Now more than ever the focus is on getting out to vote and making sure your voice is heard and counted. Kansas City musical legend and political activist, Danny Cox knows all to well and is getting the message out with his latest song, “We the People” which was produced and written by Australian band ‘Stormcellar’.
Danny Cox was born in Cincinnati, Ohio and moved to Kansas City, Kansas in 1967. As a youth, he sang in a church choir together with Rudolph Iseley, and started his professional career performing on a Hootennany Folk Tour in the 1960’s. Danny has recorded albums for ABC Dunhill, Casablanca, MGM and others. He also partnered a company called Good Karma Productions, run by Vanguard Coffee House (K.C.) owner Stan Plesser, manager of folk rock duo Brewer & Shipley, Southern rock band The Ozark Mountain Daredevils.
Fast forward to 2013, Danny struck up a friendship with Australian band ‘Stormcellar’ who were touring the US. As guests of Danny’s fundraising efforts for Harvest International, the Aussies set to work to write a song that expressed Danny’s committed sense of activism in the community. The resulting duet, sung with his son Joe, Cox, is ‘We The People’ a school house rock influenced Anthem for Get Out The Vote.
We connected with Danny Cox who describes his music as “Roots” for our Music Spotlight Series to find out more about “We The People” and his goal with the song.
Tell us about the song “We The People”:
A song with a funky beat AND a message – get off your ass and vote.
‘We the people’ is what to sing, what to say, what to remember, what to repeat. We are not powerless. Those that we elect serve us, and they promise to uphold the constitution. If we ever wonder who to ask first, about injustice, about oppression, we must first ask our self this basic question.
Did I vote?
Did I act on my conscience, did I stand up?
We want to start there. With the community feeling like Citizens, not inhabitants. Just like looking after our own or cleaning up our home. Voting is as simple, as right and as necessary as taking out the trash, mowing the lawn, repairing a fence. It’s work, but it’s gotta be done.
Get out there and vote.
What inspired you to pursue music?
It’s all about this song right now.
What has been your biggest musical challenge?
Helping as many people as I can.
What is your music goal for the year?
getting people out to vote.