Harry Stamper is a retired longshoreman, union activist, and songwriter who resides in Coos Bay, Oregon. For decades, Harry has been writing songs about occupational safety, union organizing, and working on the docks in Southern Oregon. Many of his songs have been sung by folksingers and activists throughout the Pacific Northwest, and some of his songs have entered the labor music canon. “We Just Come to Work Here,” an infectious tune about workplace safety, is probably Stamper’s most famous song, and it is featured on the Smithsonian Folkways Collection “Classic Labor Songs.”
Harry continues to write and record songs. He records them himself, and sends them out to anyone who is interested in his lyrics and message. Some of his new songs focus on the environmental issues that his community faces. For the past few years, Coos Bay has been the proposed site of a liquid natural gas terminal and an associated pipeline to move the gas inland. Not only have Harry and his wife Holly become active in the movement to oppose this potentially devastating development, but Harry has written some great tunes about the issue. For a great example, check out “Jordan Cove Rock,” a satirical exploration of the possible consequences of putting a natural gas terminal in a subduction zone: http://mgx.com/blogs/2011/03/21/bleve-on-the-north-spit-why-jordan-cove-lng-is-a-bad-idea/.
I’ll be visiting Harry Stamper next weekend, and I’m looking forward to meeting him. Stay tuned for pics, and a report…
Don't Mourn, Harmonize! 