Archives West Finding Aid

Harry S. Stamper, Jr. (1944-2012) was born on September 20, 1944 in Roanoke, Virginia to Harry S. Stamper, Sr. and Viola Stamper. After World War II, Stamper's family moved to San Francisco, California, where he began playing music and writing songs at the age of 13. In 1967, he joined the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) Local 10. Stamper moved to Coos Bay, Oregon, in 1971 and joined ILWU Local 12. He married Holly Hall in 1985. He was active locally and nationally as a songwriter and folksinger, performing at union events, festivals, and folk music venues. He wrote many original songs about the labor movement, environmental politics, and other topical issues. His song "We Just Come To Work Here (We Don't Come To Die)" was recorded and performed by a number of other musicians, and it was featured on Classic Labor Songs from Smithsonian Folkways. In 1983, Stamper performed at the Great Hudson River Revival Festival at the request of folksinger Pete Seeger. In the 1990s, he performed at the Highlander Center for Research and Education and at the San Francisco memorial for ILWU founder Harry Bridges. In 2000, ILWU president Brian McWilliams invited Stamper to sing at the union's national convention in Portland, Oregon.

In 1997, Stamper began taking courses in creative writing and poetry at Southwestern Oregon Community College. He retired in 2005, but remained active as a songwriter and community activist. He passed away on March 9, 2012 at the age of 67. His music was the subject of an Oregon Art Beat television profile in 2002 and a documentary "We Just Come To Work Here:" The Music of Harry Stamper (available at the Randall V. Mills Archives of Northwest Folklore, University of Oregon). His songwriting was also featured in Joe Glazer's book, Labor's Troubadour (University of Illinois Press, 2001).