Whitburn, Joel, The Billboard Book of TOP 40 R&B and Hip Hop Hits, Billboard Books, New York 2006, p.109 How Robert Kennedy Inspired 'Abraham, Martin and John' ". The New York Times Company. June 5, 2018 . Retrieved June 10, 2018. Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca . Retrieved October 1, 2016. The song itself is a tribute to the memory of four assassinated Americans, all icons of social change: Abraham Lincoln, John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and Robert F. Kennedy. It was written in response to the assassination of King and that of Robert Kennedy in April and June 1968, respectively. [1] Lyrics [ edit ] Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrateded.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p.66. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.

Emmylou Harris performed it as the second part of a medley with Nanci Griffith's song "It's a Hard Life Wherever You Go" with her acoustic band, the Nash Ramblers, in the early 1990s. The medley was released on their 1992 live album At the Ryman. Rosey Grier, who had been one of Robert F. Kennedy's bodyguards and helped subdue Sirhan Sirhan after he shot Kennedy, recorded a version for his 1986 gospel album Committed. Collins, Ace. Songs Sung, Red, White, and Blue: The Stories Behind America's Best-Loved Patriotic Songs. HarperResource, 2003. ISBN 0060513047 This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sourcesin this section. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( January 2022) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message)Cash Box Top 100 12/21/68". Tropicalglen.com. December 21, 1968. Archived from the original on October 4, 2016 . Retrieved October 1, 2016. Whitburn, Joel (1999). Pop Annual. Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin: Record Research Inc. ISBN 0-89820-142-X. Smokey Robinson & the Miracles recorded a version that became an American Top 40 single in 1969, reaching number 33 [9] while reaching number 16 on the US R&B charts [10] Whitburn, Joel, The Billboard Book of TOP 40 R&B and Hip Hop Hits, Billboard Books, New York 2006, p. 400

Beverly Knight performed the song with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Gaye's 1969 recording on the 2021 album Motown with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra: A Symphony of Soul (Motown/Island Records/UMC) Whitburn, Joel, The Billboard Book of Top 40 R&B and Hip Hop Hits, Billboard Books, New York, 2006, p. 363

Let Your Conscience Be Your Guide" 1962 " Sandman" " Soldier's Plea" " Stubborn Kind of Fellow" " Hitch Hike" 1963 " Pride and Joy" " Can I Get a Witness" 1964 " You're a Wonderful One" " Once Upon a Time" " What's the Matter with You Baby" " Try It Baby" " Baby Don't You Do It" " What Good Am I Without You" " How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved by You)" 1965 " I'll Be Doggone" " Pretty Little Baby" " Ain't That Peculiar" 1966 " One More Heartache" " Take This Heart of Mine" " Little Darling (I Need You)" " It Takes Two" 1967 " Ain't No Mountain High Enough" " Your Unchanging Love" " Your Precious Love" " You" " If I Could Build My Whole World Around You"/" If This World Were Mine" 1968 " Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing" " You're All I Need to Get By" " Chained" " Keep On Lovin' Me Honey" " You Ain't Livin' till You're Lovin'" " His Eye Is on the Sparrow" " I Heard It Through the Grapevine" 1969 " Good Lovin' Ain't Easy to Come By" " Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" " That's the Way Love Is" " Abraham, Martin and John" " What You Gave Me" " How Can I Forget" a b "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca . Retrieved July 14, 2015.