By Parker Gambino, SHCA Member
American patriot Pete Seeger (1919-2014) checks all of the boxes; it’s hard to figure what his greatest legacy is, but easy to recognize him as a model multi-faceted hero. The scion of a family with progressive social activist leanings and roots in the classical and folkloric music fields, he discovered early on the power of shared vibrations to foster joyous and uplifting shared visions. It remained a theme for his entire life.
By the late 1930’s Pete and his banjo were fixtures wherever there were progressive social causes like unionism and civil rights to rally around. Pete was a founding member of two highly influential folk groups, the Almanac Singers and the Weavers. The latter group topped the pop charts for several months in 1950 with Lead Belly’s “Goodnight, Irene”. He made modifications to his favored instrument, adding frets to create the “Seeger” or “long-neck” banjo, which has become a standard for folk music instrumentation.
During the USA’s hard rightward turn of the 1950’s McCarthy era Pete paid heavily for swimming against the current. Called to testify before the House of Representatives, he objected to the “very improper questions for any American to be asked”, refusing to respond or to name names. For this he was convicted of contempt of congress and sentenced to jail, a decision that was overturned by an appeals court before he served any time. He was blacklisted, a move that would usually put a major dent in a performer’s career. Pete did not change course; he remained undeterred from providing his presence and soundtrack for numerous progressive causes, and shrewdly pivoted to outlets unaffected by the restrictions: teaching, touring the college concert circuit, and bolstering his output of recordings and written works.
In addition to collecting and selflessly promoting the works of others, Pete is a prolific composer, often in collaboration. His works include “Where Have All The Flowers Gone”, “If I Had A Hammer”, and “Turn Turn Turn”, adapted from verses of the biblical book of Ecclesiastes; these were major pop hits in the hands of cover artists. He was in the vanguard of what might be called world music’s folkloric branch. The Zulu-originated “Wimoweh” was introduced to American pop culture by the Weavers in 1951, where it morphed into the blockbuster “The Lion Sleeps Tonight” (by the Tokens), and eventually a more massive appropriation by Disney. As an author, his children’s book “Sleep Time Stories and Songs” included the ever-popular “Abiyoyo”, a highlight for children dragged along to his concerts by their parents; it was especially memorable for those youngsters invited to the stage to participate in the performance.
Pete’s activities laid the groundwork for the American folk music revival of the 1960’s, centered in Greenwich Village, and he is widely revered and cherished as the elder statesman of the movement. He added objection to the Vietnam War to his list of causes, and as his blacklisting was winding down he performed “Waist Deep In The Big Muddy” on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour television show. The initial 1967 performance was dropped when Pete refused to accept censorship of some sensitive lines; he was vindicated when a full performance was broadcast to a national audience the following year.
Also in the 1960’s, Pete and his wife Toshi founded the nonprofit Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, making the river a poster child for environmental activism. In addition to various outreach activities, such as having school groups serve as the on-board crew for the sloop’s sailing excursions, the organization’s umbrella includes a major annual music festival that continues to this day.
Pete Seeger never shied away from rolling up his sleeves and doing what needed doing, including the risky tactic of speaking truth to power. His storied career was not without its missteps; on such occasions, when his stumble was evident he promptly owned up, apologized, and attempted to make amends. He was a man of great integrity and principle who never gave up on his vision of fairness, brotherhood, inclusion, and action. Pete was above all a sublime performer who knew how to hold an audience and bring it along with him. In 2022 Pete Seeger was honored by the US Postal Service with issuance of a commemorative first class stamp.
