RABBIT EARS TREASURY OF AFRICAN AMERICAN HEROES Follow the Drinking Gourd, John Henry

Taj Mahal sings the message of freedom, "Follow the Drinking Gourd," and Morgan Freeman's quietly powerful voice tells Mary Prentiss's story of her family's escape from slavery in Alabama. Atmospheric sounds—barking dogs, a roiling river, a quail whistle—are all perfectly performed, lending a sense of being on the trail of the Underground Railroad with the escaping family. In the tale of “John Henry,” Denzel Washington promises to tell “the guaranteed gold-plated 99.9 percent truth” about the “steel-driving man.” And John Henry was destined to be legendary from the start—"Ain't no ordinary baby born with hammer in his hand . . . and weighs over 45 pounds." B.B. King's music drives the story along. D.P.D. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2008]