Free The Davis Two

Angela Davis was an American political activist who was arrested and jailed in 1971 on charges of conspiracy to murder despite the absence of any reliable evidence. She was released a year later after a high profile campaign to free her.

George Davis was an English criminal who was arrested and jailed in 1975 on charges of armed robbery despite the absence of any reliable evidence. He was released a year later after a high profile campaign to free him.

As part of the first campaign a fund-raising album called "Free Angela" was released. It was reissued a few years ago and is still available on Bandcamp. The star of the show is a gent called Larry Saunders whose contributions are reminiscent of the sort of socially conscious soul that Curtis Mayfield was making at the time. The Rolling Stones, John & Yoko and others also released songs calling for her release.

As part of the second campaign, George's supporters dug up the wicket at Headingley to stop the England vs Australia cricket test going ahead. No records were made at the time as far as I know, although Sham 69 released  "George Davis Is Innocent" a couple of years after he got out and Roger Daltrey wore a T-shirt with the same message at some gigs in 1975. Roger's track record of supporting causes is perhaps not entirely unblemished though.  

After her release (celebrated in song by Don Covay) Angela went on to become a respected academic. She is still going strong and is still active in her chosen field.

After his release George went back to jail in 1978 (an armed bank raid) and then again in 1987 (stealing mailbags). He is still going strong but is hopefully no longer active in his chosen field. 

"Where Did Peace Go" - Larry Saunders

"Dungeon Number 3" - Don Covay