A Band On The Right Side Of History

Fifty years ago, a band of Black musicians stood up to racism and now they’ve been honored for that action. Bass player John Smith is the surviving member of “The In Crowd,” a Charleston, West Virginia band that played popular tunes in the 1960s. One night at the Charleston Athletic Club, a multi-racial couple was refused service and the band took a stand. John Smith says, “If they couldn’t dance, we wouldn’t play.” There were consequences for that action and now, finally, John Smith and his deceased colleagues have been honored for the role they played in pushing back against racial discrimination.