in_the_media

Tea party finding its own protest music

Media Outlet: 

Associated Press

Tea party activists are increasingly turning to music — some of it inspired by protest music of the 1960s and '70s — to capture the spirit of their movement. About half of self-described tea party supporters are 50 or older and can remember listening to AM radio that spun 45s of liberal protest music like Bob Dylan and Pete Seeger. Temple historian Ralph Young, a protest music expert, notes tea party music has yet to seep through society, the way the music of the '60s and '70s did. Besides, people don't come to tea party rallies for the music, Columbia Tea Party organizer Allen Olson said. "It's not the heart of the movement whatsoever."