Tributes to folk hero and activist Pete Seeger
The veteran US performer re-popularised traditional music for a new audience and was known for songs such as If I Had A Hammer, Turn, Turn, Turn and Where Have All The Flowers Gone, as well as fighting tirelessly for a number of causes.
Tom Morello, of political rock act Rage Against The Machine, said he was “absolutely the best that humans can aspire to be — a courageous, kind, fearless soul”.
Bearded, banjo-plucking Seeger, also noted for his performances of the protest anthem We Shall Overcome, stood proudly as a left-winger — and was once a card-carrying Communist — at a time when it was dangerous to express such sympathies in his country.
His views led to him being blacklisted and kept off television for many years in the 1950s and he was questioned over his political activities by the UN-American Activities Committee, but he denied his views made him disloyal to his country.
“I love my country very dearly, and I greatly resent this 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, or I might be a vegetarian, make me any less of an American.”
After dropping out of Harvard, he toured with Woody Guthrie in the 1940s and formed his group The Weavers in 1948. His work influenced many rock stars with a political conscience.
Folk star Cara Dillon described his death as “the passing of a giant”, while Kathryn Williams said she was “so sorry” to hear of his death.
Pete Seeger's great heart was matched only by his commitment to social justice. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.
— Bill Clinton (@BillClinton) January 28, 2014
Musician Neil Innes said: “We must never forget that he stood for all things Woody Guthrie.”
Singer Eddi Reader posted one of his celebrated quotes on Twitter which read: “It’s a very important thing to learn to talk to people you disagree with.”
Seeger was a mentor to folk and topical singers in the 50s and 60s, among them Bob Dylan and Don McLean.
Springsteen drew on Seeger’s work in his 2006 album, We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions, from Seeger’s repertoire of traditional music about turbulent American life.
At a Madison Square Garden concert celebrating Seeger’s 90th birthday, Springsteen introduced him as “a living archive of America’s music and conscience, a testament of the power of song and culture to nudge history along”.
“At some point, Pete Seeger decided he’d be a walking, singing reminder of all of America’s history,” The Boss said at that event.
“He’d be a living archive of America’s music and conscience, a testament to the power of song and culture to nudge history along, to push American events towards a more humane and justified ends,” said Springsteen.
