Pete Seeger
Seeger ca. 1955
Background information
Born	May 3, 1919 (1919-05-03) (age 89)
Origin	Greenwich Village
Genre(s)	Folk
Occupation(s)	Activist, songwriter
Years active	1940-present
Associated acts	The Weavers,The Almanac Singers,Woody Guthrie,Arlo Guthrie

Peter Seeger (born May 3, 1919), better known as Pete Seeger, is a folk singer, political activist, and a key figure in the mid-20th century American folk music revival. Events 1491 - Kongo monarch Nkuwu Nzinga is baptised by Portuguese missionaries adopting the baptismal name of João Year 1919 ( MCMXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Greenwich Village (ˌgrɛnɪtʃ ˈvɪlɪdʒ often simply called the Village, is a largely residential area on the west side of downtown (southern Manhattan A music genre is a categorical and typological construct that identifies musical sounds as belonging to a particular category and type of music that can be distinguished from other Folk music can have a number of different meanings including Traditional music: The original meaning of the term "folk music" was synonymous Activism, in a general sense can be described as intentional action to bring about social or political change A songwriter is someone who writes the Lyrics to songs the Musical composition (chords or Melody to songs or both The Weavers were an influential American Folk music quartet based in the Greenwich Village area of New York City. The Almanac Singers were a group of Folk musicians who as their name indicates specialized in topical songs especially songs connected with union organizing Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie (July 14 1912–October 3 1967 was an American Singer-songwriter and Folk musician Guthrie's musical legacy Arlo Davy Guthrie (born July 10 1947 is an American folk singer Events 1491 - Kongo monarch Nkuwu Nzinga is baptised by Portuguese missionaries adopting the baptismal name of João Year 1919 ( MCMXIX) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common Politics Politics is the process by which groups of people make decisions Activism, in a general sense can be described as intentional action to bring about social or political change The American folk music revival was a phenomenon in the United States in the 1950s to mid-1960s As a member of the Weavers, he had a string of hits, including a 1949 recording of Leadbelly's "Goodnight Irene" that topped the charts for 13 weeks in 1950. The Weavers were an influential American Folk music quartet based in the Greenwich Village area of New York City. Huddie William Ledbetter, (January 1888 – December 6 1949 was an American folk and Blues Musician, notable for his clear and forceful singing " Goodnight Irene " or " Irene Goodnight," is a 20th century American folk standard. ^[1] However, his career as a mainstream performer was seriously curtailed by the Second Red Scare: he came under severe attack as a former member of the Communist Party of the United States of America. McCarthyism is a term describing the intense anti-communist suspicion in the United States in a period that lasted roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s The Communist Party of the United States of America ( CPUSA) is a Marxist-Leninist Political party in the United States. Later, he re-emerged on the public scene as a pioneer of protest music in the late 1950s and the 1960s. A protest song is a Song which Protests against perceived problems in Society.

He is perhaps best known today as the author or co-author of the songs "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?", "If I Had a Hammer (The Hammer Song)", and "Turn, Turn, Turn!", which have been recorded by many artists both in and outside the folk revival movement and are still sung throughout the world. For the 2008 documentary see Where Have All the Flowers Gone? (film " Where Have All the Flowers Gone? " is a folk " If I Had a Hammer ( The Hammer Song)" is a song written by Pete Seeger and Lee Hays. " Turn! Turn! Turn! (to Everything There is a Season " often abbreviated to " Turn! Turn! Turn! " is a song adapted entirely from the the Book of Ecclesiastes "Flowers" was a hit recording for The Kingston Trio (1962), Marlene Dietrich, who recorded it in English, German and French (1962), and Johnny Rivers (1965). The Kingston Trio is an American folk and Pop music group that helped launch the folk revival of the late 1950s to early 1960s Marlene Dietrich maɐˈleːnə ˈdiːtrɪç (December 27 &ndashMay 6) was a German -born American Actress, Singer and Entertainer Johnny Rivers (born John Henry Ramistella, 7 November 1942, in New York) is an American Rock and roll Singer "If I Had a Hammer" was a hit for Peter, Paul & Mary (1962) and Trini Lopez (1963), while The Byrds popularized "Turn, Turn, Turn!" in the mid-1960s. Peter Paul and Mary (often called PP&M) are a musical group from the United States who were one of the most successful folk-singing groups of the Trini Lopez (born Trinidad López III, 15 May 1937, Dallas, Texas) is a Mexican-American Singer and Guitarist The Byrds were a popular American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1964 Seeger is also widely credited with popularizing the traditional song "We Shall Overcome", which was recorded by Joan Baez and many other singer-activists, and became the publicly perceived anthem of the 1960s American Civil Rights Movement soon after musicologist Guy Carawan introduced it at the founding meeting of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in 1960. " We Shall Overcome " is a Protest song that became a key Anthem of the US civil rights movement. Joan Chandos Baez (born January 9, 1941 in Staten Island, New York) an American Folk singer and Songwriter known The American Civil Rights Movement (1955–1968 refers to the reform movements in the United States aimed at abolishing racial discrimination against African Musicology ( Greek: μουσική = "music" and λόγος = "word" or "reason" is the scholarly study of Music Guy Carawan (b Los Angeles, California, United States, July 27, 1927) is an American folk musician and Music Director The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (or SNCC, pronounced "snick" was one of the principal organizations of the American Civil Rights Movement

Family and personal life

Seeger was born in New York City, USA. The City of New York His father, Charles Louis Seeger, was a musicologist and an early investigator of non-Western music, and his mother, Constance de Clyver Edson, a prominent classical violinist. Charles (Louis Seeger Jr ( December 14, 1886, Mexico City - February 7, 1979, Bridgewater Connecticut) was a Musicologist Music is an Art form in which the medium is Sound organized in Time. ^[2] His stepmother, Ruth Crawford Seeger, was one of the most significant female composers of the 20th Century. Ruth Crawford Seeger ( 3 July 1901 - 18 November 1953) born Ruth Porter Crawford was a Modernist Composer and an American A composer (literally meaning 'one who puts together' is a person who creates Music, usually in the medium of notation, for Interpretation and Performance The twentieth century of the Common Era began on His siblings Mike Seeger and Peggy Seeger also had notable musical careers. Mike Seeger (b August 15 1933 in New York New York) is an American folk musician and folklorist Peggy Seeger, born June 17 1935 in New York City, is an American folk singer Career is a term defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as an individual's "course or progress through life (or a distinct portion of life" Half-brother Mike Seeger went on to form the New Lost City Ramblers, who influenced Bob Dylan. Mike Seeger (b August 15 1933 in New York New York) is an American folk musician and folklorist The New Lost City Ramblers is a contemporary old-time String band that formed in New York City in 1958 during the Folk Revival. His eldest brother, Charles Seeger III, was an astronomer, and his next older brother, John Seeger, an educator. His uncle, Alan Seeger, a noted poet, was killed during the First World War. Alan Seeger, born on June 22, 1888 and died July 4, 1916, was an American poet who also fought in World War I. World War I (abbreviated WWI; also known as the First World War, the Great War, and the War to End All

In 1936 he heard the five-string banjo for the first time at the Mountain Dance and Folk Festival in Asheville, North Carolina,^[3] and his life was changed forever. The banjo is a Stringed instrument developed by enslaved Africans in the United States, adapted from several African instruments Asheville is a City in and the County seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United Pete Seeger attended the Avon Old Farms boarding school in Connecticut, during which he was selected to attend Camp Rising Sun, the Louis August Jonas Foundation's international summer scholarship program. Avon Old Farms is a single-sex boarding school for boys located in Avon, Connecticut. A boarding school is a School where some or all pupils not only study but also live during term time with their fellow students and possibly teachers Connecticut ( is a state located in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. Camp Rising Sun is an 8 week summer international full scholarship leadership program for gifted and talented students (ages 14-16 operated by the Louis August Jonas Foundation He then attended Harvard University until he left in 1938 during his sophomore year. In both cases, he was a scholarship student. A scholarship is an award of access to an institution or a financial aid award for an individual student scholar for the purpose of furthering their Education ^[4] In 1943 he married Toshi-Aline Ohta, whom he credits with being the support that helped make the rest of his life possible. Pete and Toshi have three children, Daniel, Mika and Tinya, and grandchildren Tao, Cassie, Kitama, Moraya, Penny, and Isabelle. Mika Seeger is an American ceramic artist of Rhode Island. Although not primarily a musical artist she did record a definitive version of Great Green Gobs of Greasy Tao Rodríguez-Seeger (b New York 1972) is an American contemporary Folk musician. Tao is a folk musician in his own right, singing and playing guitar, banjo and harmonica with The Mammals. The Mammals are a contemporary Folk rock band based in the Hudson Valley, area of New York, in the United States.

Seeger lives in the hamlet of Dutchess Junction in the Town of Fishkill, NY and remains very active politically, as well as maintaining an active lifestyle in the Hudson Valley Region of New York, especially in the nearby City of Beacon, NY. Fishkill is a Town in Dutchess County, New York, USA. The population was 20258 at the 2000 census For the Magazine, see Hudson Valley (magazine Beacon is a City located in Dutchess County New York, United States. He and Toshi purchased their land in 1949, and lived there first in a trailer, then in a log cabin they built themselves, and eventually in a larger house. ^[5] Seeger joined the Community Church (a church practicing Unitarian Universalism)^[6] and often performs at functions for the Unitarian Universalist Association. Unitarian Universalism ( UUism) is a theologically liberal Religion characterized by its support for a "free and responsible search for truth Unitarian Universalist Association (UUA in full the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations in North America, is a liberal religious association ^[7][8]

Musical career

Early work

Seeger's education in Harvard College was paid for in part by his siblings, parents, and scholarship money. Arlo Davy Guthrie (born July 10 1947 is an American folk singer There he was exposed to students with concerns about "what to do with Hitler", including those in the pacifist groups, the socialists and communist party. He dropped out of college in 1939. ^[9] and he took a job in Washington, D.C. at the Archive of American Folk Song in the Library of Congress. Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D An archive refers to a collection of historical records and also refers to the location in which these records are kept The Library of Congress is the De facto National library of the United States and the research arm of the United States Congress In that capacity, he met and was influenced by many other musicians such as Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly. Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie (July 14 1912–October 3 1967 was an American Singer-songwriter and Folk musician Guthrie's musical legacy Huddie William Ledbetter, (January 1888 – December 6 1949 was an American folk and Blues Musician, notable for his clear and forceful singing He met Guthrie in person at a "Grapes of Wrath" migrant workers concert on March 3, 1940 and the two thereafter began a musical collaboration. The Grapes of Wrath is a novel published in 1939 and written by John Steinbeck, who was awarded the Pulitzer Prize and the Nobel Prize for expatriate foreign worker is a person who works in a country other than the one of which he or she is a Citizen. Events 1284 - Statute of Rhuddlan incorporated the Principality of Wales into England 1575 - Indian Year 1940 ( MCMXL) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display the full 1940 calendar of the Gregorian calendar.

Pete Seeger, 1944. Eleanor Roosevelt is center. Anna Eleanor Roosevelt (ˈɛlɪnɔr ˈroʊzəvɛlt October 11 1884 &ndash November 7 1962

Spanish Civil War songs

Seeger has long been interested in the music that came out of the Spanish Civil War. The Spanish Civil War was a major conflict in Spain that started after an attempted Coup d'état committed by parts of the army against the government of In 1944, he was invited by Moses Asch (later of Folkways Records) to record a collection of Spanish Civil War songs. Moses ("Moe" Asch (born December 2, 1905, Warsaw; died October 19, 1986, New York City) was the founder These included "Valley of Jarama" and "Peat Bog Soldiers". Peat Bog Soldiers is one of Europe's best-known protest songs

Banjo

In 1948, Seeger wrote the first version of his now-classic How to Play the Five-String Banjo, a book that many banjo players credit with starting them off on the instrument. A Book is a set or collection of written printed illustrated or blank sheets made of Paper, Parchment, or other material usually fastened together The banjo is a Stringed instrument developed by enslaved Africans in the United States, adapted from several African instruments A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. He went on to invent the Long Neck or Seeger banjo. The banjo is a Stringed instrument developed by enslaved Africans in the United States, adapted from several African instruments This instrument is three frets longer than a typical banjo, and slightly longer than a bass guitar at 25 frets, and is tuned a minor third lower than the normal 5-string banjo. The banjo is a Stringed instrument developed by enslaved Africans in the United States, adapted from several African instruments The electric bass guitar (also called electric bass, or simply bass; ˈbeɪs as in "base" is a Stringed instrument played primarily with the

Group recordings

As a self-described "split tenor" (between an alto and a tenor),^[10] he was a founding member of several folk groups. These included the Almanac Singers with Woody Guthrie, and the Weavers with Lee Hays, Ronnie Gilbert and Fred Hellerman. The Almanac Singers were a group of Folk musicians who as their name indicates specialized in topical songs especially songs connected with union organizing Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie (July 14 1912–October 3 1967 was an American Singer-songwriter and Folk musician Guthrie's musical legacy The Weavers were an influential American Folk music quartet based in the Greenwich Village area of New York City. Lee Hays ( March 14, 1914 - August 26, 1981) was an American folk-singer and songwriter best known for singing bass with The Ronnie Gilbert (born September 7, 1926) is an American folk-singer one of the members of The Weavers with Pete Seeger, Lee Hays Fred Hellerman (born May 13, 1927, Brooklyn New York) is an American folk singer, guitarist producer and song writer primarily known as one

The Weavers had major hits in the late 1940s and early 1950s, before being blacklisted in the McCarthy Era. In Popular music, a chart-topper is an extremely popular recording, identified by its inclusion in a ranked list&mdasha Chart &mdashof top McCarthyism is a term describing the intense anti-communist suspicion in the United States in a period that lasted roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s Their number # 1 hit of 1950 was Good Night Irene. They also performed briefly in a reunion tour in 1955, which produced the hit, 16 Tons. Reunion Tour is the fourth studio album by The Weakerthans, released on September 25, 2007 in Canada and the U In The Power of Music, Seeger claims he resigned from the Weavers because the three other band members had agreed to perform a jingle for a cigarette commercial. A jingle is a memorable Slogan, set to an engaging Melody, mainly broadcast on Radio and sometimes on Television commercials. A cigarette ( French "small Cigar " from cigar + -ette) is a product consumed through Smoking and manufactured

In 1955 he recorded an album entitled Union Songs for Folkways Records (FH 5285A). Folkways Records is a Record label that documents folk and world music

Soloing

Seeger started a solo career in 1958, and is known for songs such as "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" (co-written with Joe Hickerson), "If I Had a Hammer" (co-written with Lee Hays), "Turn, Turn, Turn," adapted from the Book of Ecclesiastes, and "We Shall Overcome" (which he and Guy Carawan based on a spiritual). Events January 28 - Little Richard begins attending classes at Oakwood College in Huntsville Alabama January For the 2008 documentary see Where Have All the Flowers Gone? (film " Where Have All the Flowers Gone? " is a folk Joe Hickerson (born 1935 is a noted folk singer and songleader " If I Had a Hammer ( The Hammer Song)" is a song written by Pete Seeger and Lee Hays. " Turn! Turn! Turn! (to Everything There is a Season " often abbreviated to " Turn! Turn! Turn! " is a song adapted entirely from the the Book of Ecclesiastes Ecclesiastes (often abbreviated Ecc) (קֹהֶלֶת Kohelet, variously transliterated as Qoheleth, Göhalath, Koheles, Koheleth " We Shall Overcome " is a Protest song that became a key Anthem of the US civil rights movement. Guy Carawan (b Los Angeles, California, United States, July 27, 1927) is an American folk musician and Music Director Spirituals (or Negro spirituals) are songs which were created by African slaves in America. Seeger became influential in the 1960s folk revival centered in Greenwich Village. The 1960s decade refers to the years from the beginning of 1960 to the end of 1969 Greenwich Village (ˌgrɛnɪtʃ ˈvɪlɪdʒ often simply called the Village, is a largely residential area on the west side of downtown (southern Manhattan He helped found Broadside Magazine and Sing Out!. Broadside Magazine was a small mimeographed publication founded in 1962 by Agnes "Sis" Cunningham and her husband Gordon Friesen. Sing Out! is a quarterly journal of Folk music and Folk songs that has been published since May 1950 He was strongly associated with Moses Asch and Folkways Records. Moses ("Moe" Asch (born December 2, 1905, Warsaw; died October 19, 1986, New York City) was the founder Folkways Records is a Record label that documents folk and world music To describe the new crop of folk singers, many of whom were politically minded in their songs, he coined the phrase "Woody's children", alluding to his former bandmate Woody Guthrie, who by this time had become a legendary figure. Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie (July 14 1912–October 3 1967 was an American Singer-songwriter and Folk musician Guthrie's musical legacy He has often sung and is associated with the song "Joe Hill". Joe Hill, born Joel Emmanuel Hägglund, and also known as Joseph Hillström ( October 7, 1879 or 1882 – November 19, 1915 He also performed and recorded covers of Woody Guthrie's "This Land is Your Land" and the folk classics "Michael Row Your Boat Ashore" and "This Little Light of Mine. " This Land Is Your Land " is one of the United States ' most famous folk songs. " Michael Row the Boat Ashore " (or " Michael Row Your Boat Ashore " is an African-American spiritual. " This Little Light of Mine " is a gospel Children's song written by Harry Dixon Loes (1895-1965 in about 1920 "

In the late 1950s and early 1960s Seeger toured college campuses extensively. He made a world tour starting in 1962. During the same period, he increasingly adopted the 12-string guitar as his accompaniment, his distinctive custom-made guitars sporting a triangular soundhole, and combining the long scale length (approximately 28") and capo-to-key techniques he favored on the banjo with a variant of drop-D (DADGBE) tuning, tuned two whole steps down with very heavy strings, which he played with thumb and finger picks. ^[11] Other folk performers adopted the 12-string guitar as a result, ensuring its survival and contributing to its great popularity and mainstream acceptance in the 1960s and 70s.

Pete Seeger made two tours of Australia the first in 1963. At the time of this tour, his single Little Boxes (written by Malvina Reynolds) was number one in the nation's Top 40's. Use in Weeds The song is featured in the Showtime television series Weeds. Malvina Reynolds (born as Malvina Milder on August 23, 1900, died March 17, 1978) was an American folk / Blues In 1993, the Australian singer/plawright Maurie Mulherin, assembled an anthology of Seeger's work in a stage production One Word We. It enjoyed a long and sold-out season at the New Theatre in the inner Sydney suburb of Newtown.

In the mid-60s he hosted a regional folk music television show called Rainbow Quest, which featured folk musicians playing traditional folk music. Rainbow Quest was a mid-1960s US television series hosted by Pete Seeger, devoted to Folk music. Among his guests were Johnny Cash, June Carter, Mississippi John Hurt, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Roscoe Holcomb, The Stanley Brothers, Doc Watson, Tom Paxton, Judy Collins, Richard Fariña, The Beers Family, and Mimi Fariña, and many others. Johnny Cash (born J R Cash; February 26 1932 - September 12 2003 was a Grammy Award -winning American country Singer-songwriter. Valerie June Carter Cash ( June 23, 1929 &ndash May 15, 2003) was a Singer, Songwriter, actress, comedienne "Mississippi" John Smith Hurt ( July 3 1893 or March 8, 1892, Teoc, Carroll County, Mississippi - November Buffy Sainte-Marie (born Beverly Sainte-Marie, February 20, 1941 or this date in 1942 is an Academy Award -winning Canadian First Roscoe Holcomb (1911-1981 was an American singer Banjo player and Guitarist from Daisy Kentucky. The Stanley Brothers ( Carter Stanley, August 27, 1925 - December 1, 1966, Arthel Lane "Doc" Watson (born March 3, 1923) is an American Guitar player Songwriter and Singer of Thomas Richard Paxton (born October 31, 1937) is a well-known American folk singer and Singer-songwriter who has been writing Judith Marjorie Collins (born May 1, 1939 in Seattle, Washington) is an American folk and standards Singer Richard George Fariña ( March 8, 1937 &ndash April 30, 1966) was an American Writer and Folksinger. Mimi Baez Fariña (born Margarita Mimi Baez, April 30, 1945 &ndash July 18, 2001) was a singer Thirty-nine^[12] hourlong programs were recorded at new UHF station WNJU's Newark studios in 1965 and 1966, produced by Seeger and his wife Toshi with Sholom Rubinstein. WNJU, channel 47 is the flagship station of the Spanish-language Telemundo Television network, licensed to Linden New Jersey and serving the Newark is the largest city in New Jersey, United States and the County seat of Essex County.

Seeger at 86 on the cover of Sing Out! (Summer 2005), a magazine that he helped found in 1950 and to which he still occasionally contributes. Sing Out! is a quarterly journal of Folk music and Folk songs that has been published since May 1950

An early advocate of Bob Dylan, Seeger was supposedly incensed over the distorted electric sound Dylan brought into the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, especially with the inability to clearly hear the lyrics. Bob Dylan (born Robert Zimmerman, May 24 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota) is an American singer-songwriter author poet and painter who has been a major The Newport Folk Festival is an American annual folk -oriented Music festival in Newport Rhode Island, which began in 1959 There are many conflicting versions of exactly what ensued,^[13] some claiming that he actually tried to disconnect the equipment. He is often cited as one of the main opponents to Dylan at Newport 1965, but asked in 2001 about how he recalled his "objections" to the "electric" style, he said:

I couldn't understand the words. I wanted to hear the words. It was a great song, "Maggie's Farm," and the sound was distorted. I ran over to the guy at the controls and shouted, "Fix the sound so you can hear the words. " He hollered back, "This is the way they want it. " I said "Damn it, if I had an axe, I'd cut the cable right now. " But I was at fault. I was the MC, and I could have said to the part of the crowd that booed Bob, "you didn't boo Howlin' Wolf yesterday. He was electric!" Though I still prefer to hear Dylan acoustic, some of his electric songs are absolutely great. Electric music is the vernacular of the second half of the twentieth century, to use my father's old term. ^[14]

Later work

In 1998 a double-CD tribute album was released - "Where Have All the Flowers Gone: the Songs of Pete Seeger". It contained contributions from Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Tom Paxton, Ani DiFranco, Billy Bragg, Eliza Carthy, Bruce Springsteen, Roger McGuinn, Judy Collins, Indigo Girls, Dick Gaughan, Martin Simpson, Odetta and others. Bonnie Lynn Raitt (born November 8, 1949) is an American Blues Singer-songwriter who was born in Burbank, California Clyde Jackson Browne (born October 9, 1948) is a German -born American rock Singer-songwriter and Musician. Thomas Richard Paxton (born October 31, 1937) is a well-known American folk singer and Singer-songwriter who has been writing Ani DiFranco (ˈɑːniː (born Angela Maria DiFranco on September 23 1970 is a Grammy Award winning Singer, Guitarist, and Songwriter Stephen William Bragg (born December 20, 1957 in Essex, England) better known as Billy Bragg, is an English musician who Eliza Carthy (born August 23, 1975 in Scarborough, North Yorkshire) is an English folk musician known for both singing James Roger McGuinn (known professionally as Roger McGuinn, previously as Jim McGuinn, and born James Joseph McGuinn III on July 13, Judith Marjorie Collins (born May 1, 1939 in Seattle, Washington) is an American folk and standards Singer Indigo Girls are an American Folk rock duo consisting of Amy Ray and Emily Saliers. Richard Peter Gaughan (born 17 May 1948 is a Scottish Musician, Singer, and Songwriter. Martin Simpson (born 5 May 1953 Scunthorpe, England) is an English guitarist Odetta (born December 31, 1930) is an African-American singer actress guitarist songwriter and a human rights activist often referred to as "The

As of 2008, Pete Seeger still performs occasionally in public, and for a number of years has appeared at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough Tennessee to tell stories, these days mostly children's stories such as Abiyoyo. Tennessee ( is a state located in the Southern United States. He performed at MerleFest April 27–April 30, 2006 in Wilkesboro, NC. MerleFest is an annual Americana Music festival held in Wilkesboro, North Carolina at Wilkes Community College at the end of Events 1124 - David I becomes King of Scotland. 1296 - Battle of Dunbar: The Scots are defeated Events 313 - Roman emperor Licinius unifies the entire Eastern Roman Empire under his rule Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Wilkesboro is a town in Wilkes County, North Carolina, United States.

On March 16, 2007, the 88-year old Pete Seeger performed with his siblings Mike and Peggy and other Seeger family members at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., where he had been employed as a folk song archivist 67 years earlier. Events 597 BC - Babylonians capture Jerusalem, replace Jehoiachin with Zedekiah as king Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. The Library of Congress is the De facto National library of the United States and the research arm of the United States Congress Washington DC ( formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, the District, or simply D

In April 2006, Bruce Springsteen released a collection of songs associated with Seeger or in Seeger's folk tradition, We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions. We Shall Overcome The Seeger Sessions, released in 2006, is the fourteenth studio album by Bruce Springsteen. Springsteen performed a series of concerts based on those sessions, to sellout crowds. Springsteen had previously recorded one Seeger favorite, "We Shall Overcome," on the 1998 "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" tribute album.

Activism

Pre-1950

As a young man Seeger was a U. S. communist party (CPUSA) member and activist (see #Quotes From Seeger). The Communist Party of the United States of America ( CPUSA) is a Marxist-Leninist Political party in the United States. Peter "Pete" Seeger (born May 3 1919 is an American folk singer political Activist, and a key figure in the mid-20th century American His anti-war record Songs for John Doe was released in 1941. Songs For John Doe is the 1941 debut album and first released product of influential folk musicians the Almanac Singers. After Germany’s breaking of the pact and its attack on the Soviet Union, copies were removed from sale and the remaining inventory was reportedly destroyed. Only a few copies exist to this day.

After Germany invaded the Soviet Union, Seeger became a strong proponent of military action against Germany. A military is an Organization authorized by its Nation to use force usually including use of Weapons in defending its Country (or by attacking He served in the US Army in the Pacific. The United States Army is a military organization whose primary mission is to "provide necessary forces and capabilities. The Pacific Ocean theater was one of four major naval theatres of war of the Second World War that pitted forces of the Japan against those of the United He was trained as an airplane mechanic, but reassigned to entertain the American troops with music. Later, when people asked him what he did in the war, he always answered "I strummed my banjo". After returning from service, Seeger established People's Songs, an organization designed to 'Create, promote and distribute songs of labor and the American People"^[15] Seeger tried to get Henry A. Wallace elected President in 1948. People's Songs was an organization founded by Pete Seeger on December 31, 1945, in New York City, to "create promote and distribute Henry Agard Wallace (October 7 1888 &ndash November 18 1965 was the thirty-third Vice President of the United States (1941&ndash45 the eleventh Secretary of ^[16]

1950s and early 1960s

After 1950, Seeger continued strong support of the labor movement in the U. S. , and became an anti-Stalinist socialist, rejecting the policies of Stalin and the Stalinist form of Communism practiced in the Soviet Union. Socialism refers to a broad set of economic theories of social organization advocating state or collective ownership and administration of the Means of production and distribution In his PBS biography, Seeger said he "drifted away" from the CPUSA in 1949, remained friends with some who did not leave it, but argued with them. ^[12][17] Seeger said of his renouncement of Stalinist communism: "I realized I could sing the same songs I sang whether I belonged to the Communist Party or not, and I never liked the idea anyway of belonging to a secret organization. "^[18] Seeger has made his rejection of Stalin publicly explicit several times. Among these are his 1993 book Where Have All the Flowers Gone?, and a 1995 interview with The New York Times Magazine. In 2007, he wrote a song condemning Stalin, "Big Joe Blues", and also a letter to historian Ron Radosh, an anticommunist critic of Seeger, apologizing for being blind to Stalin's failings. Ronald Radosh (b 1937, New York City) is an American historian specializing in the Cold War. "I think you’re right," wrote Seeger, "I should have asked to see the gulags when I was in U. S. S. R. "^[19] On August 18, 1955, Seeger was subpoenaed to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) where he refused to name personal and political associations stating it would violate his First Amendment rights. Events 293 BC - The oldest known Roman temple to Venus is founded starting the institution of Vinalia Rustica. Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar) The House Committee on Un-American Activities ( HUAC or HCUA 1938–1975 was an investigative committee of the United States House of Representatives. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the United States Bill of Rights that expressly prohibits the United States Congress . . "I am not going to answer any questions as to my association, my philosophical or religious beliefs or my political beliefs, or how I voted in any election, or any of these private affairs. I think these are very improper questions for any American to be asked, especially under such compulsion as this. "^[20] Seeger's refusal to testify led to a March 26, 1957 indictment for contempt of Congress; for some years, he had to keep the federal government apprised of where he was going any time he left the Southern District of New York. Events 1026 - Pope John XIX crowns Conrad II as Holy Roman Emperor. Year 1957 ( MCMLVII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link displays the 1957 Gregorian calendar) Contempt of Congress is the act of obstructing the work of the United States Congress or one of its committees. He was convicted in a jury trial in March 1961, and sentenced to a year in jail, but in May 1962 an appeals court ruled the indictment to be flawed and overturned his conviction. ^[21]

Vietnam War era

Seeger satirically attacked then-President Lyndon Johnson with his 1966 recording, on the album Dangerous Songs!?, of Len Chandler's children's song, "Beans in My Ears". Satire is often strictly defined as a literary genre or form; although in practice it is also found in the graphic and Performing arts In satire human The President of the United States is the Head of state and Head of government of the United States and is the highest political official in United States by Len Hunt Chandler Jr (born 27 May 1935) better known as Len Chandler, is a folk musician from Akron Ohio. Beyond Chandler's lyrics, Seeger said that "Mrs. Jay's little son Alby" had "beans in his ears", which, as the lyrics imply^[22], ensures that a person does not hear what is said to them. To those opposed to continuing the Vietnam War the phrase implied that "Alby Jay" was a loose pronunciation of Johnson's nickname "LBJ", and sarcastically suggested "that must explain why he doesn't respond to the protests against his war policies". The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia

Seeger attracted wider attention starting in 1967 with his song "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy", about a captain — referred to in the lyrics as "the big fool" — who drowned while leading a platoon on maneuvers in Louisiana during World War II. "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy" is a song written by Pete Seeger in 1967 during the Vietnam War. See " Captain " for other versions of this rank In the uniformed services of the United States, captain is a federal The State of Louisiana ( or, État de Louisiane, pronounced) is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including In the face of arguments with the management of CBS about whether the song's political weight was in keeping with the usually light-hearted entertainment of the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, the final lines were "Every time I read the paper/those old feelings come on/We are waist deep in the Big Muddy and the big fool says to push on. CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. The Smothers Brothers are an American music-and- Comedy team consisting of the brothers Tom ("Tommy" and Dick Smothers. " And it was not seriously contested that much of the audience would grasp Seeger's allegorical casting of Johnson as the "big fool" and the Vietnam War the foreseeable danger. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia Although the performance was cut from the September 1967 show,^[23] after wide publicity^[24], it was broadcast when Seeger appeared again on the Smothers' Brothers show in the following January. ^[25]

Inspired by Woody Guthrie, whose guitar was labeled "This machine kills fascists,"^photo Seeger's banjo was emblazoned with the motto "This Machine Surrounds Hate and Forces It to Surrender. Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie (July 14 1912–October 3 1967 was an American Singer-songwriter and Folk musician Guthrie's musical legacy "^photo

Environment

Seeger is involved in the environmental organization Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, which he co-founded in 1966. The environmental organization In 1969 the Clearwater made her Maiden voyage down the Atlantic Coast from the Harvey Gamage Shipyard ME to the South Street This organization has worked since then to highlight pollution in the Hudson River and worked to clean it. Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into an environment that causes instability disorder harm or discomfort to the physical systems or living organisms they are in The Hudson River, called Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk, the Great Mohegan by the Iroquois, or as the Lenape Native Americans called it in Unami As part of that effort, the sloop Clearwater was launched in 1969 with its inaugural sail down from Maine to South Street Seaport Museum in New York City, and thence to the Hudson River. For the military definition of sloop see Sloop-of-war. For the open learning project see SLOOP Project. The environmental organization In 1969 the Clearwater made her Maiden voyage down the Atlantic Coast from the Harvey Gamage Shipyard ME to the South Street An inauguration is a ceremony of formal Investiture whereby an individual assumes an office or position of authority or power The State of Maine ( is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean The South Street Seaport is a historic area in the New York City borough of Manhattan, located where Fulton Street meets the East River The City of New York The Hudson River, called Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk, the Great Mohegan by the Iroquois, or as the Lenape Native Americans called it in Unami ^[26] The sloop regularly sails the river with volunteer and professional crew members, primarily conducting environmental education programs for school groups. The Great Hudson River Revival (aka Clearwater Festival) is an annual two-day music festival held on the banks of the Hudson at Croton Point Park. The Clearwater Festival (officially The Great Hudson River Revival) is a music and environmental summer festival and America’s oldest and largest annual festival of its This festival grew out of early fundraising concerts arranged by Seeger and friends to raise money to pay for Clearwater's construction.

Seeger's album Clearwater Classics. The title alludes to his work with the Clearwater group, working to clean the Hudson River. The environmental organization In 1969 the Clearwater made her Maiden voyage down the Atlantic Coast from the Harvey Gamage Shipyard ME to the South Street The Hudson River, called Muh-he-kun-ne-tuk, the Great Mohegan by the Iroquois, or as the Lenape Native Americans called it in Unami

Seeger wrote and performed "That Lonesome Valley" about the then-polluted Hudson River in 1969, and his band members also wrote and performed songs commemorating the Clearwater.

Awards

Seeger has been the recipient of many awards and recognitions throughout his career, including :

• The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (1993)
• The National Medal of Arts from the National Endowment for the Arts (1994)
• Kennedy Center Lifetime Achievement Honor (1994)
• The Harvard Arts Medal (1996)
• Induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1996)
• Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album of 1996 for his record "Pete" (1997)
• The Felix Varela Medal, Cuba's highest honor for "his humanistic and artistic work in defense of the environment and against racism" (1999)
• The Schneider Family Book Award for his children's picture book "The Deaf Musicians. The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award is awarded by the Recording Academy to "performers who during their lifetimes have made creative contributions of outstanding The National Medal of Arts is an award and title created by the Congress of the United States in 1984 for the purpose of honoring artists and patrons of the arts The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA is a United States federally funded and donation assisted program that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence The John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (on the building itself called the John F The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum is a Museum located on the shores of Lake Erie in downtown Cleveland Ohio, United States The Grammy Awards (originally called the Gramophone Awards)—or Grammys —are presented annually by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la " (2007)
• The Eugene V. Debs Award (1979)

There is also currently a petition being circulated to persuade the Norwegian Nobel Committee to nominate Seeger for a Nobel Peace Prize. The Norwegian Nobel Committee ( Den norske Nobelkomité) awards the Nobel Peace Prize each year The Nobel Peace Prize ( Swedish, Danish and Nobels fredspris is one of five Nobel Prizes Bequeathed by the Swedish industrialist and inventor

Quotes

From Seeger

• "I like to say I'm more conservative than Goldwater. Conservatism is a term used to describe political philosophies that favour Tradition, where tradition refers to various religious cultural or nationally defined He just wanted to turn the clock back to when there was no income tax. I want to turn the clock back to when people lived in small villages and took care of each other. "
• "My father, Charles Seeger, got me into the Communist movement. He backed out around '38. I drifted out in the '50s. I apologize [in his recent book] for following the party line so slavishly, for not seeing that Stalin was a supremely cruel misleader. "
• "I still call myself a communist, because communism is no more what Russia made of it than Christianity is what the churches make of it. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings But if by some freak of history communism had caught up with this country, I would have been one of the first people thrown in jail. "
• "Plagiarism is the basis of all culture. " Seeger quoting his father.
• "Any darn fool can make something complex; it takes a genius to make something simple. "
• "Some may find them [songs] merely diverting melodies. Others may find them incitements to Red revolution. And who will say if either or both is wrong? Not I. "
• "Technology will save us if it doesn't wipe us out first. "
• "There is hope for the world. " - in Pete Seeger: The Power of Song.

From others

Jim Musselman (founder of Appleseed Recordings), longtime friend and record producer for Pete Seeger:

"He was one of the few people who invoked the First Amendment in front of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC). Appleseed Recordings is an independent American Folk music Record label, founded in 1996. The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the United States Bill of Rights that expressly prohibits the United States Congress McCarthyism is a term describing the intense anti-communist suspicion in the United States in a period that lasted roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s Everyone else had said the Fifth Amendment, the right against self-incrimination, and then they were dismissed. The Fifth Amendment ( Amendment V) of the United States Constitution, which is part of the Bill of Rights, is related to legal procedure A legal motion is a procedural device in Law to bring a limited contested matter before a Court for decision What Pete did, and what some other very powerful people who had the guts and the intestinal fortitude to stand up to the committee and say, "I'm gonna invoke the First Amendment, the right of freedom of association. . . . " "

". . . I was actually in law school when I read the case of Seeger v. United States, and it really changed my life, because I saw the courage of what he had done and what some other people had done by invoking the First Amendment, saying, "We're all Americans. "Hollywood Ten" redirects here For the 1950 short documentary film see The Hollywood Ten. We can associate with whoever we want to, and it doesn't matter who we associate with. " That's what the founding fathers set up democracy to be. So I just really feel it's an important part of history that people need to remember. "^[27]

See also

• Tao Rodríguez-Seeger - grandson
• Tom Winslow - former band member

Notes

References

• Forbes, Linda C. "Pete Seeger on Environmental Advocacy, Organizing, and Education in the Hudson River Valley: An Interview with the Folk Music Legend, Author and Storyteller, Political and Environmental Activist, and Grassroots Organizer. " Organization & Environment, 17, No. 4, 2004: 513-522.
• Seeger, Pete. How to Play the Five-String Banjo, 3rd edition. New York: Music Sales Corporation, 1969. ISBN 0-8256-0024-3.
• Dunaway, David K. , How Can I Keep from Singing: Pete Seeger, McGraw Hill (1981), DaCapo (1990), Villard (2008) ISBN 0-07-018150-0, ISBN 0-07-018151-9, ISBN 0-306-80399-2, ISBN 0-345-50608-1.
• Wilkinson, Alec, "The Protest Singer: Pete Seeger and American folk music", The New Yorker, April 17, 2006, p. The New Yorker is an American Magazine that publishes reportage commentary criticism essays fiction satire cartoons and poetry Events 69 - After the First Battle of Bedriacum, Vitellius becomes Roman Emperor. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. 44–53.
• Zollo, Paul. "Pete Seeger Reflects On His Legendary Songs", GRAMMY Magazine, 7 January 2005. Events 1325 - Alfonso IV becomes King of Portugal. 1558 - France takes Calais, the last continental Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar.  
• Gardner, Elysa. "Seeger: A 'Power' in music, politics. " USA Today, February 27, 2008. USA TODAY is a national American daily Newspaper published by the Gannett Company. p. 8D.

External links

• PBS's American Masters site for "Pete Seeger: The Power of Song"
• Pete Seeger Appreciation Page, a site originally created by Jim Capaldi
• "Pete Seeger: The Power of Song" documentary filmmaker Jim Brown interview on The Alcove with Mark Molaro, 2007
• "To Hear Your Banjo Play" a movie at archive.org narrated by Pete Seeger
• "We Shall Overcome: An Hour With Legendary Folk Singer & Activist Pete Seeger" (Democracy Now!)
• Folk Banjo inspired by Pete Seeger
• On Point Radio : "The World According to Pete Seeger"
• "Pete Seeger Is 86", Studs Terkel, The Nation, May 16, 2005
• Folk Legend Pete Seeger Looks Back - National Public Radio interview
• Peter Seeger interviewed by Australian composer Andrew Ford (MP3 of interview first broadcast in 1999)
• Essay on Seeger's Americanism by Seeger's friend, the author Edward J. Renehan Jr.
• Pete Seeger, Folk Singer and Song Writer by Thomas Blair. Events 1204 - Baldwin IX Count of Flanders is crowned as the first Emperor of the Latin Empire. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Andrew Ford (born 1957 in Liverpool) is an English and Australian Composer, writer and radio presenter MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a Digital audio encoding format using a form of Lossy data compression Part of a series of Notable Americans
• 1 Hour Internet Radio Interview with Pete Seeger August, 2007. Pete talks about his experiences dealing with the music industry over his long career, trying to get by as a young artist, music in the public domain and the world in general.
• "Pete Seeger, una leyenda" by Gani Jakupi (comic book in Spanish)