Pete Seeger RIP

[Tevot]

This today from The Guardian:-

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2014/jan/28/pete-seeger-dies-aged-94

There's a great spirit gone ...

[Richard Tarleton]

I only knew his popular hits in the early 60s and only gradually became aware of his role in, well, the story of 20th century America. His Wiki entry is worth a careful read to understand what an important figure he was. It sounds as if the story of his attacking Bob Dylan's electric cables with an axe at the Newport Folk Festival (which I last heard repeated in a talk by Dylan scholar Michael Gray) may have been a slight exaggeration - this quote from Seeger comes from 2001:

I couldn't understand the words. I wanted to hear the words. It was a great song, "Maggie's Farm," and the sound was distorted. I ran over to the guy at the controls and shouted, "Fix the sound so you can hear the words." He hollered back, "This is the way they want it." I said "Damn it, if I had an axe, I'd cut the cable right now." But I was at fault. I was the MC, and I could have said to the part of the crowd that booed Bob, "you didn't boo Howlin' Wolf yesterday. He was electric!" Though I still prefer to hear Dylan acoustic, some of his electric songs are absolutely great. Electric music is the vernacular of the second half of the twentieth century, to use my father's old term.

A great and tireless human being

[marthe]

Very sad to hear that Pete Seeger is no longer with us. I've admired his music and ideas for many years. My sister and I first saw him perform at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival along with many other greats of the time. We were there when Dylan went electric, though I never knew the story about Seeger and "cutting the cable." Later in life, Seeger became a strong advocate for cleaning up the environment. Pete's daughter Mika Seeger, a potter, lives nearby in Tiverton, RI. where she has a studio and kiln. Her husband is a bagpiper! Pete Seeger will be missed not only by his family but by all of us who loved his music and were influenced by his ideas.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

I never realised he was as old as that. I had imagined him to be a contemporary of The Seekers, but now I see he'd been active long before them.

Turn,Turn,Turn was always a favourite.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

There's a great spirit gone ...

I agree.

[johncorrigan]

I agree.

Pete Seeger singing 'Little Boxes' is one of those songs that takes me back to childhood - simple songs that seemed to make sense to me and still does. I'm very sad to hear of Pete's passing - he always struck me as one of those guys with such an enthusiasm for life and for the songs that he sang and for the banjo that he played.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHbTWJ9tjnw

[cloughie]

Pete Seeger singing 'Little Boxes' is one of those songs that takes me back to childhood - simple songs that seemed to make sense to me and still does. I'm very sad to hear of Pete's passing - he always struck me as one of those guys with such an enthusiasm for life and for the songs that he sang and for the banjo that he played.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VucczIg98Gw

John
'Little Boxes' was the Pete Seeger 'hit' I remember - just shows what the BBC don't know or didn't bother to research in not including it on the news tribute to him. 'Little Boxes', written by Malvina Reynolds writer of the effective protest song 'What have they done to the rain', struck a chord with me then and still does. RIP Pete.

[Richard Tarleton]

My sister and I first saw him perform at the 1965 Newport Folk Festival along with many other greats of the time.

Marthe I'm seriously impressed

Egregious error on Channel 4 News earlier, Matt Frei attributing the "going electric" episode to the IoW Festival

[amateur51]

I agree with those here who are sad that Pete Seeger has died, but examples his work have received more airplay today than in many a long while.

Turn, turn, turn ... and thanks for a long life well-lived, Pete Seeger.

[mangerton]

Pete Seeger singing 'Little Boxes' is one of those songs that takes me back to childhood - simple songs that seemed to make sense to me and still does. I'm very sad to hear of Pete's passing - he always struck me as one of those guys with such an enthusiasm for life and for the songs that he sang and for the banjo that he played.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHbTWJ9tjnw

Yes, 'Little Boxes' was the first thing I heard/saw him play. It was a tv prog, and I was c 12.

[marthe]

Folk Festival's tribute http://www.newportfolk.org/

[richardfinegold]

I agree with those here who are sad that Pete Seeger has died, but examples his work have received more airplay today than in many a long while.

Turn, turn, turn ... and thanks for a long life well-lived, Pete Seeger.

I heard "Down By The Riverside" on the radio today and haven't been able to get it out of my head.

[gamba]

I did once have the pleasure of meeting sister Peggy ( see another post, ' A Most Remarkable & Unexpected Pleasure '

[Padraig]

Folk Festival's tribute http://www.newportfolk.org/

Very touching marthe. That song still carries a punch, but sure we (they) never will.

One of the good guys.