Pete Seeger—folk icon, hippie messiah, political and environmental activist, all around national treasure—died late last night at the age of 94. In honor of his innumerable contributions to American culture, here he is in 1946, narrating lan Lomax’s documentary on the evolution of folk music.
Seeger started as a fixture on American radios throughout the 1940’s, playing his brand of ole-timey folk music with The Weavers and enjoying a string of hit tunes. However, his self-described folk ideals, “communication, entertainment, social comment, historical continuity, inclusiveness,” got him, and the rest of the Weavers, blacklisted during the McCarthy Era. Seeger reemerged in the 1960’s, penning a number of iconic folk and protest songs, like “Turn, Turn, Turn!” and “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?”. He, and his music, have since remained mainstays of the counterculture movement, Seeger himself continued to make public appearances as recently as last year’s Farm Aid concert. [Open Culture – Tree Hugger – Wiki]
