Pete Seeger
Pete Seeger
Peter "Pete" Seegerwas an American folk singer and social activist. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead Belly's "Goodnight, Irene", which topped the charts for 13 weeks in 1950. Members of the Weavers were blacklisted during the McCarthy Era. In the 1960s, he re-emerged on the public scene as a prominent singer of protest music...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionFolk Singer
Date of Birth3 May 1919
CityNew York City, NY
CountryUnited States of America
I love my country very dearly, and I greatly resent the implication that some of the places that I have sung and some of the people that I have known, and some of my opinions, whether they are religious or philosophical, make me less of an American.
Some of my ancestors were religious dissenters who came to America over three hundred years ago. Others were abolitionists in New England in the eighteen forties and fifties.
I am saying voluntarily that I have sung for almost every religious group in the country, from Jewish and Catholic, and Presbyterian and Holy Rollers and Revival Churches.
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.
Songs wont save the planet, but neither will books or speeches. Songs are sneaky things; they can slip across borders.
Malvina was one of the great people of the 20th century,
My mother was a very good violinist; my father was a musicologist and spent most of his life in academia.
When you're facing an opponent over a broad front, you don't aim for the opponent's strong points, important though they may be. Pick a little outpost that you can capture and win. And then you find another place that you can capture and win it, and then you move slowly toward the big places.
It was not going to be a graceful symbol of the past. It was going to try to restore the river.
Education is when you read the fine print; experience is what you get when you don't
Throughout history, the leaders of countries have been very particular of what songs should be sung. We know the power of songs.
When you play the 12-string guitar, you spend half your life tuning the instrument and the other half playing it out of tune.
Education is when you read the fine print. Experience is what you get if you don't.
John Hammond persuaded Columbia to put it out as a single, and it was the only one I ever had that sold more than 20,000.