“Big-hearted and inspirational”—The Washington Post
“Simple majesty in songwriting”—The Boston Globe
“One of America’s best songwriters”—Pete Seeger
About Fred’s Music
Fred Small is a singer, songwriter, and songleader whose music inspires, heals, and empowers. Powerful, affecting, and inviting, Fred's songs illuminate the goodness and courage of all kinds of people.
Fred’s inclusive lullaby of unconditional love, “Everything Possible,” has become a standard of LGBT choruses worldwide and is now a celebrated children’s picture book. His anthem “Peace Is” is sung in worship, in schools, and on the streets. Fred’s classic “The Heart of the Appaloosa” celebrates the enduring spirit of the Nez Perce. Pete Seeger, Peggy Seeger, Rosalie Sorrels, Steve Gillette, Judy Small (no relation), Roy Bailey, the Flirtations, and the Boston Gay Men’s Chorus are among the singers who have interpreted Fred's songs to audiences around the world.
"The Heart of the Appaloosa" was elected to the All-Time Bluegrass Hit Parade by WAMU Radio in Washington, DC In 1992, Heart Strings, the nationally touring AIDS-benefit musical, chose Fred's "Everything Possible" as its grand finale. In 2000, the National Organization of Men against Sexism (NOMAS) honored Fred for his contributions to gender justice. In 2017, UU Mass Action presented him with the Ruth Rowan Award for his musical contributions to social justice movements.
Fred has released seven albums: Only Love (Aquifer, 2001), Everything Possible (Flying Fish, 1993), Jaguar (Flying Fish, 1991), I Will Stand Fast (Flying Fish, 1988), No Limit (Rounder, 1985), The Heart of the Appaloosa, 1983) (all Flying Fish and Rounder titles available from http://www.rounder.com), and Love's Gonna Carry Us (Aquifer, 1981). Fred’s two songbooks, Promises Worth Keeping (1994) and Breaking from the Line (1986) are published by Yellow Moon Press (http://yellowmoon.com).
Fred Small was born November 6, 1952, in Plainfield, NJ. Grandnephew of Thomas Hart Benton, the American regionalist painter (and outstanding harmonica player), Fred was playing guitar and singing folk songs by age seven. After graduating Phi Beta Kappa from Yale, Fred earned a law degree and a masters in natural resources policy at the University of Michigan. He wrote his first song in 1974 on the morning of his first law school examination. In 1980 Fred left his position as staff attorney at the Conservation Law Foundation to pursue his career in music full time.
In 1999, Fred was awarded his Master of Divinity degree from Harvard Divinity School. After serving First Church Unitarian in Littleton, MA, and First Parish in Cambridge, MA, in 2015 Fred left parish ministry to devote his energies to climate activism, especially among people of faith. He is now Minister for Climate Justice at Arlington Street Church, Boston.
Fred has performed throughout the United States as well as in Japan, Australia, England, and Canada. He has appeared at the Philadelphia, Vancouver, Winnipeg, and Kerrville Folk Festivals, Lunenburg (NS) Folk Harbour Festival, Sidmouth (UK) Folk Arts Festival, National Folk Festival of Australia, Great Hudson River Revival, Great River Traditional Music & Crafts Festival (LaCrosse, WI), Woody Guthrie Tribute (Tulsa, OK), Bread and Roses Labor Heritage Festival (Lawrence, MA), and the Musicians United for Safe Energy (MUSE) rally in New York City.
Listen
A true story from Australia
A true inter-species love story holds lessons for us all.
Fred’s classic lullaby now has even more inclusive lyrics.
The story of the Nez Perce people and the Appaloosa horse.
Purchase Fred’s Music
Stream Fred’s music on Tidal, Spotify, or Amazon Music.
What People Say About Fred’s Music
“Simple majesty in songwriting . . . Literate, insightful, witty, level-headed, and musically gifted, Fred Small is one of the most engaging performers around.”
“Fred Small is one of America’s best songwriters.”
“Fred Small is doing what the best topical songwriters have done since the 1960s. He uses a handful of chords, a sense of humor, a sense of purpose and an eye for revealing detail to write songs that tell stories with a political point. . . . Small’s affection and optimism are contagious”
“Big-hearted and inspirational”
“One of the finest storytellers in song to come along since Stan Rogers. Small writes powerful ballads of hope in hard times.”
“Fred Small can make an orchestra out of an acoustic guitar and writes a song you can be proud to hear. . . . He’s an authentic poet and a man with heart. This is the guy you want in the foxhole with you when the bombs start dropping.”
“A super-talented singer-songwriter. His songs will draw you in and involve you deeply, whether you’re looking for a strong message, a hearty chuckle, or a delicious flight of fancy.”
“He sings about any obstacle which diminishes our human capacity for trust and joy, whether it’s the Middle East war, apartheid, or sexism. But he cries out not just against these indignities, he cries out for the startling strengths, the joys, the possibilities among us all. . . . Fred—you’re an angel.”
“★★★★★ Small stands fast in his belief that a people refusing to cooperate with hatred can change the world, a theme he relates brilliantly . . . . Great lyrics, superb arrangements, and powerful messages abound.”