br /><br />Bandcamp<br /><a href="http://cliftonhicks.bandcamp.com" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://cliftonhicks.bandcamp.com</a><br /><br />Spotify<br /><a href="https://open.spotify.com/artist/7fQxc3ZY6LTVWkfxvsEPUV" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">https://open.spotify.com/artist/7fQxc3ZY6LTVWkfxvsEPUV</a><br /><br />iTunes<br /><a href="https://music.apple.com/us/artist/clifton-hicks/1437321931" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">https://music.apple.com/us/artist/clifton-hicks/1437321931</a><br /><br />PayPal<br /><a href="https://paypal.me/cliftonhicksbanjo" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">https://paypal.me/cliftonhicksbanjo</a><br /><br />Venmo<br /><a href="https://venmo.com/cliftonhicksbanjo" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">https://venmo.com/cliftonhicksbanjo</a><br /><br />YouTube members-only<br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0fRKB_T-2yrNajqoz9VWAg/join" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0fRKB_T-2yrNajqoz9VWAg/join</a><br /><br />#CliftonHicks #BanjoHeritage #banjo #oldtimemusic #bluegrass #folkmusic #countrymusic #blues #tradmusic #worldmusic #afrobeat #rootsmusic #appalachia #americana #clawhammerbanjo #oldtimebanjo #OldLeatherstocking #mountainbanjo #dusttodigital​ #outlawcountry<br />...<br /><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzxL3tMNnRg" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzxL3tMNnRg</a>