The famous AmericanfolksingerPete Seeger died at the age of 94. A performer and social activist, he was at the forefront of contemporary American folk music; many called him the “conscience of America” and “folk hero”. His record company Appleseed Recordings said that Seeger died of natural causes in hospital in New York. Seeger gained fame not only for his songs, but also for his leftist political views and environmentalism, being an early anti-Vietnam War activist, and later opposed the Iraq War. He once went to prison for refusing to testify before Congress about his ties with Communists {no… he ALMOST went to gaol… a higher court overturned his sentence: editor}. Reuters reported that despite his advanced age, Seeger performed until recently. In January 2009, he gave a concert to honour US PresidentBarack Obama‘s inauguration. In May of the same year, he celebrated his 90th birthday at a concert in New York, attended by 15,000 spectators. A representative of Appleseed Recordings noted, “Like a ripple on the water’s surface, Seeger’s music went through the whole Earth, carrying a message of nonviolence, peace, and justice, as well as equality for all”.
Seeger was born in New York on 3 May 1919, the son of music teachers. His father was a specialist in ethnic music, and his mother was a cellist. Thanks to his father, he became interested in folk music. He once admitted in an interview that he and his father visited a music festival in North Carolina, and he “fell in love with the banjo“. His musical career began at the dawn of the 1940s, founding The Almanac Singers. In 1949, he was a founder of The Weavers. These groups’ influence led to the well-known music of Bob Dylan and other figures in the American folk music revival of the 1960s. The Weavers number one hit was Goodnight, Irene. By 1952, they sold over 4 million records. In 1997, Seeger won a Grammy for the album Pete; in 2009, he won it again for his recording At 89. One of his most famous songs was Where Have All the Flowers Gone?, which became an anthem of the anti-war movement. He founded the environmental group Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, focused on cleaning up the Hudson River, and he wrote several children’s books. Seeger’s wife Toshi, whom he married in 1941 and with whom he had three children, died last year.
Toshi Seeger, wife of environmental activist and folk legend Pete Seeger, died Tuesday night. Jeff Rumpf, executive director of Clearwater, said her death is “a huge loss for Clearwater and the world. Toshi’s a real mother, a mother for social justice, a mother for festivals all over the world and people singing. She’s a mother that embodies all the spirit your own mother does and spreads it out over the community. We’re really going to miss Toshi”. Rumpf said Toshi played a pivotal role in the success of the annual Clearwater Festival, which was held last month at Croton Point Park in Croton-on-Hudson. More than 15,000 people attended the festival and there were more than 1,000 volunteers. She was heavily involved in logistics and cooked for hundreds and hundreds of volunteers. Rumpf noted, “She pushed for the festival being a cause, not a concert. She made the festival happen. She’s the mother of the festival. The most important thing for her was making sure the music represented as much diversity as possible. She was always looking for people to open their minds”. Rumpf also said Toshi was a strong proponent of the Clearwater staff and board having a broad representation and she played a critical role in Clearwater’s Green Cities initiative, which brought the group’s message of environmental conservation into urban areas.
Voices from Russia 
Famous Singer and Social Activist Pete Seeger Died in the USA
Tags: Activism, Almanac Singers, American folk music, Appleseed Recordings, Barack Obama, Clearwater, Clearwater Festival, death, Environment, Environmental movement, environmentalism, environmentalist, FBI, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Folk music, grief, Hudson River, Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Iraq War, J. Edgar Hoover, Joseph McCarthy, McCarthyism, memorial, Music, musicians, New York, peaceful protests, performing arts, Pete Seeger, political activism, political commentary, Protest, protesters, protests, Toshi Seeger, United States, USA, Weavers
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The famous American folksinger Pete Seeger died at the age of 94. A performer and social activist, he was at the forefront of contemporary American folk music; many called him the “conscience of America” and “folk hero”. His record company Appleseed Recordings said that Seeger died of natural causes in hospital in New York. Seeger gained fame not only for his songs, but also for his leftist political views and environmentalism, being an early anti-Vietnam War activist, and later opposed the Iraq War. He once went to prison for refusing to testify before Congress about his ties with Communists {no… he ALMOST went to gaol… a higher court overturned his sentence: editor}. Reuters reported that despite his advanced age, Seeger performed until recently. In January 2009, he gave a concert to honour US President Barack Obama‘s inauguration. In May of the same year, he celebrated his 90th birthday at a concert in New York, attended by 15,000 spectators. A representative of Appleseed Recordings noted, “Like a ripple on the water’s surface, Seeger’s music went through the whole Earth, carrying a message of nonviolence, peace, and justice, as well as equality for all”.
Seeger was born in New York on 3 May 1919, the son of music teachers. His father was a specialist in ethnic music, and his mother was a cellist. Thanks to his father, he became interested in folk music. He once admitted in an interview that he and his father visited a music festival in North Carolina, and he “fell in love with the banjo“. His musical career began at the dawn of the 1940s, founding The Almanac Singers. In 1949, he was a founder of The Weavers. These groups’ influence led to the well-known music of Bob Dylan and other figures in the American folk music revival of the 1960s. The Weavers number one hit was Goodnight, Irene. By 1952, they sold over 4 million records. In 1997, Seeger won a Grammy for the album Pete; in 2009, he won it again for his recording At 89. One of his most famous songs was Where Have All the Flowers Gone?, which became an anthem of the anti-war movement. He founded the environmental group Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, focused on cleaning up the Hudson River, and he wrote several children’s books. Seeger’s wife Toshi, whom he married in 1941 and with whom he had three children, died last year.
28 January 2014
Rossiya-24
http://www.vesti.ru/doc.html?id=1226181
Editor’s Note:
I’ve concentrated on the Russian reaction to Pete’s death… as he was very popular there, along with Paul Robeson. Anything else is easily obtainable on the web. However, don’t forget that there are those who’re identical in spirit to the McCarthyites who persecuted Pete. They’re concentrated amongst Republicans (especially neocons and libertarians (how ironic!)), but Interventionist Democrats are likeminded cruds, let me tell you. Pete fought Red Channels, HUAC, Joe McCarthy, and J Edgar Hoover… we have to fight the TSA, the Department of Homeland (In)Security, PRISM, Gitmo, and the whole perverted legacy of Slobberin’ Ronnie and the Bushies. The fight goes on… and Pete’s here with us… I dreamt I saw Joe Hill last night, alive as you or me … I never died, said he...
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