I didn't read through the entire discussion, so forgive me if this is repeated information. Banjo Newsletter devoted almost all of the March issue to a tribute to Pete Seeger by various players and how he influenced their lives. It was a great tribute to a wonderful man.

Those who took part in this forum discussion might be interested in a live radio tribute to Pete Seeger to benefit the Woodstock Day School and the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater. The event is hosted by Jay Ungar and Molly Mason.

Hear the broadcast online at WAMC.ORG .

Such a sage comment from a sage woman.

Robin Thompson said:

Here is a picture of Pete that was posted over at Banjo Hangout. I think it is very typical of Pete and I would share it here.

Here's another story from the New York Times thatcompiles excerpts from interviews with other musicians (Bruce Springsteen, Bonnie Rait, Steve Earle, etc.) talking about Pete Seeger. Perhaps the most moving to me is the story of Pete watching television footage of the cleanup after 9-11, and the soundtrack they used was Bruce Springsteen singing Pete'ssong "We Shall Overcome." Pete commented that if all he had done was provide that song for that moment to help people heal, he would have lived a full life.

Thanks for the Fresh Air episode with Pete. Good to hear it.

Well, thanks for posting that, Steph, even tho' it brought a tear to my eye.

I heard a funny story in an interview Pete did onFresh Air with Terry Gross that was re-broadcast today. He was describing when he first met Woody Guthrie, who taught him how to hop trains and play in taverns. Woody basically told him which songs would get him a nickel or two when he played. And Woody explained how to wait on the outskirts of town where the trains would just start to pick up speed and then jump on. But he never explained at first how to get off. So the first time Petetried to get off, he fell, rolled down a hill, skinned both knees and both elbows and, more importantly, broke his banjo. He was traveling with a camera at the time, which he hocked to get enough money to buy a cheap guitar. He only knew a few chords at first, but played well enough to earn some nickels in the taverns until he could afford another banjo.

You can hear Pete tell the story yourself here .

We know most of those riding the rails were not doing it for fun, but it must have been quite an experience, just jumping railroad cars and traveling to wherever the trains went. What else would you expect from a guy who dropped out of Harvard to ride a bicycle across the country?

I not only remember them, but I have a couple. I also remember the LP pictured above.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

Here is the NPR Obituary . It includes links to stories on Pete and some of his music.

Here is the album I refer to in the introductory comments above.

I had forgotten, but it was a 10" LP. Does anyone remember those?

Thanks DT, I appreciated your musical tribute to Pete.

Here is one way I will remember him:

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a sweet song."

In the post war 50's I was halfway thro' my apprenticeship and senior 'boy' in the building firm I worked for. In charge of three or four other 'prentice's, (and 20 oz claw hammer and a sack of cut nails), we spent a lot of time on our knees laying floors in new build council houses! We used to sing a lot, helped the boredom of driving nails, and being the owner of a cheapo record deck (anybody else remember having one?) and a few pennies to spend , I was into what my family called 'rubbish music', some of which I introduced to my mates . One of the songs from my 'collection???' cropped up often !! Yep! you guessed it, 'If I had a Hammer' I guess it could be seen as our way of protesting about sore knees and blue thumbs ? (and I later married a girl named Irene ???)

rest in peace Pete

and thank you

JohnH

In 2001, after the terrorist attacks on September 11, I wrote a piece as a skit that served as a healing point for many of the parishioners at my church. In that I wrote about the lives of people and how it affected the rescuers and the ones who consoled those people. I also used a few songs to help give meaning and voice to the words that i wrote. It opened with Billy Joel's Miami 2007--I've seen the lights go out; sandwiched with Simon and Garfunkel's take on Silent Night with the evening news; and closed with a recitation of Pete Seeger''s If I had a Hammer (some of those who were helping in that part wouldn't sing, so we said the words...just as powerful).

Remember the Weavers singing Irene Goodnight? The line "I'll see you in my dreams"? That isn't the situation now that Pete has died because we will hear his music and messages as long as we live.

A touching tribute indeed, and most assuredly, heartfelt. I never had the privilege of meeting Pete, but he certainly had a peaceful, down home appeal and approach.

I posted on my facebook page when I found out this morning.

May his song live on in all of us.

A personal musical tribute:

If you listen carefully, you can hear my voice breaking up.

Pete was such a powerful force for good. We can all learn from his example.

Pete was my hero back in the sixty's. He was the one that really got me singing and playing. My second banjo was a long-necked Vega because "it was what Pete played". I feel sad, but I am sure he and Woody are now making music again in the next world.

Pete on music and participation:

"I've never sung anywhere without giving the people listening a change to join in . . . I guess it's kind of a religion with me. Participation. That's what's going to save the human race."

Once upon a time, wasnt singing a part of everyday life as much as talking, physical exercise, and religion? Our distant ancestors, wherever they were in this world, sang while pounding grain, paddling canoes, or walking long journeys. Can we begin to make our lives once more all of a piece? Finding the right songs and singing them over and over is a way to start. And when one person taps out a beat, while another leads into the melody, or when three people discover a harmony they never knew existed, or a crowd joins in on a chorus as though to raise the ceiling a few feet higher, then they also know there is hope for the world.

Pete influenced a couple of generations of folk musicians. While he will be missed his influence will be felt for many years to come. RIP Pete. I'm glad to have known you.

Ken

"The dulcimer sings a new song."

One of the greats. We'll miss you Pete!

A great man lived a great life. His music lives on in all of us. Thank you for sharing the banjo photo. We must continue his work of destroying hate.

http://www.motherearthnews.com/nature-and-environment/pete-seeger-i...

A great interview with Pete! He was a gracious man.

Pete's banjo:

Very well put together Dusty, Rest in peace Pete.

Pete Seeger just died. He was 94. Maybe when my emotions are easier to put aside I'll post some comments about his place in American folk music history, but how can you sum up the importance of someone who sang with the Weavers, led protest marches, and sang children's songs? He lived the assertion that music was a joyful tool intended tobring people together. (And it was on his TV show that Jean Ritchie and her dulcimer were introduced to the television audience.)

You can read the New York Times obituary here .

There is no way to choose a representative song to post here, but perhaps this one will do. He is playing with others and singingfor peace.

Thefirst record albumsI remember, from when I was just a few years' old, were Woody Guthrie's Songs for a Mother and Child to GrowOn andPete Seeger's Birds, Beasts, Bugs, and Little Fishes . I am sure I know every one of those songs by heart, and I have since I was able to talk. When I get depressed, I put on a Beatles album. But if that doesn't work, I go right to Pete Seeger. His voice is as comforting to me as my own mother's, and is indistinguishable in some ways since my earliest memories in life are sitting on my mother's lap listening to that album.

I used to wonder why I am drawn to acoustic music. I grew up in suburbia in the northeast, after all. And I spent many years listening to rock, blues, and jazz. But I've always felt at home with someone singing a simple song while plucking some strings, and I'm sure that is because of the early influence of Pete Seegerin my life.

I only met Pete Seeger once--at an anti-nuke rally in New York about 30 years ago--so I never really knew him. But I feel as though I've lost an uncle, a best friend, a mentor, and a security blanket all rolled into one. I honestly can't imagine who I would be today had Pete Seeger's music not been a part of my life.

Thank you, Mr. Seeger, for sharing the joys of music and modeling a life devoted to the improvement of one's community. Rest in peace.