Richard Barone & Al Jardine - If I Had A Hammer

ONE

Richard Barone & Al Jardine - If I Had A Hammer

The first collaboration between a Richard Barone (The Bongos) and Al Jardine (the Beach Boys), exclusively for ONE's Agit8 campaign.

Written by Pete Seeger and Lee Hays in 1949, this was one of the first protest songs ever to become a hit record. They first performed the song publicly in the midst of the federal trial for the leaders of the Communist Party of the United States, accused of generating support for the overthrow of the federal government. Seeger has been a teacher and mentor to Barone (who produced Seeger's most recent single), and was an inspiration for many of the Beach Boys' folkier tunes such as "Sloop John B." The group's harmonies were in turn a big influence on Richard's group The Bongos.

rest in peace, Pete Seeger