A Changing of the Guard: Pete Seeger Dies at 94

Pete Seeger performs in California in the 1950’s.
(Credit: nytimes.com)

Pete Seeger, the banjo slinging granddaddy of American folk music, died late Monday night after six days of hospitalization in New York’s Presbyterian Hospital.

The death of Pete Seeger resonates with the end of the folk-activist era in America, which retained a mental foothold in our culture as long as Seeger was with us. Along with Woody Guthrie, Seeger sits pedastled in our memories – he was a man of tireless spirit and a change-driven generation.

Credit: www.last.fm

When asked what drew him to rural American music, Seeger said he loved “the strident vocal tone of the singers [and] the vigorous dancing,” and the fact that “the songs had all of [the] meat of life in them. Their humor had a bite, it was not trivial. Their tragedy was real, not sentimental.”

Seeger pioneered the popular revival of folk music through his songs, including “We Shall Overcome” and “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?”

Seeger’s passion for songwriting was inextricably bound to both the African American roots of our country (his oeuvre includes a solid cover of Lead Belly’s “Goodnight, Irene”) and the political and social movements of the 1950s-60s. And unlike many of his peers, Seeger’s hope for social justice didn’t dwindle with the Flower Era: even in his 90s he hit the pavement with Occupy protestors.

Aside from his seasoned age, the reasons for Seeger’s death remain unknown. His grandson, Kitama Cahill-Jackson, assured the press that his grandfather died a good death. Ever steadfast in his role as a songwriter and an activist, Seeger epitomized the best kind of American trailblazer: a man with high aspirations but proud, rural roots. After all, as Cahill-Jackson said, “he was chopping wood 10 days ago.”

You May Enjoy:

• The Top Ten Peter Seeger Quotes
• SevenPonds’ retrospective on The Carter Family.
• SevenPonds’ article on the legacy of The Saint James Infirmary Blues