Pete Seeger
Pete Seeger (1919–2014) was an American folk singer and activist who helped popularize traditional and protest music.
He championed songs like "We Shall Overcome" and "If I Had a Hammer," performed with the Weavers, and was blacklisted during the McCarthy era for his leftist politics.
His name evokes singalongs, banjos, and the belief that music can change the world.
Narrative verse set to music
- storytellingRecounting events aloud
- traditionalFollowing long-held customs
- sing-alongGroup vocal participation
- hootenannyFolk music social gathering
Woody Guthrie · folk revival · work songs · spirituals · children's songs · Guantanamera · campfire · chorus
Guaranteed individual legal protections
- anti-warOpposed to armed conflict
- labor movementOrganized effort for worker rights
- environmentalismAdvocacy for nature protection
- social justiceFair distribution of opportunities
pacifism · grassroots · solidarity · dissent · demonstration · march · boycott · sit-in
Traditional music movement resurgence
- influencePower to affect others
- inspirationSource of creative impulse
- songbookCollection of musical compositions
- mentorTrusted wisdom-giving advisor
torchbearer · Bob Dylan · Joan Baez · Bruce Springsteen · Grammy · Rock and Roll Hall of Fame · Beacon · centennial
Hammer with nail-pulling fork
- five-stringBanjo's standard setup
- pickingAct of selecting
- old-timeOf a past era
- AppalachianEastern U.S. mountain region
long-neck · resonator · fretboard · tuning · strings · plucking · folk revival · sing-along
ballads
Narrative verse set to music
- storytellingRecounting events aloud
- traditionalFollowing long-held customs
- sing-alongGroup vocal participation
hootenanny · Woody Guthrie · folk revival · work songs · spirituals · children's songs · Guantanamera · campfire · chorus · participatory
civil rights
Guaranteed individual legal protections
- anti-warOpposed to armed conflict
- labor movementOrganized effort for worker rights
- environmentalismAdvocacy for nature protection
social justice · pacifism · grassroots · solidarity · dissent · demonstration · march · boycott · sit-in · freedom songs
folk revival
Traditional music movement resurgence
- influencePower to affect others
- inspirationSource of creative impulse
- songbookCollection of musical compositions
mentor · torchbearer · Bob Dylan · Joan Baez · Bruce Springsteen · Grammy · Rock and Roll Hall of Fame · Beacon · centennial · tribute
clawhammer
Hammer with nail-pulling fork
- five-stringBanjo's standard setup
- pickingAct of selecting
- old-timeOf a past era
Appalachian · long-neck · resonator · fretboard · tuning · strings · plucking · folk revival · sing-along · campfire
- folk musicfolk, folk music, folk songs, folk ballads, folk ballad
- songwritersBob Dylan, songwriter, lyricists, composer, lyricist
- Folk RevivalWoody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, The Weavers, Greenwich Village
- Banjosbanjo, tenor banjo, five-string, four-string, open-back
- Banjo Players
- protest songsOhio, Bella Ciao, protest songs, protest song, protest anthem
Pete SeegerTed Nugent
Toby Keith · Merle Haggard · Charlie Daniels · Kid Rock · Pat Boone
Pete SeegerAyn Rand
Objectivist movement founder
apathy · cynicism · J. Edgar Hoover · HUAC · McCarthyism