How to Pick Music for a Martin Luther King Celebration

To honor Martin Luther King on his birthday, you need to remember and celebrate this great man's life. And you can't have a celebration without music that reflects Dr. King's passion for equality and his love of gospel music. Here's how to put together a playlist that honors one of the greatest men of our time.

Instructions

1. Choose historical civil rights movement songs like Nina Simone's "Mississippi Goddamn" or Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit" to remind celebrants of the times Martin Luther King emerged from. "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing," "This Little Light of Mine" and "We Shall Overcome" are other classics to include.

2. Play music written in tribute to Martin Luther King. You can find "King Holiday" and other tunes written in honor of Dr. King's birthday on the MLK Online website. If the celebration is for children, you can find kids' songs about MLK on the Preschool website.

3. Pepper in a sprinkling of gospel classics to honor Martin Luther King's church roots. Asking a local choir to do a live performance is a great way to add excitement to your Martin Luther King celebration event.

4. Get folksy by playing classics by Bob Dylan, Peter, Paul & Mary, Joan Baez, Woodie Guthrie and other performers who wrote songs about freedom and justice. "The Times They Are a Changin'" and "If I Had a Hammer" are good complements to the other items on your playlist and add variety in between gospel tunes.

5. Be sure to broadcast Dr. King's "I Have A Dream" speech before or after playing the music.