Album Notes

The Brooklyn Women's Chorus was founded in 1997 by Brooklyn resident and musician, Bev Grant. We are women of all ages, from diverse ethnic backgrounds and walks of life.We sing at peace rallies and union functions, coffee houses and meeting houses. We have performed for mental patients, church and political groups, and the Vice President of Viet Nam. Some of us arrived at Chorus knowing we had a voice and how to use it, but quite a few of us found our voices right here. Because Bev Grant, our director, has an unshakable conviction that every woman can sing, the "power of song" is born anew with each new chorus member. And because our music calls attention to the things we find right or wrong in our society and world, that power is also reborn with every song we sing.

The Power of Song was recorded in December 2002 and released in May 2003. It's a diverse cd including original and traditional music, backed by a terrific band, including percussion, guitar, mandolin, trumpet, bass and cello. The arrangements are great and the production top notch.

Our Director - BEV GRANT is a veteran social activist, feminist, labor singer/songwriter, "cultural worker" from Park Slope Brooklyn, where she has lived for the past 30 years. Founder and musical director of the Brooklyn Women's Chorus, a community chorus in Park Slope, BEV is also the cultural director of the ULEA (United Labor Educators Association) Northeast Summer Institute for Union Women. She is the co-creator of a women's labor history multi-media presentation entitled "We Were There!" and has recorded four albums, including a companion cd and songbook called "We Were There!", a solo cd entitled "IN TUNE", and two albums with her band "Human Condition". The first was called "The Working People Gonna Rise", and was produced by Barbara Dane for the Paredon record label, The second, called "Kulonyaka - Year of Dedication" was recorded in 1985 and was on the cutting edge of the world beat movement, including songs in Spanish, Zulu, Shona, and Haitian Creole, in addition to English. She is also producer of a cd released in May 2003 of the Brooklyn Women's Chorus called "The Power of Song". She has appeared on numerous compilation recordings, including the recently released Grammy-nominated Smithsonian/Folkways "Best of Broadside" album; "Traditions - New Spirits & Holy Ground - Performers from the Good Coffeehouse, Park Slope Brooklyn"; and Live from El Salvador on Redwood Records.

BEV began creating social conscious music in the late sixties, first with a feminist band called Goldflower and then with her band, Human Condition, in the early seventies. She has used her music as an organizing tool in both community and union organizing, often writing songs for specific issues or campaigns and facilitating the creation and use of music by others. Two of her recent songs, one called "No Sweat", co-written with singer/songwriter Pat Humphries, and "We Were There!" have been recorded by Pat Humphries on her latest cd called "HANDS". In addition, "We Were There" has been recorded by the New Jersey based chorus - the Solidarity Singers and Hersong of the Quad Cities and the Brooklyn Women's Chorus cd, "Power of Song"; and " No Sweat" was recently recorded by Solidarity Notes - a Vancouver, B.C. labor chorus and the Brooklyn Women's Chorus. For more information go to www.bevgrant.com.