Happy Birthday, Sister Soozie Tyrell: freedom fighter AND freedom fiddler
- Letters To You
- May 4
- 2 min read
May 4, 2026
Happy-birthday wishes go out today to Sister Soozie Tyrell, fiddler extraordinaire and - as an essential member of the current Land of Hope and Dreams American Tour - now freedom fighter, too.
The late, great Gwendolyn Brooks' poem "First fight. Then fiddle." ends as follows:
"...Rise bloody, maybe not too late
For having first to civilize a space
Wherein to play your violin with grace."
But with all due respect to Brooks, right now Soozie is fighting (non-violently) alongside her bandmates in defense of democracy, freedom, and the U.S. Constitution while she's fiddling. In fact, her fiddle and the beautiful music it's making every night on this special tour is her best "secret weapon." It's offering healing, hope, and inspiration to all of us who are concerned about the dangerous path our country is currently on, and who are ready as citizens to get into some "good trouble" doing something about it.
So by all means please continue playing your violin with grace, Soozie, of course. It's making a big, important difference for so many of us, and we love and appreciate you for it.
Best wishes for the happiest of birthdays, Sister Soozie, as well as for many, many more happy birthdays to come!
Fun freedom fact for Soozie fans:
Did you know that Soozie's silhouette is visible in Frank Caruso's "Spirit of '76" image, which appears on our special fundraising shirt to benefit The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and The Kristen Ann Carr Fund (KACF?) If you haven't pre-ordered yours yet, you still can click here to do so now, and support two of Bruce Springsteen's favorite non-profit organizations.
