when I was touring in Brazil I was chatting at a late evening with my friend "MyMy Villaflor" and learned a little about her life, we chatted for a long time... it seemed the young Lady was pretty much down, however, I took my notes and promised her to write a song for her, now here is the song :
"AMALIA", her real name... So, this song is dedicated to my friend Amalia. When am back in the Philippines we will meet and continue our discussion we held in Brazil the other day...

Amalia

this song is all about freedom, people cannot live without any Freedom, the dictatorships we have in this world are the wrong way, the dictators know that people w/o freedom are easier to handle, therefor it is important for our surviving to have Freedom/Liberty in our life...

Freedom, Oh Freedom

this song is all about the wars fought since the 2nd World War. The big business of war, "the soldier" has to give his life to make the politician and the big companies more rich with any war fought! There is no mandate given by the UN for any war post WWII! Think about it...

The NO WAR Song

this song is all about traveling around the world... but sometimes you will need a home and a home-cooked-meal...

Looking For A Home

the song is about missed chances, gambling and living on the road again...

I Missed The Last Train To Clarksville

I wrote this song when I met my lovely wife...

Beautiful Rose Of America

this song is all about "not getting understood...", when you talk to people about a certain subject and they have no clue what you are talking about, they do not even have an idea about what you are saying, it is so disappointing and frustrating, however, I thought my youngest daughter sometimes has the same problem of not getting understood, so I wrote this song for her...

You Will Be Loved

this song is all about Peace... there are too many wars on our planet, wars of all kind... we have to learn to resolve our conflicts peacefully... we are all one!

We Stand For Peace

JD got inspired when riding on the freeway in Los Angeles with his old 1947 Chevrolet Woody in maroon color, when John was passed by an old Chevy '55 way too fast, the beautiful girl inside the car was ignoring the speed limit... and that's what this song is all about...

I Saw Her On The Freeway

The song Gypsy Woman was written by JD in 1984/1985 and played pretty often live, but was never recorded, however, JD wrote a totally new arrangement for the song prior to this recording. There are 2 different recordings made these days, one pre-release single-edition and this album-edition. The album-edition has a wonderful slide guitar recorded while the single-edition has a beautiful electric guitar solo played by Maximilian Steffens, enjoy both versions...

Gypsy Woman

this is a sound sample of my Gibson Hummingbird 1960's... Martin Phosphor Bronze strings 13-series, pure acoustic played, with plectrum and then fingerpicking...

Gibson Hummingbird 1960's sound sample

Freedom, oh Freedom | words & music by J.D. Hanke

1. when the sun is on it's rise, it was dark before the light came,
when you feel the sun rays, you will find your freedom's grace,

2. freedom should be anywhere, but we must always be aware 'n' care
now, that we are bound, know that peace keepers are around,

Chorus :
freedom, oh freedom, we all need you to survive
freedom, oh freedom, only with you we will find 

3. you should follow the path, and cross the 7 bridges road,
you should look ahead, that's what the old, wise man said,

4. 'coz those who build walls will fail, those, open minded will set the sail,
they will ride with the winds, they will fly with the clouds,

Chorus :
freedom, oh freedom...

5. show respect to others, they are also your sisters and brothers,
be ready to go, and let your heart know,

6. freedom shouldn't be just a dream, and we have to seek our liberty,
we have to work hard, or freedom will fall apart,

Chorus :
freedom, oh freedom...

freedom, oh freedom____

Freedom Oh Freedom

GodSpeed

this song is written for and dedicated to my friends in Curitiba/Brazil...

Bom Dia Curitiba

a song for THE Dance with your Love..., your one 'n' only...

Let's dance the night away ...

a song dedicated to my love for Texas and their kind people...

Texas Here I Come

born July 25th 1952, John David Hanke got his first guitar at the age of 13 and started, after practicing for some month', to play Bob Dylan, Gordon Lightfoot, CCR and Monkees songs.

He grew up in the 60's, a time full of changes, good music and a social revolution, (Woodstock 1969). It was a great decade to have grown up in, JD was fortunate enough to experience the 60s.

The Sixties were a "cultural decade" beginning around 1963 and ending approximately around 1974. It was a kind of a Social Revolution, people staerted to re-think and question what happend so far, a counter-culture, an era of irresponsible excess and flamboyance. A new generation, the Hippies,  calling for "Make Love Not War" and for "Peace".  

The war in Vietnam lead to a commitment of more than a half million American troops, ending up in over 58,500 American deaths and producing a large antiwar movement in the USA as well as globally. In 1965 a few Americans protested the American involvement in Vietnam, but as the war dragged on and the body count continued to climb, civil unrest escalated. Students became a powerful and disruptive force and university campuses sparked a national debate over the war. As the movement's ideals spread beyond college campuses, doubts about the war also began to appear within the administration itself. A mass movement began rising in opposition to the Vietnam War, ending in the massive protests in 1969.

The anti war movement was initially based on the older 1950s Peace Movement, but by the mid 60s it became a broad based mass movement centered in universities and churches.

The 60's have become synonymous for a new era of hope for Love & Peace on Mother Earth..
"The times they are a changing…"

When turning 15 in 1967,  JD formed his 1st Band, called "Friends". The band played mainly Byrds, Dob Dylan, Monkees and Grateful Dead songs as well as Top 100 and their own songs.

During his education in Architecture, Philosophy & Sociology, he separated from the band and turned to more Folk and Fingerstyle guitar music, traveled all over the country, presenting his music to the people.

Today, after 40+ years in Music Business, JD has been all around the world, he traveled Europe, Asia, Middle East, East Africa and North America, he toured with greats like Ed Gerhard, Laurence Juber, Steve Kaufman and others and is still traveling & touring these days. He found his home in California & Arizona USA and settled there.

JD is a singer/songwriter, performing artist and producer for American Folk Music|American Roots Music|Americana|Folk Rock Music and some Hawaiian Music.

As an acoustic guitar player JD is on tour several times a year playing concerts, Folk Festivals, TV, schools, house concerts etc., in general, nearly every event to play at is welcome and appre-ciated for presenting his music to the audience.

He is also a storyteller and a dream keeper, a believer, a reliever, a supporter, a fighter for the human rights…                           he is trying to collect the old stories and the vintage stuff, which he wants to keep before it will be gone forever…

JD is an admirer of the 1st Nation's/Native American cultures, their religion and their philosophy, a listener to what they are going to tell, what they are talking about, it inspires him as well as it gives him a lot of support and strength for his life, he once said "I am grateful for that…"

For any bookings of concerts|touring|home concerts|recording session|jam session etc., or just queries, please get in touch thru the contact page of www.jdhanke.com,

thank you,

JDHankeMusic USA

JD Hanke

Popular tracks