In Memoriam
Pete Seeger
May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014 · aged 94
Folk · Americana
Pete Seeger was the undeniable moral compass of American folk music. Born in New York in 1919, Seeger believed with every fiber of his being that music could change the world. Armed with a five-string banjo (famously inscribed with the words 'This machine surrounds hate and forces it to surrender'), he championed the working class, civil rights, and the anti-war movement. He popularized the Civil Rights anthem 'We Shall Overcome' and wrote timeless classics like 'Where Have All the Flowers Gone?' and 'Turn! Turn! Turn!'. During the McCarthy era in the 1950s, he was blacklisted and indicted for contempt of Congress for refusing to testify about his political beliefs, yet he never compromised his principles. Later in life, he became a fierce environmental activist, successfully campaigning to clean up the heavily polluted Hudson River. Seeger passed away on January 27, 2014, at the age of 94, leaving behind a towering legacy of musical activism.
Milestones
Where Have All the Flowers Gone?, Turn! Turn! Turn!, We Shall Overcome
Also remembered in 2014
- Frankie Knuckles (1955–2014)
- Joe Cocker (1944–2014)
- Paco de Lucía (1947–2014)
- Tommy Ramone (1949–2014)