Robert A. Heinlein was one of the most influential American authors of the 20th century. You’ve probably heard of (and likely read, if you’re older) Stranger in a Strange Land. His work was all over the place in many media. But, there are surprisingly few audio recordings of him.
This one is from a radio broadcast. The text, Our Noble, Essential Decency, can be read at the web destination or you can click the link at the top of the web page to hear it from “This I Believe,” a series of four minute essays from the 1950s. Once upon a time, almost every American thought these thoughts–we just didn’t express them as well.
(Yes, I realize this isn’t music, but it IS audio, and it doesn’t really fit anywhere else, either.)