Nanci Griffith and The Loving Kind

Friday night was also a chance for me to see Nanci Griffith in concert at the Rio in Santa Cruz.


Nanci was so inspiring-- I just came away singing! She had a really sweet presence onstage and a good rapport with her audience as well as her band. Stylistically, she is a little more country than I prefer, but I have to admire her for her skill and longevity. She has been a singer/songwriter for many years. Her songs have been covered by many famous artists.


I especially liked her folksongs-- one was set in the Dust Bowl, another in Ireland. The title song, "The Loving Kind," tells the story of Mildred and Richard Loving, a black woman and white man who married in 1958 and ended up having to defend their right to marry all the way to the Supreme Court. They won their case and ended up setting the precedent for the nation. This song is a tale simply told and very subtly parallels the recent struggle of gays and lesbians to have their marriages validated. No obvious connection is made to this in the song, but Nanci did so when she introduced it onstage, and also mentioned that it was Mildred Loving's hope, right before her death, that her and her husband's story would serve as inspiration for those seeking the right to marry.


The opening act, Jenna Mammina, was good, too. She was clever and funny and did this amazing thing where she created a song on the spot from six words thrown out to her from the audience. I loved it!






91 Days til the Burn