sandik Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 So says the NYT "The key to the future of the world,” he said in 1994, “is finding the optimistic stories and letting them be known.” Link to comment
Helene Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 Oh, no: he was supposed to live to be 1,000. Rest in peace, Mr. Seeger. Link to comment
sandik Posted January 29, 2014 Author Share Posted January 29, 2014 Seeger and his wife produced a UHF television folk music series in the 1950s called Rainbow Quest, and a number of them have made their way onto YouTube (no surprise there) -- here's one of the episodes, with the Clancy Brothers as guest Link to comment
dirac Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Thank you for posting the news, sandik. Assuredly we will never see his like again. Little birdie, little birdie,Come sing to me your song.Got a short time to stay hereAnd a long time to be gone.Little birdie, little birdie,What makes you fly so high?Dissatisfied, dissatisfiedAnd a-caring never a bit to die.Little birdie, little birdie,What makes your wings so blue?It's nothing else but grieving,But grieving over you.Fly down, fly down, little birdie,And sing to me your song.Sing it now, while I'm with you,Can't hear you when I'm gone. Link to comment
kfw Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Fifteen of the umpteen musicians Seeger influenced talk about him in this NY Times article: ‘Loud, Strong, Committed and Always in Search of America’. I've been listening to a wonderful concert Pete did with Big Bill Broonzy in 1956. It's easy to find online. Link to comment
sandik Posted January 30, 2014 Author Share Posted January 30, 2014 And I've been listening to lots of Rainbow Quest, which is such a sweet collection of folk musicians. Thanks for the link to the NYT tributes -- it's full of lovely stuff, but I giggled at this, from Arlo Guthrie: "I also bought my first car from Pete. It was actually his son’s car, a 1957 MGA – the kind Elvis Presley drove in the movies. When I told my mother I was buying it, she said, ‘Arlo, folk singers don’t drive sports cars!’ And I said, ‘Mom, Pete Seeger is selling me this car,’ and there was nothing more she could say." Link to comment
dirac Posted January 31, 2014 Share Posted January 31, 2014 "Umpteen"? At least. Thank you for that link, kfw. I note with pleasure that Bruce Springsteen's appreciation, the first in the list, mentions the name of John Hammond, one of the great behind-the-scenes heroes of American music. “When Pete was on the blacklist in the early ‘60s, his old friend, the legendary music man John Hammond, came to the rescue and signed him to a Columbia Records contract. In the early ‘70s, the same John Hammond signed an unknown kid from New Jersey to a Columbia record contract. When John died in 1987, both Pete and I were asked to play at his funeral and that was the first time I laid eyes on Pete. Link to comment
sandik Posted January 31, 2014 Author Share Posted January 31, 2014 "Umpteen"? At least. Thank you for that link, kfw. I note with pleasure that Bruce Springsteen's appreciation, the first in the list, mentions the name of John Hammond, one of the great behind-the-scenes heroes of American music. “When Pete was on the blacklist in the early ‘60s, his old friend, the legendary music man John Hammond, came to the rescue and signed him to a Columbia Records contract. In the early ‘70s, the same John Hammond signed an unknown kid from New Jersey to a Columbia record contract. When John died in 1987, both Pete and I were asked to play at his funeral and that was the first time I laid eyes on Pete. I think there was an American Masters program (or some other PBS profile) on Hammond several years ago -- I only saw part of it and was still gobsmacked at how much he accomplished. Link to comment
Kathleen O'Connell Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 In memoriam, PBS / American Masters is rebroadcasting "The Power of Song," a film about Pete Seeger. Check your local listings for broadcast times. You can also stream the film in its entirety here on the American Masters website. I don't know how long they plan to leave it up, so if you're really interested in watching it, don't put it off for too long. While you're there, you can see what other full episodes are available for streaming here. One of them is "Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance." Link to comment
sandik Posted February 1, 2014 Author Share Posted February 1, 2014 and if you rummage around on YouTube, you can watch the documentary on the Weavers, "Wasn't That A Time." Link to comment
kfw Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 and if you rummage around on YouTube, you can watch the documentary on the Weavers, "Wasn't That A Time." Ah, thanks for the reminder! I saw that when it was released and loved it. Link to comment
KarenAG Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 Thank you for this thread. I, too, am in mourning over the great Pete, a man of enormous convictions who eloquently and correctly told the House Un-American Activities Committee exactly what to do with their interrogations and black-listings, a man who saved a great river and a humanitarian who knew the power of song to make positive change. I've been listening to so many songs lately, songs I listened to in my youth as a 'folkie' and they resonate now more than ever. Where have all the flowers gone, indeed. Rest in Peace, Mr. Pete Seeger. We will miss you forever. Link to comment
diane Posted February 4, 2014 Share Posted February 4, 2014 As a young child in the 60s I grew up listening (and dancing) to Pete Seeger (and others in the same "vein") on LPs and '45s. I am glad he was around as long as he was and that he kept on singing and saying what needs to be sung and said. We need more like him. -d- Link to comment
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