Pete Seeger, a singer, songwriter and political activist of the highest order, passed away late Monday night of natural causes. He was 94.
Carl Sandberg called him ‘America’s tuning fork’. Bob Dylan called him a saint. Bruce Springsteen called him ‘the father of American folk music’ who was ‘a stealth dagger through the heart of our country’s illusions about itself.’
Seeger attended Harvard, but dropped out and ended up jumping trains with Woody Guthrie. Seeger ended up co-founding The Almanac Singers, a group of singer-songwriters who advocated against war, racism and championed pro-union causes. But after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, Seeger joined the Army and ended up entertaining the troops.
Once the war ended, Seeger co-founded The Weavers, which featured several Almanac Singers alumni. The Weavers ushered in the folk music boom with a string of hits including ‘Goodnight Irene’, which stayed at No.1 for a still astonishing 13 weeks. Congressional hearings held by Senator Joe McCarthy all but killed The Weavers career, yet Seeger never wavered politically. He was held in contempt of Congress for refusing to rat out friends and associates as well as state his political ties past or present on First Amendment grounds. Seeger also refused to invoke the Fifth Amendment and spent several years fighting the conviction, which was eventually overturned in 1962.
In the 1960’s, the Greenwich Village folk scene exploded into the national consciousness with Seeger as its elder statesmen.
In the 1960’s, the Greenwich Village folk scene exploded into the national consciousness with Seeger as its elder statesmen. He openly championed and mentored such artists as Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Sweet Honey In The Rock, Richie Havens, and Judy Collins, among many others. When Dylan went electric at The Newport Folk Festival, legend has it that it was Seeger who tried to the cut the power lines with an ax. Seeger was also at the center of the American Civil Rights movement. He changed the lyric of the spiritual ‘We Will Overcome’ to the more singing friendly ‘We Shall Overcome’. The song became the signature song of the movement and Seeger would join Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr and others at marches and rallies. Seeger was also a fierce advocate against the Vietnam War and was a featured performer at numerous anti-war rallies. The long standing TV blacklisting of Pete Seeger also ended when he hosted ‘Rainbow Quest’, a weekly one hour show that featured among others, Johnny and June Carter Cash, Donovan, Reverend Gary Davis, Mississippi John Hurt, Doc Watson, Judy Collins, and Buffy Sainte-Marie. Only 39 episodes aired, Rainbow Quest has been cited as one of the most diverse music programs ever produced. Cash would later employ that brand of musical diversity for his ABC-TV series.
In 2011, at the age of 92, Seeger led a solidarity march with Occupy Wall Street from 95th Street and Broadway to Columbus Circle.
The latter portion of Seeger’s life was just as active as his early years. He continued to record, perform, teach and advocate for environmental and human rights causes. The turn of the century also saw a new generation of fans discovering his work. Bruce Springsteen recorded and toured behind an album that either Seeger wrote or helped popularize. To celebrate Seeger’s 90th Birthday, an all-star concert was held at Madison Square Garden featuring Springsteen, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews, Billy Bragg, Tom Morello, Arlo Guthrie, Joan Baez, Roger McGuinn, Richie Havens, Ani DiFranco, and Ramblin’ Jack Elliott among others. Over 50 years after being cited for contempt of Congress, Pete Seeger – joined by his grandson Tao and Springsteen sang the unedited version of ‘This Land Is Your Land’ at the close of Obama’s inaugural concert. In 2011, at the age of 92, Seeger led a solidarity march with Occupy Wall Street from 95th Street and Broadway to Columbus Circle. The following year, Seeger published his autobiography, Pete Seeger: His Life In His Own Words. This past fall, he appeared at Farm Aid, singing ‘This Land Is Your Land’ with Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp and Dave Matthews with a new verse specifically for the event.
An outstanding musician, songwriter, teacher and advocate, the life of Pete Seeger is best summarized by the words that were written on his banjo: ‘This Machine Surrounds Hate And Forces It To Surrender’.
Earl Douglas is a writer/photographer based in New York City. A frequent contributor to The Interrobang, Earl is also Executive Director for the New York chapter of The Black Rock Coalition. Earl worked in radio for nearly two decades at WNEW-FM and XM Satellite Radio, which included being the on-air producer for Carol Miller, Scott Muni and Ron & Fez, and a contributor to Opie & Anthony. Earl has also independently published a number of books including Black Rock Volume 1, Urban Abyss, Mobile Uploads, and For Shimmy. His latest project is the photojournalism magazine PRAXIS, which is available exclusively through Blurb.com.
Earl Douglas is a writer/photographer based in New York City. A frequent contributor to The Interrobang, Earl is also Executive Director for the New York chapter of The Black Rock Coalition. Earl worked in radio for nearly two decades at WNEW-FM and XM Satellite Radio, which included being the on-air producer for Carol Miller, Scott Muni and Ron & Fez, and a contributor to Opie & Anthony. Earl has also independently published a number of books including Black Rock Volume 1, Urban Abyss, Mobile Uploads, and For Shimmy. His latest project is the photojournalism magazine PRAXIS, which is available exclusively through Blurb.com.
Pete Seeger, a singer, songwriter and political activist of the highest order, passed away late Monday night of natural causes. He was 94.
