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Information about I Should Be Proud

"I Should Be Proud" is a 1970 protest song written by Henry Cosby, Pam Sawyer and Joe Hinton and recorded by Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas. Though not a big hit (peaking at #80 pop and #45 R&B), the song was noted for being the first released Motown protest song (released in February of the year), just months before the releases of Edwin Starr's "War" and The Temptations' "Ball of Confusion".

The song had the narrator talk of how she was devastated on hearing the news that her loved one, who had been fighting in the Vietnam War, had been shot and killed in action. Instead of being proud that her loved one had "fought for her", as people around her were claiming, all she wanted was him and not his honors for fighting the war, exclaiming that the man, disguised as "Private Johnny C. Miller", had been "fightin' for the evils of society". Lead singer Martha Reeves took the song personally, recounting that one of her brothers had died in a Vietnam War-related incident. It was the first release off the Vandellas' Natural Resources.
19th century - 20th century - 21st century
1940s  1950s  1960s  - 1970s -  1980s  1990s  2000s
1967 1968 1969 - 1970 - 1971 1972 1973

Year 1970 (MCMLXX
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A protest song is a song which protests perceived problems in society. Every major movement in Western history has been accompanied by its own collection of protest songs, from slave emancipation to women's suffrage, the labor movement, civil rights, the anti-war movement, the
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Henry "Hank" Cosby (May 12, 1928, Detroit, Michigan – January 22 2002, Detroit, Michigan) was an African American songwriter and record producer for Motown Records. Although he worked with many of the label's artists, from The Supremes to The Temptations, Cosby is best known
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Pamela Sawyer is an American songwriter most noted for her tenure at Motown Records from 1967 to 1977.

Sawyer co-wrote several hits for artists such as The Supremes, Diana Ross, Michael Jackson and others during her time at the label.
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Motown Records, also known as Tamla-Motown outside of the United States, is a record label originally based out of Detroit, Michigan ("Motor City", hence mo(tor)town), from where it achieved widespread international success.
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Martha and the Vandellas (known from 1967 to 1972 as Martha Reeves and the Vandellas) were one of the most successful groups in the Motown roster during the 1960s and was one of the label's most signature acts.
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Motown Records, also known as Tamla-Motown outside of the United States, is a record label originally based out of Detroit, Michigan ("Motor City", hence mo(tor)town), from where it achieved widespread international success.
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Edwin Starr (January 21, 1942 – April 2, 2003) was an American soul music singer. Born Charles Edwin Hatcher in Nashville, Tennessee, Starr is most famous for his Norman Whitfield produced Motown singles of the 1970s, most notably the number one hit "War".
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War (song) can refer to:
  • War (Edwin Starr song)
  • War? (System of a Down single)
  • War (Bob Marley song)

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The Temptations (often abbreviated as "The Tempts" or "The Temps") are an American Motown singing group whose repertoire has included doo-wop, soul, psychedelia, funk, disco, R&B, and adult contemporary.
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Released May 7, 1970
Format 7" single
Recorded Hitsville USA (Studio A); April 12 and April 14, 1970
Genre Psychedelic soul
Length 4:06
Label Gordy
G 7099
Writer(s) Norman Whitfield
Barrett Strong

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Total dead: ~314,000
Total wounded: ~1,490,000 North Vietnam and NLF
dead and missing: ~1,100,000 [1] [2] [3] [4]
wounded: ~600,000+ [5]
People's Republic of China
dead: 1,446
wounded: 4,200

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Martha Rose Reeves (born July 18, 1941) is an African-American Grammy Award winning R&B and soul singer and was the lead singer of the legendary Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas.
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Natural Resources is a soul album released by Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas in 1970 on the Gordy (Motown) label. The album is significant for the Vietnam War ballad "I Should Be Proud" and the slow jam, "Love Guess Who".
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