Thank You, Pete Seeger

"THIS MACHINE SURROUNDS HATE & FORCES IT TO SURRENDER"

-- Pete Seeger's banjo head inscription.

What would the music world-- what would the world in sum-- look like, had it not been for Pete Seeger? He ran in folk circles during and after WWII; he used the clout of his recording catalog and his recognition as one of the entertainment industry's first authentic "celebrities," to try and change political, social, and economic structures; he entertained and criticized political leaders and parties, marched as part of the Civil Rights Movement in the 1960s, and in the streets of New York City, in support of the Occupy Movement in October, 2011. Were it not for the popularity of his 1948 instructional book "How to Play the 5-String Banjo," American folk music-- and the power to express one's political and social criticism in song-- may have never come to exist.


Pete Seeger, with one of the many folk artists he mentored. 


Seeger was 17 when he joined the Young Communist League; a few years later, he joined the Communist Party USA. The rhetoric of his songs in the run-up to World War II (lyric: "It would be much of a thrill/to die for DuPont in Brazil") drew the attention of Eleanor Roosevelt, who played his record for her husband, whose only comment was said to be that very few people would ever hear the record anyway. In 1957, Seeger refused to testify before the House Committee on Un-American Activities: "I am not going to answer any questions as to my association, my philosophical or religious beliefs or my political beliefs, or how I voted in any election, or any of these private affairs. I think these are very improper questions for any American to be asked, especially under such compulsion as this." He was found guilty of contempt, and sentenced to ten years in prison-- but the ruling was overturned in 1962. He found a rhetorical partner in Moe Asch, founder of the postwar 'grassroots' label Folkways; at the peak of his production, Seeger recorded five albums a year for release through Folkways.

Because of the rhetorical capabilities of sound recording technology, the legacy of a musician extends far beyond the grave. And, the availability of another's sound recordings has made drawing connections between artists-- who has influenced who, lyrically and musically-- far more difficult than in the ancient days of troubadours, of sheet music, and of vaudeville and stage shows. Almost seventy years after his songs of protest gained the attention of the Roosevelts, Pete Seeger performed alongside Bruce Springsteen at President Obama's inaugural celebration in 2009 (The Boss' 2006 album was a collection of folk numbers performed in Seeger's style; The Seeger Sessions actually contained no songs written by Seeger). A birthday celebration concert in 2011 in New York City; a number of tribute albums released; the whole of Asch's Folkways catalog  carefully archived and re-released through Smithsonian Folkways recordings: Pete Seeger lived long enough to see his first critics dissipate and new critics rise, lived long enough to see the development of the rhetorical public sphere (from radio to television to the jumble of media feeds we have today). Unlike so many his age, Seeger was an active user of Twitter (@Peter_Seeger)-- for not only the promotion of his music, but of his political views, constructive criticism, and human, if virtual, connection. On December 17, he posted: "I'm convinced that it's impossible to have education without controversy. People who think that's false will find themselves trapped."



Seeger and friends in New York City, October 2011.

On the eve of the first non-white American President's third-to-last State of the Union address, the passing of Pete Seeger should serve as a challenge to citizens: to always stand up for what you know to be right, and to not hesitate to share one's gifts with one another. Pete Seeger lived a rich and full life, long enough to have not only helped define an important genre of American music, but to have participated in our new networks of communication and media. "I have sung in hobo jungles," Seeger's Twitter profile states, "and I have sung for the Rockefellers, and I am proud that I have never refused to sing for anybody."