Folk singer, poet and labor activist John Paul O’Connor will perform his musical narrative ‘Hold the Fort’ during a benefit concert at Machinists Union District Lodge 751’s Seattle Union Hall in May.

The performance will be at 7 pm, Saturday, May 14 in the union’s Stewards Hall. It is a benefit for the Pacific Northwest Labor History Association, and a $10 donation is suggested.

Hold the Fort: Stories and Songs of the Wobblies in Washington State is a narrative with songs that depicts the history of the International Workers of the World in Washington during the first two decades of the Twentieth Century.

The IWW –- commonly called “Wobblies” — played a key role in shaping the labor movement in Washington. O’Connor’s performance will touch on historic events including the free speech fight in Seattle, the Everett Massacre, the great lumber strike of 1917, the Seattle General Strike and the Centralia Massacre.

During the show, O’Connor will perform songs by Joe Hill, Ralph Chaplin and T-Bone Slim, as well as his own original music.

More information here.