Magpie: Terry Leonino & Greg Artzner w/ special guest Rolly Brown – Songs from the end the war movement & May 4th 1970.

From their beginnings in Kent, Ohio in 1973, for more than 51 years together now, Greg Artzner & Terry Leonino, known as the duo Magpie, have raised their voices to celebrate, inform and support struggles for a better world. Their music is a powerful force, uplifting and inspiring, always drawing on the historical roots that have nourished their artistic collaboration. From demonstrations in the streets of Washington, DC to schools to universities to festival and concert stages, their audiences have responded time and time again to their strong harmonies and the timeless message in their songs: that together we can break the barriers that separate us and build bridges of understanding, justice and peace. 

Originally from Canton, Ohio, Greg began to be inspired by the songs of the Civil Rights movement when his father joined that movement with the Urban League, fighting the “defacto” segregation afflicting northern cities. A lot of the popular music in the early sixties year were powerful folk songs that took aim at social injustices, and popular in the Artzner house. Greg, inspired by the likes of Harry Belafonte, Pete Seeger, Woody Guthrie, Phil Ochs, Peter, Paul & Mary and many others, was soon performing songs of justice, freedom, against the war in Vietnam and songs of peace.

Terry grew up in Cuyahoga Falls, but spent the summers throughout the 50s and 60s visiting relatives in Mississippi and Arkansas seeing southern racism “up close and personal.” She was in Grenada when Martin Luther King, Jr. led the March Against Fear through that small city. Her southern relatives were very musical and Terry grew up singing with them. On her father’s side, Terry was inspired by the union movement and music heard there as her father joined the organizing of the rubber workers in Akron. It was here that she first heard the songs of Joe Hill sung by Joe Glazer, known as “Labor’s Troubadour,” who later became her mentor and friend. In May of 1970, Terry was a student protester at Kent State  when authorities engaged in extrajudicial execution on the campus there. On Monday the 4th she was a witness to the massacre of peaceful antiwar demonstrators. Kent was followed 10 days later by the shooting and killing of students in Mississippi at Jackson State, in the “backyard” of her southern family. These experiences along with the inspiration of the music of that era, have imbued Terry’s and Greg’s music with a sense of urgency as well as historical perspective.

For this 55th anniversary commemoration of the killings at Kent State, Terry and Greg return to their roots for a special concert at The Kent Stage. The show will feature many of the most powerful songs from the late 1960s, songs that cried out for peace and justice and an end to the war. They will also sing some of their own songs about those times, songs depicting and expressing the tragedy, rage, and ultimate determination rooted in those experiences. 

For this special appearance, Greg and Terry will be joined by their long-time friend and legendary guitarist, originally from Kent, Rolly Brown, who was also a witness to the events at Kent State in May of 1970.