Pete Seeger Tribute

Pete Seeger was my hero. He was a genuine person, a humanitarian, an environmentalist, a talented singer-songwriter, and stood for political causes that defied corporate greed and the established order. He often sang as his means of protest. When questioned at the House UnAmerican Activities and asked to "name names of Communists" he sang his refusal to do so.
"In a career spanning more than 70 years, Seeger frequently courted controversy.
"He lived at a time when so many things hadn't been done yet, the idea of making music about something hadn't really been done," Jackson said. "And now people do it all the time."
Seeger's opinions didn't always sit well with authorities.
"From the start, he aspired to use folk music to promote his left-wing political views, and in times of national turmoil that brought him into direct confrontation with the U.S. government, corporate interests, and people who did not share his beliefs," William Ruhlmann wrote in a biography on allmusic.com. "These conflicts shaped his career."

He died in his sleep of natural causes Monday, January 27th 2014. I went to a few concerts of his in the past. Once when he was here in Seattle to sing at our yearly Northwest Folklife Festival I managed to shove wiggle my way up to get his autograph on a scrap of paper and say hello. I remember my son thought I was acting crazy giddy running up to do so. I explained to him how Pete Seeger was to my generations what some rock stars were to him. :)

" He accomplished the nearly unimaginable. He showed that one man, armed only with a banjo, a tenor singing voice and the courage of his convictions, not only could leave an indelible stamp upon popular music, but also challenge injustice and fight for a better world."

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