Black And White (3:24)

Earl Robinson, folk artist, wrote this song in 1954 along with songwriter David Arkin. It’s lyrics deal with the overcoming of racism- inspired by the U.S. Supreme Court Brown v. Board of Education ruling that segregation in public schools is illegal. The original song includes the line, “Their robes were black, their heads were white”.

Three Dog Night’s pop-based version of the song- a 1972 single from their album Seven Separate Fools- became a hit, and it remains a staple of oldies radio stations.