Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 – January 27, 2014) was an American folk singer and social activist.
A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, Seeger also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead Belly’s “Goodnight, Irene”, which topped the charts for 13 weeks in 1950. Members of the Weavers were blacklisted during the McCarthy Era. In the 1960s, Seeger re-emerged on the public scene as a prominent singer of protest music in support of international disarmament, civil rights, counterculture, workers’ rights, and environmental causes.
A prolific songwriter, his best-known songs include “Where Have All the Flowers Gone ” (with additional lyrics by Joe Hickerson), “If I Had a Hammer (The Hammer Song)” (with Lee Hays of the Weavers), “Kisses Sweeter Than Wine” (also with Hays), and “Turn! Turn! Turn!”, which have been recorded by many artists both in and outside the folk revival movement. “Flowers” was a hit recording for the Kingston Trio (1962); Marlene Dietrich, who recorded it in English, German and French (1962); and Johnny Rivers (1965). “If I Had a Hammer” was a hit for Peter, Paul and Mary (1962) and Trini Lopez (1963) while the Byrds had a number one hit with “Turn! Turn! Turn!” in 1965.
Seeger was one of the folk singers responsible for popularizing the spiritual “We Shall Overcome” (also recorded by Joan Baez and many other singer-activists), which became the acknowledged anthem of the Civil Rights Movement, soon after folk singer and activist Guy Carawan introduced it at the founding meeting of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in 1960. In the PBS American Masters episode “Pete Seeger: The Power of Song”, Seeger said it was he who changed the lyric from the traditional “We will overcome” to the more singable “We shall overcome”.
instruments played
banjo
Guitar
Vocals
Allegiance
United States
Associated Acts
The Weavers The Almanac Singers Woody Guthrie Arlo Guthrie Tao Rodr -guez-Seeger Lead Belly Holly Near Ronnie Gilbert Bob Dylan Bruce Springsteen The Sessions Band
Battleswars
World War II
Birth Name
Peter Seeger
Branch
United States Army
Genres
American folk music protest music Americana
Occupations
Musician songwriter television host
Rank
Corporal
Unit
United States Army Band
Years Active
1939 2014
Years Of Service
1942 1945
Name
Pete Seeger
Nationality
United States of America