Artist News Obituaries

Pete Seeger 1919-2014

By | Published on Wednesday 29 January 2014

Pete Seeger

Songwriter, folk musician and activist Pete Seeger died in his sleep on Monday, following a brief stay in a New York hospital. He was 94. Best known for songs such as ‘Where Have All The Flowers Gone’, ‘Turn, Turn, Turn’, ‘If I Had A Hammer’ and ‘We Shall Overcome’, Seeger inspired the folk revival of the 1950s, while his political affiliations saw him brought before Congress.

Born in 1919, he began playing ukulele while at school, moving to his preferred instrument, the five string banjo, after seeing it played at a square dance festival with his musicologist father, Charles Seeger, who was collecting and archiving rural American folk songs. Similarly, Seeger Jr saw himself as part of a long musical tradition, learning and adapting songs passed down through generations throughout his career.

Politically active throughout his life too, many of his most famous songs have become synonymous with protest. In the early 50s he became very successful with his group The Weavers, but when his earlier membership of the Communist Party was made public, the group suddenly found themselves unable to get TV bookings anymore. Continuing on and off, Seeger eventually left the group when they provided a song to a Lucky Strike advert, citing his opposition to the promotion of smoking.

In 1955, he was called before Congress’s Un-American Activities Committee to answer claims about his political affiliations. Going before the committee, he refused to answer such questions, saying that they were “very improper questions for any American to be asked”. He was indicted and sentenced to a year in prison, though this was overturned on appeal.

Seeger continued to perform as a solo artist, and though his political past still caused occasional problems, he maintained popularity, drawing large audiences right up to the end of his life. He also founded the Newport Folk Festival, which continues to run today.

Toshi-Aline Ohta, whom Seeger married in 1943, died in 2013, shortly before their 70th wedding anniversary. He is survived by a son and two daughters, a half sister, and six grandchildren.



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