Playlist: Joe Hill: The Legendary Troubadour of the Wobblies by Alexander Street Content Team

Joe Hill is a folk hero troubadour of the early 20th century American labor movement, a Swedish-born itinerant worker/union organizer/agitator who died by firing squad in Utah for a murder he likely didn’t commit. A card-carrying member of the Industrial Workers of the World, (the IWW, also called the Wobblies), Hill wrote rousing, often satirical anthems that promoted the message of “One Big Union.”

A number of songs by, and about, Hill have become standards in the labor movement songbook. They’ve been covered and celebrated by a diversity of artists, and his legend has inspired generations of writers and historians. We’ll explore some of these resources for a glimpse at the important role of music in the labor movement, and why Joe Hill became quintessential figure in this history.

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