Seeger ”” with his a lanky frame, banjo and full white beard ”” was an iconic figure in folk music. He performed with the great minstrel Woody Guthrie in his younger days and marched with Occupy Wall Street protesters in his 90s, leaning on two canes. He wrote or co-wrote “If I Had a Hammer,” “Turn, Turn, Turn,” “Where Have All the Flowers Gone” and “Kisses Sweeter Than Wine.” He lent his voice against Hitler and nuclear power. A cheerful warrior, he typically delivered his broadsides with an affable air and his banjo strapped on.
“Be wary of great leaders,” he told The Associated Press two days after a 2011 Manhattan Occupy march. “Hope that there are many, many small leaders.”
With The Weavers, a quartet organized in 1948, Seeger helped set the stage for a national folk revival. The group – Seeger, Lee Hays, Ronnie Gilbert and Fred Hellerman – churned out hit recordings of “Goodnight Irene,” “Tzena, Tzena” and “On Top of Old Smokey.”
Seeger also was credited with popularizing “We Shall Overcome,” which he printed in his publication “People’s Song,” in 1948. He later said his only contribution to the anthem of the civil rights movement was changing the second word from “will” to “shall,” which he said “opens up the mouth better.”
“My job,†he said in 2009, “is to show folks there’s a lot of good music in this world, and if used right it may help to save the planet.â€
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/29/arts/music/pete-seeger-songwriter-and-champion-of-folk-music-dies-at-94.html
He will be missed.
Imagine how the world would be better had this great talent been placed in the service of the Savior Jesus Christ rather than in the service of godless Communism. But “We shall overcome” and other songs have served to encourage Christ’s servants. So God brings good from all sources.
Apparently, Mr. Rightmyer would have preferred that in the name of Jesus Christ Mr Seeger had sung the praises of the oppressor, robber baron, and the unbridled capitalist. Actually, Pete Seeger was the first singer from whom I heard a lovely religious song: How Can I Keep From Singing.