Milwaukee songwriter Larry Penn will be remembered in a tribute concert at Anodyne.
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Photo courtesy Lil Rev
Larry Penn
Larry Penn
The birth of the labor movement after the Civil War was midwifed by music. Hundreds of songs, from topical ballads to rousing anthems, helped sustain and inspire working-class struggles for justice and human rights as well as better wages and workplaces. In late 20th century Milwaukee, Larry Penn emerged as the exemplary labor folk singer. The anniversary of his death 10 years ago will be marked with the annual Larry Penn Tribute Concert.
The concert will feature performances by Bill Camplin, Will Branch, Bob and Diana Suckiel, John Stano and the event's organizer, Lil Rev. Penn was best known in his home state, Wisconsin, but as Rev says, "Every now and then when I'm playing in a working-class town, someone will surprise me by remembering Larry. His music is so memorable and so important to the American experience. Rev adds that Penn's day job driving trucks across the U.S. helped him "put his finger on the pulse of society -- he put his observations into words with the simplicity of Hank Williams."
Penn's enormous catalog encompassed songs about trucks and trains, and the value of family, as well as organized labor. One of his more whimsical numbers, "I'm a Little Cookie," was recorded by Pete Seger on Live at Carnegie Hall and covered by dozens of other artists, included in many songbooks and became the theme song for a CBC kids' show. He ranged widely for topics, addressing pollution with "Plastic in the Trees" and minimum-wage work on "Tommy the Dishwasher." Penn released 10 albums including one with Rev, Around the Campfire (2012).
As a teenager seeking music more substantial than his generation's hair metal bands, Rev became a fan of Penn and often snuck while under-age into local clubs such as Nash's Irish Castle to hear him sing. Rev was eventually mentored by Penn and came to know him and his wife, Pat. "They stood for a lot of important things in Milwaukee -- they marched across the viaduct with Fr. Groppe for fair housing in the '60s," Rev says. "Larry played at a lot of strikes -- he played with Pete Seger at one of the Patrick Cudahy strikes. He wanted to go to Madison during the Act 10 protests, but his legs weren't holding up by then. It killed him not to be there."
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At the Larry Penn Tribute Concert, each singer will perform half hour sets including two or three of Penn's songs. "The idea is to keep his music alive and remind people of what he meant to folk music and working-class culture."
The concert takes place 6-9 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8 at Anodyne Coffee Roasting Co., 224 W. Bruce St. Admission is $10 to benefit the Larry Penn Legacy Fund.