Pete Seeger is one of the most famous American folk performers of the twentieth century. He became famous not only as a talented singer, but also as a songwriter, activist, naturalist and supporter of the idea of "world peace".
Biography
Peter or Pete Seeger was born on May 3, 1919 in New York. His father, Charles Seeger, was a renowned American musicologist, folklorist, and music teacher at the University of California. And Ruth Crawford Seeger, mother of Pete Seeger, was also a musician and composer. In addition, she taught violin at the Juilliard School.
University of California Santa Barbara Building Photo: Coolcaesar / Wikimedia Commons
The parents' love for music was passed on to the children. His sister Peggy Seeger and half-brother Mike Seeger also dedicated their lives to performing and reviving folk music in America.
Pete Seeger's sister Peggy Seeger Photo: University of Salford Press Office / Wikimedia Commons
As for Pete Seeger, he was an extremely gifted and well-read child. Pete attended Avon Old Farms School for boys, graduating from which in 1936 he entered Harvard University on a full scholarship. However, two years later, he failed his exams and dropped out of university. Until the late 1930s, Seeger traveled around the country, hitchhiking or on freight trains.
Career and creativity
In 1940, Pete Seeger began making music. He, along with Millard Lampell and Lee Hayes, formed his first folk group "The Almanac Singers". They have recorded several albums. But in 1942, during World War II, Pete was drafted into the army and the group broke up. After the end of the war, he returned home, founded the magazine "Sing Out!" and returned to performing folk songs.
In 1949, Seeger took a job at City and Country School in Greenwich Village, New York. And in 1950 the group "The Almanac Singers" was transformed into "The Weavers" and Pete again began composing and performing folk music. Their songs "On Top of Old Smokey" and "Goodnight, Irene" topped the major music charts. They then released a number of other hits including "Dusty Old Dust", "Kisses Sweeter than Wine" and "Wimoweh".
However, in 1953, the band members were outlawed and "The Weavers" stopped playing concerts, only occasionally appearing on stage. In the second half of the 1950s, Seeger formed a new folk group, the Kingston Trio, recording and releasing a number of singles.
Pete Seeger performing in San Francisco Photo: Brianmcmillen / Wikimedia Commons
The next period in the singer's work was filled with political songs. In 1966, he recorded the album "Dangerous Songs !?", which was more like a mockery of US President Lyndon Johnson. A year later, he gained even more attention by recording the song "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy" about a captain who died in World War II.
He soon co-founded the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater environmental society, which actively campaigned against pollution of the Hudson River and worked to clean it up. In 1969, Seeger wrote the song "That Lonesome Valley" about the Hudson River. It was at this time that he stood at the head of the movement to revive folk music. In 1972, Pete Seeger published a folk song book called "The Incompleat Folksinger".
Four years later, he wrote and later recorded the anti-death penalty song "Delbert Tibbs". It was based on the story of the unjustly convicted murder and rape writer Delbert Tibbs, who was sentenced to death and later acquitted.
In 1980 he released the album "God Bless The Grass". This work, like his other musical projects during this decade, expressed condemnation of violent revolutions.
From 1989 to 1992, Seeger released a number of albums, including "American Industrial Ballads", "Folk Songs for Young People" and "Traditional Christmas Carols".
Pete Seeger at the Newport Folk Festival Photo: William Wallace / Wikimedia Commons
From 1996 to 2000 he released singles such as "Pete", "Birds, Beasts, Bugs and Fishes", "American Folk, Game and Activity Songs" and others. In 2008, Pete recorded the award-winning album "At 89". The following year, he spoke at the inauguration of US President Barack Obama.
In 2010, at the age of 91, Seeger presented his music collection Children of Tomorrow, which was dedicated to environmental education. In subsequent years, in his work, he continued to raise the problems of international disarmament, the environment and the observance of civil rights.
Awards and achievements
In 1993, Pete Singer received the Grammy Award for Musical Achievement of a Lifetime, which is awarded to performers for their outstanding contribution to the development of the music industry.
In 1997, he was awarded a Grammy for Best Folk Album for his album "Pete". In 2008, Seeger again won this prestigious music award for Best Traditional Album "At 89".
In 2013, Pete Seeger's creative work was awarded the George Peabody Medal, awarded for his special contribution to the formation and development of music in America.
Family and personal life
In 1943, Pete Seeger married Toshi-Alina Ota, with whom he lived until her death. Toshi passed away from cancer in 2013. Their first child died 6 months after his birth. Pete has never seen him. The couple later had three more children.
Until his last days, Seeger took an active political position and advocated for the conservation of nature. He died in January 2014 at the age of 94.
