Lee Hays (1914-1981) is remembered today as the bass singer of the Weavers, the popular folk singing quartet that included Pete Seeger and was blacklisted during the early years of the cold
war. Hays is especially well known for his collaborations with Seeger on a number of political songs, including "The Hammer Song," and for his central role in producing Wasn't That a Time!, the
1981 film documentary about the Weavers. But he was also a talented, multifaceted writer of prose. In Sing Out, Warning! Sing Out, Love!, Robert S. Koppelman brings together a selection of
Hays's published and unpublished literary output and places the author and his work in historical context.
"Koppelman has done a wonderful job of contextualizing the life and achievements of Hays in light not only of his time but also of current musical judgments upon that time. The introduction
will be of great value to die-hard folk music aficionados as well as those interested in Southern history."---Laura Browder, Virginia Commonwealth University
"Hays was certainly a significant figure in the left-wing folk song world, as composer, performer, and organizer. Koppelman argues persuasively that he serves too as a representative of the
understudies but highly significant strain of indigenously rooted white southern radicalism. The selections from Hays's published works and unpublished memoirs are revealing both of the man and
his milieu."---Maurice Isserman, Hamilton College
"Hays was one of the few true geniuses I have had the privilege to know. I am very excited about this book of his writings."---Pete Seeger
