a daily independent global news hour

His name might not be familiar to many, but his songs are sung by millions around the world. This disc is a journey through the life and work of Yip Harburg, the Broadway lyricist who wrote such hits as “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” and who put the music into The Wizard of Oz. Born into poverty on the Lower East Side of Manhattan, Yip always included a strong social and political component to his work, fighting racism and poverty. A lifelong socialist, Yip was blacklisted and hounded throughout much of his life.

Narrating this trip through the music and politics of Yip is his son, Ernie Harburg. First, is a history of Yip’s early life, his collaboration with the Gershwin’s, through “Brother, Can You Spare A Dime?” Then an in-depth look at The Wizard of Oz. And finally, a medley of Yip Harburg’s Broadway songs and the politics of the times in which they were created.