Joe Glazer, “Labor’s Troubadour” died September 19 in his Chevy Chase home at the age of 88. He served the labor movement and the U.S. government by performing and recording the songs he collected or composed over seven decades, during which time he wrote over 100 labor and protest songs. He created the Great Labor Song Exchange (now called the Great Labor Arts Exchange), now an annual festival at the National Labor College in Silver Spring. Joe had been planning an annual national song writing contest to be administered by the Labor Heritage Foundation, which he co-founded in 1984 with Joe Uehlein and Saul Schniderman to “strengthen the labor movement through the use of music and the arts.” This Tribute Concert, sponsored by the Folklore Society of Greater Washington and the Institute of Musical Traditions, is to raise funds to realize Joe’s dream as a fitting memorial to his life’s work.

A number of artists who worked with him over the years are donating their performances, including Magpie, Laurel Blaydes, Steve & Peter Jones, The U-liners and the DC Labor Chorus.

The Labor Heritage Foundation is perhaps best known for presenting the annual Joe Hill Award for lifetime achievement in the field of labor culture to such icons as Cesar Chavez, Pete Seeger, Hazel Dickens and Utah Phillips. It is a 501(c)(3) organization, so contributions are tax-deductible.

A note for FSGW Members: "Sold Out" also means that no further reservations for FSGW members will be accepted.There will be an FSGW representative on hand to check membership. Unclaimed reservations will be released at 7:15. Please consider a donation at the event to get the Songwriting Contest off on a solid financial foundation. Joe was a great supporter of FSGW and we can keep his memory vital with this tribute.