by William “Duke” Smither “Free people, remember this maxim: we may acquire liberty, but it is never recovered if it is once lost.” – Jean-Jacques Rousseau (Swiss-born philosopher, writer, political theorist and 18th century “Enlightenment Thinker”). Over the years, I’ve come to think that revolutions, that is, the way we commonly define them, more […]
Welcome to "Talking Drum Dialogues" (Backstreet Djeli's Blog)
The novel, "BACKROADS TO BETHLEHEM': Odysseys of the Maroon Warrior..." (by William "Duke" Smither), is available on-line at Amazon and Barnes & Noble. A free preview of the book, and site information, can be obtained by clicking the MENU icon (upper left corner). Various blog postings are featured below. Thank you for visiting.
by William “Duke” Smither “Love the life you live. Live the life you love.” – Bob Marley (a.k.a., Robert Nesta Marley, 1945–1981, Jamaican singer-songwriter, proud Rastafarian and Reggae musician extraordinaire) Gone Too Soon… Proponents of Pan-Africanism, Ethnomusicology, and Black Music in general– but Jazz, our especially expressive music with African roots, in particular— […]
“A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus but a molder of consensus…” Martin Luther King, Jr.
By William “Duke” Smither “If the muse were mine to tempt it And my feeble voice was strong, If my tongue were trained to measures, I would sing a stirring song. I would sing a song heroic Of those noble sons of Ham, Of the gallant colored soldiers Who fought for Uncle Sam!…” (From […]
By William “Duke” Smither “Because power corrupts, society’s demands for moral authority and character increase as the importance of the position increases.” (John Adams, 2nd President of the United States) National Moral Character? Lordy, Lordy! One would have had to have been born “Rip Van Winkle II,” the fictional dude who fell asleep and […]
The “‘First Lady’ of Soul” (March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) “Every time she sang, we were all graced with a glimpse of the divine… Through her compositions and unmatched musicianship, Aretha helped define the American experience. In her voice, we could feel our history, all of it and in every shade — our […]
By William “Duke” Smither “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” Martin Luther King, Jr. While I never met Senator John McCain (08/29/1936 – 08/25/2018), as a U.S. Navy Viet Nam Era Veteran […]
