Kenny Winfree (1954 - 2021) is an American

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

singer and songwriter. He is best known for his labor classic, “I’m A Union Card.”

Joe Glazer Joe Glazer (June 19, 1918 – September 19, 2006), closely associated with labor unions and often referred to as "labor's troubadour," was an American folk musician who recorded more than thirty albums over the course of his career. Early l ...

called Winfree, “this generation’s

Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer-songwriter, one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American socialism and anti-fascism. He has inspired ...

” and wrote “I felt like Kenny had Woody’s knack for writing catchy, moving songs with a message. His songs are easy to remember.” Winfree started out working as a

textile Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

worker at the Lebanon Woolen Mill in his hometown of

Lebanon, Tennessee Lebanon is the county seat of Wilson County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 38,431 at the 2020 census. Lebanon is located in Middle Tennessee, approximately east of downtown Nashville. Lebanon is part of the Nashville Metropolit ...

. His father worked at the same mill for 45 years, and his mother and several uncles had worked there as well. The

Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union The Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union (ACTWU) was a labor union representing workers in two related industries in the United States. The union was founded in 1976, when the Textile Workers Union of America merged with the Amalgamated ...

(now

UNITE HERE UNITE HERE is a labor union in the United States and Canada with roughly 300,000 active members. The union's members work predominantly in the hotel, food service, laundry, warehouse, and casino gaming industries. The union was formed in 2004 by ...

), heard Winfree's music and sent it to Joe Glazer in Washington, D.C. Glazer was impressed with Winfree's bluegrass style labor songs, he decided to have him record on his “Collector” label. Winfree recorded two solo albums, ''Down At The Union Hall'' (1986), and ''Blue Collar Bluegrass'' (1991). In 2006 the Smithsonian re-released both albums on its Folkways label. Glazer himself recorded two of Winfree's songs, “I’m A Union Card” and “Down At The Union Hall.” Glazer included both songs on his ''Joe Glazer Sings Labor Songs II'' album. A live version of “Down At The Union Hall” appears on Glazer's ''Bricklayin Union Man'' album. The D.C. Labor Chorus performed “I’m A Union Card” at the Joe Glazer Memorial Concert in December 2006, shortly after Glazer's passing. Winfree's version of “I’m A Union Card” is included in the ''Classic Labor Songs From Smithsonian Folkways'' CD released in May 2006. Winfree has performed at numerous union conventions, meetings, the Smithsonian Institution, and on many radio and TV shows including “Singing For The Union” which aired Labor Day 1985 on

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcasting, public broadcaster and Non-commercial activity, non-commercial, Terrestrial television, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly fu ...

. Winfree worked at a large aircraft plant in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

and is a member of the Dallas/Fort Worth Professional Musicians Association / American Federation of Musicians Local 72-147. Winfee died in fall of 2021.

Discography

Solo albums: * ''Down at the Union Hall'' (1986) (2006) Smithsonian Folkways Recordings Catalog #COLL01941 * ''Blue Collar Bluegrass'' (1991) (2006) Smithsonian Folkways Recordings Catalog #COLL01949 Compilations: * ''Classic Labor Songs from Smithsonian Folkways'' (2006) Catalog #SFW40166 * ''We Just Come to Work Here'' (2006) Smithsonian Folkways Recordings Catalog #COLL1953

References

*Labor Notes Magazine July 2011 issue labornotes.org/2011/06/im-union-card

External links

Smithsonian FolkwaysKenny Winfree photo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Winfree, Kenny 1954 births American folk singers American bluegrass musicians Living people Textile workers People from Lebanon, Tennessee Singers from Texas Country musicians from Texas Country musicians from Tennessee