Columbia native Ellie Grace lands song on collection curated by Peter, Paul and Mary great

Each generation discovers a way to sound out its voice, to sing the songs of equal rights, to seek a closing cadence for injustice.

While each generation has its own anthems, the generations themselves find ways to harmonize around shared values. This is certainly evident in the music of Ellie Grace — the Columbia native, now based in Kansas City, "cannot imagine how I could separate my writing, my heart, my music, and my activism," she said in a recent email.

That driving unity brought Grace's song "Up" to the attention of folk-music legend Noel Stookey, the Paul in Peter, Paul and Mary. Stookey's Music to Life organization plucked "Up" for its recent "Hope Rises II" compilation record, featuring 16 songs from "artists of conscience across genre, generations and issues."

"Up" quite literally sounds like a growing movement, as Grace offers a melodic affirmation that lives somewhere between folk and gospel: a call to get up, to place one weary foot before the next. Voices carry the track, uplifting each other — and listeners.

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"A single voice calls out in the beginning of the song and, with each step, more voices and rhythms enter," Grace said, by way of description. "I envisioned the arrangement as a gathering of sound to reflect the building of a community that lifts us up and keeps us going. There are no instruments, only singing and the rhythmic sounds of hands and feet. This shows the strength that is within each of us when we show up, walk alongside each other, and raise our voices together."

The song was not inspired by a singular moment or precipitating event, but "the cumulative weight of witnessing and experiencing the inequity and cruelty growing in our country," Grace said.

"Up" represents an attempt to answer — or, at least, address — a number of questions she kept tripping over. Namely, how do we keep moving toward the good when so much tries to knock us down?

"This song was a way to reach out a hand to those who continue to fight the good fight and tirelessly work to make our world kinder and more just," Grace said. "If there were such a thing as folkie activist cheerleaders, I might be the captain of the squad."

Music has long been a family affair — Grace and her sister, frequent collaborator Leela Grace, learned music at the feet of their parents. Their love for Peter, Paul and Mary, and how they folded the group's music into the every day, helps make Grace's inclusion on the record so special.

"I was steeped in their music from my earliest days and used to fall asleep to my dad singing 'Puff the Magic Dragon,' " she recalled.

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However, "Up" isn't Grace's first dance with the Stookey family. A song she co-wrote in 2017 earned an invitation to perform at a Peter and Paul duo concert, she said. And two more of her songs have earned honors in Music to Life competitions; run by Noel and his daughter, Liz Stookey Sunde, the organization "is supporting the next generation of activist musicians," Grace said.

Their parallel tracks and interests aren't lost on Grace; and they weren't lost on the late broadcaster Jerry Springer, who hosted Grace on his podcast.

"He called me and the other featured artist the Peter, Paul, and Mary of the next generation," she said. "The little girl who remembers her parents singing Peter, Paul, and Mary songs is simply in awe and honored to be carrying on that powerful legacy."

This is a legacy carried by interlocked hands, a labor that only continues when shared in three dimensions. Grace wants her music to reflect real lives, touch real lives and better real lives.

"One of my primary goals as an artist is to help people feel less alone," she said. "Making music from my heart about the human experience inevitably directs me towards creating songs of social justice. Folk music has always been connected to social movements because it is the music of the people. It tells our stories. My lived experience as a queer woman is entwined with my songwriting."

Find "Hope Rises II" at https://hoperisesii.hearnow.com/ or via streaming services.

Aarik Danielsen is the features and culture editor for the Tribune. Contact him at adanielsen@columbiatribune.com or by calling 573-815-1731.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: How 'Hope Rises' in the folk music of Columbia native Ellie Grace