On December 26th, 2020, 50+ artists and hundreds of thousands of viewers around the world came together for Georgia Comes Alive, a virtual music festival aimed at promoting voter participation in Georgia’s Senate runoff elections on January 5th, 2021, which saw a record-breaking voter turnout.
One of the many renowned blues musicians who took part was singer-guitarist Bobby Rush who performed “How Long” and “Sometimes I Wonder”. Ahead of his performance, Rush took a moment to discuss the importance of the Senate runoff election and invoked the words of Rep. John Lewis, encouraging viewers to “Get in good trouble.”
With that, Rush launched into a solo rendition of “How Long” where, between smooth guitar licks, he delivered improvisational lyrics about Lewis and other Civil Rights figures who “Died waiting” for their “40 acres and a mule.” Armed only with an acoustic guitar, Rush added some slight distortion to the instrument that kept both it and his lyrics intelligible, while still adding a bit of flavor to the song. Along the way, Rush made the smooth transition into “Sometimes I Wonder” as he pondered “What’s gonna happen to me when I get too old?” before ultimately melding back into “How Long” to close his segment.
Related: Roosevelt Collier Takes Viewers Down A “Peachtree Tunnel” At Georgia Comes Alive [Watch]
Revisit Bobby Rush’s performance of “How Long” and “Sometimes I Wonder” from Georgia Comes Alive below and subscribe to the Live For Live Music YouTube channel for more Georgia Comes Alive videos:
Bobby Rush – “How Long”, “Sometimes I Wonder” – Georgia Comes Alive
Back in July, Rush also participated in Georgia Comes Alive’s predecessor Justice Comes Alive, where he performed a multi-song set and recounted his experiences as a Black musician traveling through the segregated United States.