How She
Found Comfort Where She Didn’t Expect It
By Roscoe Barnes III
Chairman, Anne Moody History
Project
Copyright (c) 2018
Copyright (c) 2018
#AnneMoody
Listen to "The Danger Zone" on YouTube here.
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When Anne
Moody faced a spiritual and emotional crisis after the 1963 church bombing in
Alabama, she found comfort in the music of Ray Charles.
The bombing occurred on Sept. 15th, Moody’s birthday,
at the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham. Four girls were
killed and over 20 people injured.
Moody, a
civil rights pioneer, enjoyed different types of music. She liked gospel music
and singing in the church choir, and she had a strong appreciation for freedom
songs. But when her heart was crushed -- and her faith was shattered -- by the
news of the four girls being killed in the bombing, she found a measure of
comfort in Charles’ song, “The Danger Zone.” In Chapter 25 of her book, Coming of Age in Mississippi, she
recounts the moment:
I left the office shortly after lunch. When I got to the Freedom
House, I played freedom songs and tried to analyze what had happened thus far
for us in the Movement. I discovered my mind was so warped and confused I
couldn’t think clearly. The church bombing had had a terrible effect on me. It
had made me question everything I had ever believed in. “There has got to be
another way for us,” I thought. “If not, then there is no end to the misery we
are now encountering.”
It was at
that point that Moody picked up a record by Charles. She apparently was
surprised by the effect it would have on her. She writes:
I put a Ray Charles record on the box and he was saying “Feeling
sad all the time, that’s because I got a worried mind. The world is in an
uproar, the danger zone is everywhere. Read your paper, and you’ll see just
exactly what keep worryin’ me.” It seemed as though I had never listened to Ray
before. For the first time he said something to me.
The song resonated with
Moody because it accurately described what she was feeling and experiencing. In
a sense, she was in a “danger zone.” She and other people of color,
especially those working for civil rights. As the song notes, the whole world
was in an uproar, and Moody was on the front lines of the battle.
The song was composed by
Percy Mayfield and released on side B of a non-LP single in 1961. The lyrics
are haunting and prophetic. A writer for the website, Itsallaboutray.com,
describes the song as “a somber lament” that “expresses fear and disappointment
in the slow progress being made in contemporary society.” The writer suggests
that while the lyrics are vague, “You can look to the historical realities in
America circa 1961 to guess your way to the song’s explicit meaning, but the
sentiments could be equally applied to today or any time.”
Given the simple and heartfelt words in the lyrics, plus
the powerful way in which the song is delivered, it’s no wonder Moody found
comfort in the song. And when one considers the theme of the song and the time
in which it was written, it is easy to see how the music spoke to her.
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Would you like to
learn MORE about Anne Moody? Visit here to
see the timeline
of important events in her life history!
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For more information:
See the Anne
Moody page here.
Questions about the Anne Moody History Project may be directed to Roscoe Barnes III via
email at doctorbarnes3@gmail.com or roscoebarnes3@yahoo.com. For updates
on Anne Moody history and the on-going work of this community service project,
simply follow this blog or follow AMHP on Twitter (@AnneMoodyHP). #ComingOfAgeinMississippi
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