And by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Has alwaysr yarrow believed music can change lives for the better. Musicians made sure they were there when it came time to stand up for justice. They were there 50 years ago this summer for a march on washington, and just last month he put together a concert for Sandy Hook Elementary School families. He has a new book based on one of the trios most beloved songs, india. Arie im in love with a big blue frog. Lets take a look at peter, paul mary singing im in love with a big blue frog from their 20th anniversary concert. Im in love with the big lou frog, a big blue frog loves me worknow we can make things here. Paul was noel was here not too long ago. Great time as always. You guys are forever busy. The work doesnt stop. The commitment is something we inherited from the people in the folk field. Say, if you sing to me, you have to lift me. The turning point came when we did participate in the march on and i remember when people knew this song. It had been a big hit. Ossie davis introduced us. For a Musical Group we were not there to entertain. We were there to express music and join other people. That moment belonged to them. If i had a hammer, id hammer in the morning id hammer in the evening, all over this land danger, id out hammer out a warning, id hammer out love between the birds and bees all over this land well i got a hammer, and i got a bell, and i got a song to sing all over this land its to hammer out justice its the bell of freedom, its the song about love between the brothers and sisters all over this land land tavis you still got it, peter. You still got it. Pete seeger is 93. I had him on my radio show a few months ago. We talked about you and this song. Songs get handed down, and they get changed by each generation. I was there just three days ago. Its called the faith and politics pilgrimage. Of theace the steps Selma Montgomery march. Playing with 250 people. 30 members of congress are there , and there wasis a point where they needed to express their solidarity, and that is where i sang if i had a hammer. Those little girls who were first integrated are now doing extraordinary work. Is the songt thing im in love with a big blue frog is about civil rights. Time,g blue frog at that show the pictures. Why we can talk about need to have of voters rights and who the big blue frogs thetoday besides reappearance of racism in society, which exist. Im in love with the big blue frog a big blue frog loves me he appears,s fat as hes got glasses and 63 im not worried about our kids out neat,heyll turn theyll be good looking because theyll have my face, rates winters because theyll have his feet great swimmers because theyll have his feet im in love with the big blue frog hes got rhythm and a phd its clear to me, its probably clear to you theey say the values on property will go right down, the family next door is blue tavis why a project aimed specifically at children . I mentioned you went to sandy hook. Why a project aimed at children specifically for these issues . We have to interrupt the cycle of pushing the other way, youre no good, youre stupid, youre gay. This is called the pyramid of hate. It builds from that kind of toection amongst kids hatred. It is the pyramid of hate. We have to interrupt that cycle and let kids grew up in an environment in which they feel thereabout, save, where is no bullying, no namecalling, no humiliation, because if we dont the culture becomes one that injures them, and some of the kids feel so bad about themselves they will get depressed and hurt themselves, and others will turn around and try to hurt others. We need to have a society that cares about others, not just the kids problems. Tavis over the next five years, going tonow, we are celebrate, commemorate a number of seminal moment in American History. You were around for. Not just around four, but you were there. You were integral to it, so you werent there 150 years ago at the emancipation rock imation signing, but that was 150 years proclamationpation signing, but that was 150 years ago. Then 50 years since the civil rights act. The next five years are going to be full of these anniversaries. Than the anniversary on selma. I am only raising that to arc people the view of the of what happened 150 years ago that we are going to be commemorating over the last five years. How do you read the arc of American Progress over the last five decades . We saying, and i will give you just this one line. The answer my friend is blowing in the wind the answer is blowing in the wind how many years can some people exist before theyre allowed to be free the marcheing that at on washington. Put it in context. Can mobilize ourselves to celebrate what we have done but also come to terms with the fact that we have a long road to travel, we will fulfill our promise. People do understand one of the shining moments in American History was navigating our way through the civil rights era. Barack obama is part of a 500 year journey. He didnt just fall out of the heavens. He traveled around the world, and people see him as a shining example of what america has done and what they are capable of, so we shall overcome is son all ungr the world. Is s all over the world. Blowing in the wind, if i had a hammer, these were son when the walls came down in the soviet union. We were invited to sing at the First Anniversary of the bloodless revolution in the philippines, because nuns were putting flowers in the muscles muzzles of tanks, guns and tanks. In order to mobilize, we need to do it from the heart, not just the intellect, and the sad thing , if you of this sort just here free, we shallbe all be free someday all be free heart n my that we shall overcome some day eloquence of the music transcends anything i could say. Is about loving each other. Its about loving each other, and we stand on the shoulders of gay and lesbian rights, on the shoulders of the civil rights movement. That was the defining time in our country when we figured out if we stand together we can change history. Is lovepeter yarrow personified. I walk a little taller and also with a little more humility when you grace us with your presence in the studio. The Childrens Book is called im in love with a big blue frog. It includes a cd of recordings by peter, paul mary. They with us. Stay with us. With her eclectic mix of musical styles, india. Arie has always defied easy classification. After a fouryear gap she has just released her cd called songversation. I love that title. Lets hear her singing a cut from the cd called cocoa butter here co. Your love is like cocoa butter butterkisses like cocoa butter ike cocoa my heart was bruised, thats what happens when you use it been that way for so long the site he came familiar that, whenl missed the brother started walking at the end see said, hey. I saw you at the beginning of the video. We were talking about whether or years toemed like four you. For my fans it felt like four years. Did it feel like four years to you . Yes. I need to get itself together. To allow my health to get together. Up withime to catch myself. Thednt feel right about way things were. To your point about not feeling right about the weight rings were, how does an artist . Void this kind of burnout i dont know. My hope is that i figured it out. I make decisions based on what i want to do. Artists need people to help them get there. You need your security. You need your people. The instruments by yourself. You cant be your own manager, so you need your people. Everyone is always having an opinion. Thats what we do. Itshen you are the person focused on, you get lost with your self. I make my own decisions. I hear peoples opinions, and in the end they know the decision is mine. I dont have to go back and forth. Womanhoodgrew into with these voices, and i started to see my life was off path because i was listening to other people. Every decision you make puts you in this moment right now. I felt 10 years from now, where am i going to be . Is it going to be my choice . I dont know. I hope i got it right. Things feel good. Ive been doing a lot of work, and i dont still tired or burned out, so it is working so hard. Tavis i love the title. How did that come to be . Technically, i thought about it for a long time. It was months and months. Find a moniker for my performance style, because i always have a lot to say. Want to share. I want a fellowship with people, so early in my career i felt i have to get it out fast. I felt like if you build it they will come, i felt like if i did that they could decide whether they wanted to hear me speak and sing. I thought about it for a long time. This for years for me was about figuring out how to do this in a way that i love and that feels good to me. I love singing, but everything was so much of a challenge. I was exhausted all the time. Be moreng for ways to me i went into songversations, and then i decided to name my album songversation. I was singing about it for months. I was traveling these countries and i felt the music coming out of my stomach. Feel it makes perfect sense. I had another album i was working on for three years called open door. I decided to name this one songversation because it encompasses my hold journey. With the music itself i went to turkey and got these middle eastern strings and percussion. All that stuff you hear is real. Real strings, real people. Tavis i love it. Its been bull, i could live there. , i could istanbul live there. I met turkeys biggest star. This beautiful coincidence. Becausehe was a diva she had this crazy ring on, and i love jewelry. She was saying how inspirational it is for an artist. , never thought about istanbul water, food, culture. I said, are you a musician . She said, yes. It Means Nothing to me. I just knew this lady was amazing. I said, i am a singer songwriter , too. She said, do you love Gladys Knight . It turns out she has a voice like Gladys Knight. I said my idol is stevie wonder. ,he said, he has a new song out and she starts singing a song i ande with stevie wonder, she started crying, and i started crying. She called her son and said, you have to come to tristan bull. Istanbul she brought her box set. It turned out she was turkeys biggest artist. I listen to it, and her voice was like god just i wanted to make music that encompassed things i love about the world. Traveler. I am a musician. I am an artist. In the Music Industry you are black or white, but she opened up this whole world to me. I called her and asked her if and she saidp, anything, i am in. Days she was in and out of the studio. We were eating food, learning to play turkish flute. I see she didnt give you that ring. She gave me another ring. Taking these flute lessons, and there was this guy who was her fan and would say, i am going to teach you how to play. She would take it and say, i am her mom. She would wash it off and give it to me. I just love her. Tavis grab your stick. The new project from india. Arie after four years. I cant believe she made us wait this long. Its more than worth the wait. Great cover, great project. Here it is. To say my closing goodbye, and i am going to let india play us out. Play . Re you going to break the shell inspired by sissy tyson. I am goingbountiful, to see it. He is going to play us out. Good night from los angeles. As always, keep the faith. I met a profit, dark as the night she could see into my soul that shed been watching and had some advice she said shadows make you whole is a wolfithout a in paineep clothes without is a wolf in sheep clothes if you listen to the lesson that is told, you will find gold child its time to break the shell lifes going to be felt you cannot touch the sky from inside yourself you cannot fly until you break the shell [applause] for more information on todays show, visit tavis smiley at pbs. Org. Tavis hi, im tavis smiley. Join me next time for a conversation with saxophonist dave koz and legendary bassist charlie haden. At next time. See you then. And by contributions to your pbs station from viewers like you. Thank you. Thank you. Uncer more. theme music matt elmore welcome to imagemakers a weekly showcase featuring the best short films from around the world. Stay tuned and enjoy the filmmakers of tomorrow today on imagemakers. Imagemakers is made possible in part by a grant from celebrating the vitality and power of the moving image. And by the background talking jack so youre going to be like this all night . Lauren like what . Lauren, look . Just stop i dont. I dont want to talk about this here