Surprise singing of black anthem spurs hate mail

By Daniel J. Chacon, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published July 2, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

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Denver's City Council president is getting hammered with hate-filled messages in response to Tuesday's surprise performance of the "Black National Anthem" by a jazz singer during a city event.

Chanteuse Rene Marie had been invited by Mayor John Hickenlooper's office to sing the national anthem during his annual State of the City address.

Council President Michael Hancock, who is black, was the master of ceremonies. He introduced Marie, who sang what is known as the "Black National Anthem" instead.

Her performance evoked angry reactions among some of the estimated 700 people at the event.

"There is no substitute for the national anthem. Period," said Councilman Charlie Brown.

"This is the State of the City address. It's not an NAACP convention," he said, referring to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Hickenlooper and his staff said they expected Marie to sing the The Star-Spangled Banner and that they were surprised when she sang something different.

In a statement late Tuesday, Hickenlooper said: "I'm disappointed that this matter has been a distraction from the great work and significant accomplishments of our city employees over the past year and the many important initiatives on tap for the coming year."

Hickenlooper said in an interview that he spoke to Marie after the ceremony and that she apologized profusely for any problems she may have caused him.

The mayor also said that Marie told him she meant no disrespect.

"She blended the two songs together," Hickenlooper said. "She was trying to make an artistic expression of her love for the country. She did not intend to make a political statement or anything."

Marie sang the first verse of James Weldon Johnson's Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing, also known as the "Black National Anthem," but adapted those lyrics to the tune of the The Star-Spangled Banner.

Marie said she had no regrets. She deliberately didn't tell anybody about her song choice "because I don't think it is necessary for an artist to ask permission to express themselves artistically," she said.

"I would not change a thing," Marie said.

"You have to risk things. You have to. Otherwise, you might as well live your life by a script."

Hancock said he had no idea that Marie was going to sing anything but the national anthem.

"I just read off the script, which was to introduce her to do the national anthem, so I expected the national anthem," he said.

Hancock, who met Marie for the first time Tuesday, said Marie should have cleared her song choice with the mayor and his administration.

It was "inappropriate" that she didn't, he said.

"She certainly should have given the mayor and the administration the opportunity to decide if they wanted her to sing the song that she sang," he said.

Hancock said he's been getting hate-filled e-mails over the song.

"I'm getting - as if I made the decision to do this - I'm receiving a lot of hate mail," he said. "I've received quite a few e-mails that are quite nasty."

chacond@RockyMountainNews.com or 303-954-5099

Anthem uproar

Jazz singer Rene Marie surprised the audience at the mayor's annual State of the City address by substituting the first verse of Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing - also known as "The Black National Anthem" - by James Weldon Johnson, for The Star-Spangled Banner.

* The words:

Lift ev'ry voice and sing,

Till earth and heaven ring.

Ring with the harmonies of Liberty;

Let our rejoicing rise,

High as the list'ning skies,

Let it resound loud as the rolling sea.

Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us,

Sing a song full of the hope that the present has brought us;

Facing the rising sun of our new day begun,

Let us march on till victory is won.

• July 2, 2008

  6:24 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  stevea writes:

  "I don't think it is necessary for an artist to ask permission to express themselves artistically."

  What a crock. She was invited to sing a specific song. If I hire a painter to paint my kitchen white and he decides to express himself by painting it green, he's not getting paid.

  All this smug cr*p about artistic expression is nothing but self-righteous blather.

  Bah.

• July 2, 2008

  7:57 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  squeakywheel writes:

  "This is not the Chanteuse Rene Marie I once knew".

• July 2, 2008

  9:27 a.m.

  Suggest removal

  Navy writes:

  Define hate mail - what words are being used? Any time anyone sends mail or email that calls someone to account, it's defined as hate mail. Prove it!

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