Folksinger, and advocate for social justice, Pete Seeger, died yesterday at the age of 94. The singer was a champion for labor unions and civil rights and active in anti-war and environmental campaigns.
Seeger was a prolific songwriter and a major influence on folk singers and singer/songwriters who came after in the 50s, 60s and beyond. Via Rollingstone:
As a solo performer, songwriter, interpreter, and member of the legendary folk band the Weavers, Seeger brought traditional and political songs to the mainstream over the course of his 70-year career. He wrote or co-wrote “If I Had a Hammer” (a hit for Peter, Paul and Mary) and “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?” (made famous by the Kingston Trio). The Byrds had a Number One hit with “Turn! Turn! Turn!,” which Seeger had adapted from the Book of Ecclesiastes and set to music. In Seeger hands, songs from Cuba (“Guantanamera”) and South Africa (“Wimoweh”) became beloved sing-along standards around the world, and “We Shall Overcome,” a traditional gospel song that Seeger heard early in his career, was a regular part of his repertoire and a staple of civil rights rallies for decades to come.
Although Seeger never scored a Top 40 hit on his own, the charts were never an indication of his overwhelming impact. His massive influence on music and message was never more obvious than at his 90th birthday concert at Madison Square Garden in 2009. Among those paying tribute to Seeger were Springsteen, Joan Baez, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews, Emmylou Harris, Tom Morello, Ben Harper and Billy Bragg. “The history of Pete’s life is the history of music changing the world,” Tom Morello told RS in 2007.
Where Have All The Flowers Gone
What is Folk Music, Skip to my Lou, Live Folk Banjo Playing Singin
If I Had A Hammer (The Hammer Song) (Live at Farm Aid 2013)
