JimLucas Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Pete Seeger died yesterday, January 27, 2014, at the age of 94. I think even those who don't care for "folk music" or Pete's politics are indebted to him. He was uncomfortable with commercial music, and yet he was a major influence on many a "pop" icon. And I believe that his dedication to the ideas that music was for everyone and that people (and their music) could make a difference have influenced the ways in which all parties have learned to deal with political issues. But most of all, he was a friendly, helpful, and surprisingly modest individual. Here are links to a couple of obituary news articles about him: CNN New York Times (This one feels a bit strange to me. I've never known anyone who knew Pete to call him "Mister", yet it would be strange indeed if Jon Pareles hadn't met Pete on many occasions.) I expect there will soon be others, by folks who knew him well. Many are the stories that have been and could be told about Pete, and I'm lucky that I even have a few from my own experience, but I'll only tell one... chosen because it has concertina relevance. A well known photographer who had just done a photo article on the Hudson River for National Geographic magazine had also prepared a travelling slide show (with real film slides projected on a screen) about the Hudson, and he asked Pete to provide a musical background for the show. Pete gathered various friends to get together and improvise something. Apparently, he thought a concertina would be a nice addition to the mix, but he didn't know anyone who played, so he asked around, and I was invited. I still don't know who gave him my name. I do know that I was treated as an equal, even as we discussed which songs or tunes to include and what sorts of sound we wanted for "this song" or "that tune", though I was completely unknown to these old friends. (I had only been playing concertina for a couple of years, and I was hardly a "performer", as all the others were.) But that's the way Pete was, and so was everyone who worked with him... even if they weren't that way when on their own. He'll be sorely missed, not just by me, but by millions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Besser Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Pete Seeger died yesterday, January 27, 2014, at the age of 94. He'll be sorely missed, not just by me, but by millions. Totally agree. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Barnert Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 A great loss, and a great life. He let me play his banjo once for a half an hour or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy Stein Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 some years ago I had the opportunity to be part of a sing along/jam session with him. It was a highlight of my memories. rss Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wolf Molkentin Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 (edited) A case of "ineluctability" in the best sense - he has always been there, mattering... I immediately imagine him standing at different places picking his banjo and sharing his message it jointly being a musical, social and political one... Let's play and sing his songs! R.I.P., Pete! Edited January 29, 2014 by blue eyed sailor Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Timson Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Among our most treasured possessions are two letters from Pete Seeger to Anne praising her song All In Harmony and making suggestions to improve it. Rest in peace, Pete, you were one of the Good Guys. Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Wild Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 I have no personal stories to contribute but i share the general sense of loss. We still have a wealth of recorded song and music. RIP - John Wild Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tradewinds Ted Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 (edited) I've been reading comments about Pete on the banjohangout.org forums yesterday and today, and reminiscing with a smile, yet with tears welling up. It suddenly occurred to me that I don't think I ever met him in person, but only seen recordings of him performing, and yet I've had so many good friends share his songs ever since I was small, that I somehow feel as though I've known him all my life. Edited January 29, 2014 by Tradewinds Ted Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ralph cipriani Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 pete seeger will be missed by all r.i.p. pete i do have a question why don;t the people concsider the concertina a folk instrument i surely would think so Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimLucas Posted January 30, 2014 Author Share Posted January 30, 2014 pete seeger will be missed by all r.i.p. pete i do have a question why don;t the people concsider the concertina a folk instrument i surely would think so "the people"? Huh?? I know lots of people who consider the concertina a "folk" instrument... and even some who think that's all it is . I don't remember ever meeting a folk performer who thought the concertina didn't belong in folk. Neither do those who attend "folk" concerts and festivals say that. And the "folk" performers (not to mention the numerous folk diddlers) for whom concertina -- be it English, anglo, or duet -- was or is a major instrument are too numerous for me to take the time to try to list them. So I'm surprised and even puzzled by your question, which has me wondering who you've been associating with. But I'm not going to let it worry me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jggunn Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 One of the great pleasures of living in Albany New York for 45 years was the very lively folk scene in which Pete often participated, both at concerts and at the yearly Pumpkin Fest when the Clearwater made a stop. Years before that I met his family in LA, and Peggy Seeger (Radcliffe) and I (Tufts) were both members of the Collegiate Outling Club in Boston and environ and sang at folk sings in the area as well as heading out to other colleges on occasion. Mike Seeger was also around at times. Many memories, but Pete was an inspiration to so many of us during the great folk revival. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Barnert Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 (edited) The idea has been floated to name the new Tappan Zee Bridge after Pete. There is a petition at https://www.change.org/petitions/gov-cuomo-name-the-new-tappan-zee-bridge-for-pete-seeger or http://tinyurl.com/seegerpetition. Some background: In addition to his music, Pete was committed to cleaning up the Hudson River and was personally responsible for bringing the appalling polluted state that it was in during the 1960s to public attention so that changes were undertaken and the river has undergone a remarkable transformation. Pete founded Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Inc. and built the boat in the name of the organization. The Tappan Zee is the widest part of the Hudson River, which runs through New York State southward to New York City. The 3-mile bridge that spans it opened in 1955 and carries the New York State Thruway across the river. It is in the process of being rebuilt, and when the new one is finished, the original will be demolished. The bridge is about 30 miles from the log cabin that Pete built and lived in for the last 65 years of his life. (edited typo) Edited January 30, 2014 by David Barnert Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Worrall Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 The idea has been floated to name the new Tappan Zee Bridge after Pete. There is a petition at https://www.change.org/petitions/gov-cuomo-name-the-new-tappan-zee-bridge-for-pete-seeger or http://tinyurl.com/seegerpetition. Some background: In addition to his music, Pete was committed to cleaning up the Hudson River and was personally responsible for bringing the appalling polluted state that it was in during the 1960s to public attention so that changes were undertaken and the river has undergone a remarkable transformation. Pete founded Hudson River Sloop Clearwater, Inc. and built the boat in the name of the organization. The Tappan Zee is the widest part of the Hudson River, which runs through New York State southward to New York City. The 3-mile bridge that spans it opened in 1955 and carries the New York State Thruway across the river. It is in the process of being rebuilt, and when the new one is finished, the original will be demolished. The bridge is about 30 miles from the log cabin that Pete built and lived in for the last 65 years of his life. (edited typo) Much as I admire Pete Seeger - what a wonderful contribution to folk music! - I would not support renaming that bridge. The Dutch named that wider part of the Hudson for a 'Tappan' branch of the Delaware Indians (one of the groups who bore the brunt of first contact with the Europeans); Zee means Sea in Dutch, meaning that wide part. There are few enough place names that take us back to that earliest European period in our history (what happened to New Amsterdam?) and to the Indian tribes who lived here before being pushed out. And in general I prefer not to rename things for popular current events. In Texas, some political folks renamed our beautiful Granite Shoals Lake when Lyndon Johnson died back in the seventies....so now it is forever 'Lake LBJ.' I would never equate Seeger with LBJ (!), but somehow I would think even Pete would prefer the musical sound and historical connections of Tappan Zee. Pete would likely be more pleased if they would name some water purification plant for him! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CrP Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 I found the tribute to Pete written by fellow folk musician and singer Tom Paxton in today's "Washington Post" to be a fine evocation of the spirit of music making that both Pete and Tom have championed for these many decades. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Timson Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 pete seeger will be missed by all r.i.p. pete i do have a question why don;t the people concsider the concertina a folk instrument i surely would think soIf you want to discuss this please start a new thread for the purpose and leave this one for remembrance of Pete Seeger. Thanks Chris Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Barnert Posted January 30, 2014 Share Posted January 30, 2014 Much as I admire Pete Seeger - what a wonderful contribution to folk music! - I would not support renaming that bridge. The Dutch named that wider part of the Hudson for a 'Tappan' branch of the Delaware Indians (one of the groups who bore the brunt of first contact with the Europeans); Zee means Sea in Dutch, meaning that wide part. There are few enough place names that take us back to that earliest European period in our history (what happened to New Amsterdam?) and to the Indian tribes who lived here before being pushed out. And in general I prefer not to rename things for popular current events. Nobody is advocating renaming anything. The body of water will still be the Tappan Zee. The Tappan Zee Bridge will be torn down after being replaced by a newer, as yet unnamed, bridge. The web site describing the project calls it "The New NY Bridge" suggesting that it will not be called "The Tappan Zee Bridge." The petition suggests naming this bridge (the first span is scheduled to open in 2016, the second in 2018) after Pete Seeger. Incidentally, after I posted my previous message, I saw this article in the New York Times which, without mentioning the bridge-naming situation, tells much of the same back story a lot better than I did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimLucas Posted January 30, 2014 Author Share Posted January 30, 2014 (edited) Pete would likely be more pleased if they would name some water purification plant for him! Actually, I think Pete would prefer that nothing be named after him, and certainly not some grandiose man-made construction, no matter how useful. Pete was never about getting people to know the name "Pete Seeger"; he was about getting people interested and involved in the things he loved... the music, the Hudson River, the greater environment, freedom, equality, peace.... For those who feel a need to "honor" Pete in naming this new bridge (or anything else, for that matter), I think a much better name would be "Clearwater" or "Hudson". (The name "Peace Bridge" is already taken; it joins Canada and the US above Niagara Falls.) Edited January 30, 2014 by JimLucas Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimLucas Posted January 30, 2014 Author Share Posted January 30, 2014 I found the tribute to Pete written by fellow folk musician and singer Tom Paxton in today's "Washington Post" to be a fine evocation of the spirit of music making that both Pete and Tom have championed for these many decades. Here's the link. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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