Juneteenth is the name given to the June 19th observances that commemorate the delayed arrival of freedom to enslaved people in Texas in 1865, but it also celebrates the flourishing of Black culture in the generations that followed. As Juneteenth invites us to reflect on the long arc of African American creativity, resilience, and cultural leadership, Ain’t Misbehavin’ stands as a joyful product of that legacy. It was written in 1929 by Fats Waller, Andy Razaf, and Harry Brooks for the revue Hot Chocolates, where Louis Armstrong’s performance turned it into a national sensation.

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As a tribute to the upcoming Memorial Day observances, this month’s tab offering is an arrangement of the hymn “O God of Love, O King of Peace”. Written in 1861 by Anglican priest and hymnwriter Sir Henry Williams Baker (1821-1877), “O God of Love, O King of Peace” first appeared in the inaugural edition of “Hymns Ancient and Modern”, the most influential Anglican hymnal of the nineteenth century. Baker, who served as the hymnal’s chief editor, composed this text as a heartfelt prayer for divine mercy and reconciliation in a world torn by conflict.

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In honor of the upcoming Easter celebrations, this month’s tab is an arrangement of the Resurrection hymn “He Lives.” It’s composer, Alfred H. Ackley (1887–1960), brought together two lifelong passions—ministry and music—in a way that shaped everything he wrote. Born in Pennsylvania to a musically gifted family, he studied composition at the Royal Academy of Music in London before returning to the United States to serve as a Presbyterian minister. His career blended preaching, teaching, and hymnwriting, and he eventually composed more than 1,500 hymns. “He Lives” remains his most well-known hymn by far.

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