Red Summer Songbook Volume 8: The Peddler's Song

Shepsu Aakhu and Shawn Wallace have created a uniquely haunting exploration of the life and death of Casmero Lazeroni.

Once as commonplace as newspaper stands, the fruit peddlers of Chicago could be found on most every major street. In the call and response advertising of the day, they filled the street with melodies that announced both their arrival, and the daily offerings carried in their carts.

In Red Summer, a peddler (and Italian immigrant) – who served communities on both sides of the color line – found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Elevated to more than a name on the police blotter, Casmero became central to the world of Red Summer, and central to our understanding of the violence that bloodied the streets of Chicago. Join the artists charged with bringing this ballad, Originally titled Death of an Innocent – to the stage.