chasgrav - Posted - 01/28/2014:  04:35:57

Very sad news today.   cnn.com/2014/01/28/showbiz/pet...er-death/

chip arnold - Posted - 01/28/2014:  04:50:25

As true a hero as has walked with us. RIP, Pete.

From Arlo Guthrie, this morning:

Pete Seeger:



I usually do a little meditation and prayer every night before I go to sleep - Just part of the routine. Last night, I decided to go visit Pete Seeger for a while, just to spend a little time together, it was around 9 PM. So I was sitting in my home in Florida, having a lovely chat with Pete, who was in a hospital in New York City. That's the great thing about thoughts and prayers- You can go or be anywhere. 



I simply wanted him to know that I loved him dearly, like a father in some ways, a mentor in others and just as a dear friend a lot of the time. I'd grown up that way - loving the Seegers - Pete & Toshi and all their family. 



I let him know I was having trouble writing his obituary (as I'd been asked) but it seemed just so silly and I couldn't think of anything that didn't sound trite or plain stupid. "They'll say something appropriate in the news," we agreed. We laughed, we talked, and I took my leave about 9:30 last night. 



"Arlo" he said, sounding just like the man I've known all of my life, "I guess I'll see ya later." I've always loved the rising and falling inflections in his voice. "Pete," I said. "I guess we will."



I turned off the light and closed my eyes and fell asleep until very early this morning, about 3 AM when the texts and phone calls started coming in from friends telling me Pete had passed away. 



"Well, of course he passed away!" I'm telling everyone this morning. "But that doesn't mean he's gone."

Nels - Posted - 01/28/2014:  05:13:28

RIP Pete...

Tim-mater - Posted - 01/28/2014:  05:17:30

A real influence... on my pickin and how I simply see the world. As are many, I am a better person today because of Pete Seeger. Rest in peace Pete.

Vega - Posted - 01/28/2014:  05:29:00

Pete was my inspiration to become a banjo player. Here is his obituary in the New York Times nytimes.com/2014/01/29/arts/mu...e=article

kwfolk1 - Posted - 01/28/2014:  05:42:59

I'll be with you when you're singing,

Don't you grieve after me..."



"Well may the world, the world go, the world go,

Well may the world go, when I'm dead and gone..."



"To everything, turn, turn turn,

There is a season, turn, turn turn..."



January 27, 2014, the day the music died...



He will be missed, but he will also be fondly remembered.



As Pete always said: "Take it easy, but take it."

Joe Connor - Posted - 01/28/2014:  06:00:55

What is perhaps most amazing about Pete is that he was one of those rare people of firm principle who was not holier than thou or confrontational. There is an old saying often attributed to St. Francis, "Preach the gospel always. If necessary, use words." It means to let the way you live your life deliver your message. I think we can safely say that that is exactly what Pete did. The way he lived his life was as powerful a testament to his beliefs as the words of his songs. 

RIP, Pete

bornold - Posted - 01/28/2014:  06:43:24

R.I.P Pete

sgdesertrat1 - Posted - 01/28/2014:  06:58:53

It's been good to know you.

Edited by - sgdesertrat1 on 01/28/2014 06:59:38

existential_banjo - Posted - 01/28/2014:  07:27:37

I first saw it on the news feeds on my browser, then I listened to the comment on NPR's Morning Edition.  It was 11 below zero here in Indiana this morning, and our home furnace couldn't quite keep up with the outside temperature.  I still got out my 3 banjos and played them all in memory of Pete, a true banjovangelist.  I first played some double D ltunes on my Stu-Mac kit banjo that has a goat skin head on it, then I got out the Flesher Promenade.  Lastly, I uncased "The Cure", my name for my Brooks Spartan banjo (because it cured me of BAS), and played a few tunes in G.

I had never seen Pete in a live performance, but I have seen his half brother, Mike, many times at Beanblossom and Bloomington, Indiana.  Both were true ambassadors for folk music played in homes and community gatherings:  raw and powerful, rarely polished.  My best Pete Seeger related story happened when I interviewed for a residency position in 1978.  The committee noted that I played the banjo, and one member invoked Pete (but not Earl's) name.  Then he said "But he's a Communist."  I did my post grad training at another Hospital.

Pete will not Rest In Peace.  He will continue to inspire us to carry on the music tradition as we see it.  I hope many of us will inspire others as Pete inspired us.

banjobluegrass - Posted - 01/28/2014:  07:40:53

So sad news striked me today. Pete was my first contact with  5 string banjo when I got his red painted cover historic booklet back in early 70 's. 

Thank You so much Pete for being influenced for my  whole life and for all the goodness  You 've given unselfishly to many people.

R.I.P.

JohnJ - Posted - 01/28/2014:  07:45:08

I feel so damned lucky to have been able to admire him for my entire adult life....   Saw him in concert in Poughkeepsie and again at one of the Clearwater benefit concerts in Beacon...  This world would be a much better place if we had more people like Pete.

PrairieSchooner - Posted - 01/28/2014:  07:50:36

RIP Pete, and thanks.

Voyageur - Posted - 01/28/2014:  07:56:07

Wow, this is heavy news indeed. What a man, what a musician, what a life.

hayesdt - Posted - 01/28/2014:  08:13:47

Yes.  A great loss.  And as banjo players today, regardless of our preference for the clawhammer stroke, or 3-finger style, whether we're purists or a bit loose in our playing style, let's honor and be thankful for the "Seeger Strum,"  that very first bum-ditty rhythmic stroke many of us started with some 50 years ago from that famous red book of Pete's.

mulerrich - Posted - 01/28/2014:  08:20:28

Pete surrounded hate and forced it to surrender.

Bufo Bill - Posted - 01/28/2014:  08:27:32

All my love to Pete and his family. He taught me how dignity is employed.
All the best from Bill.

SoundsGoodToMe - Posted - 01/28/2014:  08:32:29

I wouldn't be playing banjo now if I hadn't grown up with Pete's music.  I expect I'd be a much worse person too.

Paul R - Posted - 01/28/2014:  08:53:34

"Attention songwriters: We need new songs - 

- some songs so funny that even people who disagree will find themselves doubled up with laughter,

- some so shocking they will chill you to the bone,

- some so warm they will make you feel like throwing your arms about the nearest person to you,

- melodies so catchy you'll find yourself whistling them as you walk down the street,

- songs so strong that even cowards will stop fleeing and turn with a breath of courage."

                                                                            Pete Seeger, 1962

Bye, bye, Johnny Appleseed, Jr.

Arlo Guthrie and Pete Seeger

From Greylock to Bean Blossom - Posted - 01/28/2014:  09:12:41

Pete Seeger: A beautifully spirited man. I had/have so much respect for him and the trueness he ran his race of life with.

Ken

Edited by - From Greylock to Bean Blossom on 01/28/2014 09:23:00

Montanarick - Posted - 01/28/2014:  09:29:15

I remember listening to Pete as a kid in the 60's.....I didn't even know what politics were.....HE JUST MADE ME HAPPY....AND MADE ME WANT TO PLAY MUSIC. Of course, later on I learned of the sacrifices he made to peacefully express his beliefs about humanity, peace, etc.....

pernicketylad - Posted - 01/28/2014:  11:21:48

 It is impossible to quantify his contribution to humanity. How many peoples' lives have been changed for the better having been introduced to music by this great man.

Ohio Organist - Posted - 01/28/2014:  12:45:28

Such sad news. An amazing man, an amazing life. A new star shines in the sky now. From it hangs a banjo with the words "This Machine Surrounds Hate and Forces It to Surrender." Thank you Mr. Seeger.

Edited by - Ohio Organist on 01/28/2014 12:48:58

wheredidmattgo - Posted - 01/28/2014:  13:06:35

Listening to his live at carnegie hall 1968 LP now. What an inspiration. Aside from his music rainbow quest is an amazing contribution to our cultural history.

RIP

chip arnold - Posted - 01/28/2014:  13:08:42

Listening to the Weavers ...

REarl - Posted - 01/28/2014:  13:21:09

In a thread on the Collectors Corner someone suggested that we come up with something to write on our banjo to remember him. One idea was What Pete Sang and there were others. It seems like a good idea. I am going to write something on my long neck as a tribute and I hope that we might be able to come up with something all of us can use.

Lew H - Posted - 01/28/2014:  20:30:24

Pete Seeger played a concert over a decade ago at our local university (SIUC) along with his grandson Tao. This became an even more exciting day for me than I could have ever imagined. The concert itself was great and was played to a packed house of maybe 1200 people. Word spread from the sponsoring unit of the school that Pete had forgotten his banjo by his front door as he was heading out for the plane to make the trip down to southern Illinois. Two of us locals, myself and the current Lieutenant Governor of Illinois--then a law faculty member as I recall--vied to donate our longneck banjos for Pete to play in the concert. Alas--or luckily--his grandson had a Vega Ranger that Pete used that evening.
With some secret help, my wife and I crashed a reception for Pete later that evening. We listened to the crowd chat with Pete; we jammed with Tao. I brought my longneck Gibson along to ask Pete to autograph it. He did so, then played a Bach piece, "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring," on it, and then held it up, stared at it for a minute, amd then said, "That's a nice banjo." I think the banjo sounds nicer every decade, but most of the improvement has happened since Pete played it. Some pictures of Pete with my Gibson, and of his autograph on the head that was on it at time are below.
The banjo world would not be the same if there had been no Pete Seeger, and maybe our advances in civil rights and ecology would be less as well. My life would not have been the same. He's a hero of mine in so many ways.

philipE - Posted - 01/28/2014:  21:02:12

I love you Pete ♥ Rest In Peace my Friend

Coonskin - Posted - 01/28/2014:  21:11:57

In spite of the fact that he opposed our entry into WWII and was a big fan of Joe Stalin, the king of pogroms and mass-starvation, he did manage to get people to play the banjo,  which is something,  at least.

James Hartel - Posted - 01/28/2014:  22:00:50

I met Pete Seeger once at a school teachers' conference about "storytelling" near my hometown. He has always been an inspiration and guide to all things pertaining to the banjo and community life in America. At the conference Pete mentioned to me that he recently designed a bumper sticker for his grandson's guitar case. It says, "There's no hope, but I might be wrong."

Deaf Lester Crawdad - Posted - 01/28/2014:  22:14:38

quote:

---

Originally posted by Coonskin

In spite of the fact that he opposed our entry into WWII and was a big fan of Joe Stalin, the king of pogroms and mass-starvation, he did manage to get people to play the banjo,  which is something,  at least.

---

 He opposed our entry into WW2 up until Pearl Harbor, but not afterwards.  In this he was on common ground with many Americans, our government included.  Pete served in the US Army during the war and was trained as an aircraft mechanic but ended up entertaining the troops, which was probably a smart move on the part of the Army.    Competent mechanics are not uncommon, but great entertainers are.

You are probably not aware that the mass deaths in Russia were kept just as quiet as a really nasty dictatorship could keep them, and that it wasn't until after WW2 that real knowledge of the communist forced labor camps and mass killings  -not to mention the Nazi holocaust-  became widespread.    By which time Pete was, in his own words, already "drifting away from communism".

A youthful flirtation with communism during the Great Depression -when it was quite a common thing to do- is no reason to sniff at Pete's efforts in other fields......which continued for the rest of his long and busy life.

oldwoodchuckb - Posted - 01/29/2014:  02:03:01

Coonskin is obviously a very bitter, unhappy man to pull this sort of thing. If this were a live memorial service he would have thousands of people chasing him from the service. But fortunately for him, he is just another anonymous crank of a web-weasel, and will never have to defend his disgusting behavior publicly. 

From Greylock to Bean Blossom - Posted - 01/29/2014:  02:17:57

Coonskin had his say -fair enough. Pete responded well. Please keep this thread as a memorial to Mr. Seeger and don't let it digress. I am sure Pete always had detractors and yet remained positive and undeterred. So should we here.
ken

Ken McAlack - Posted - 01/29/2014:  04:53:12

We'll miss you Pete! Thanks for daring to care. Your spirit, like a seed in the snow, will bloom in many unexpected places. We will carry on.

Ken

Nels - Posted - 01/29/2014:  05:34:41

My son had made a CD for me a few years back of the Almanac Singers and my daughter had given me a copy of Pete's book - "In His Own Words". They appreciated and loved Pete as I do.  They will carry on. 

Edited by - Nels on 01/29/2014 05:38:27

Jim Yates - Posted - 01/29/2014:  07:06:01

I just received an email from my brother Bob in which he said, "Pete Seeger was a lucky man . . . a long life lived entirely on his own terms, full of honesty and integrity.  And we were lucky to have been under his influence.  Johnny Appleseed Junior . . . planting goodness with no hint of an ego.  He was what it is all about, making music and social concern . . . both things done in a way to include everybody."

He nailed it. 

StringsAttached - Posted - 01/29/2014:  09:36:41

In perhaps a more enlightened age we will rejoice at, rather than mourn the passing of such a great soul. Men, such as Pete, come to play a larger than life role in advancing the evolution of consciousness. How many untold lives did he touch through his music, and as important, his character and steadfast morality? He remained ever true to himself; his ideals and his music. Some people follow cultural trends as the winds blows. Not Pete, apparently. His music and message was as pure on January 27th as it was 70 plus years before.



Rest in peace, Pete, but I imagine, not for long. Higher worlds await the call of your banjo's ring...

Edited by - StringsAttached on 01/29/2014 09:38:07

Deaf Lester Crawdad - Posted - 01/29/2014:  10:09:31

quote:

---

Originally posted by From Greylock to Bean Blossom

Coonskin had his say -fair enough. Pete responded well. Please keep this thread as a memorial to Mr. Seeger and don't let it digress. I am sure Pete always had detractors and yet remained positive and undeterred. So should we here.

ken

---

 What a nice post, Ken.   Thank you.

~Pete

JTRoberts - Posted - 01/29/2014:  11:00:09

Old age is reserved for the few.

God Bless Pete Seeger, and happy trails to him.

timmib - Posted - 01/29/2014:  11:36:16

I am still digesting the fact that Pete Seeger is gone. When I heard the news I thought, it is the end of an era. I can think of no one who influenced my thoughts and attitudes as much as Pete and his Almanac Singers and the Weavers.

Kim

JanetB - Posted - 01/29/2014:  14:43:56

Here's a link to a favorite performance of Pete Seeger's original book Abiyoyo on Reading Rainbow.  He also appears before and after this animated book segment and sings during the story.   My first graders always love this one and will read and listen to it over and over again in our Listening Center.

youtube.com/watch?v=ovaRSnHfzQw

Edited by - JanetB on 01/29/2014 14:46:30

Bisbonian - Posted - 02/01/2014:  08:07:41

As chasgrav said, "So Long, Pete"...and I will add, "It's been good, to know yuh!"  I know he has been a hero to many, here, and I can't add much to that.  I will miss him.

Mitch Finley - Posted - 02/01/2014:  10:11:49

Here's a Pete Seeger interview from 1970 that you won't find elsewhere: CLICK  . . .including, at the end, from 2008 Pete's remark on his belief in God that I hadn't seen before.

countryman99 - Posted - 02/03/2014:  05:37:24

Extract from Pete's Red Book.

"Dedicated with thanks to the many men and women in the many walks of life,who helped me learn the banjo, and to those whose

records I listened to, such as Uncle Dave Macon, Rufus Crisp,  Samantha Bumgarner, Bascome Lunsford, Lily  Mae Ledfod and

Earl Scruggs.

Dedicated also to the men and women who  still earlier, .taught  them.

Dedicated to the folks who will learn from from us, carrying an age-old tradition on.   Around and around this old world, ring, ring

the banjo."

From the bottom of our hearts Pete, Thankyou , and God bless you. RIP.

Mac.

mulepacker - Posted - 02/03/2014:  15:30:12

Yep...still shocked...I guess we all were lucky to have known him in our own ways. Now as they say he belongs to the ages with all but a few of his cronies. Charlie Russell once said that he has had a good life and wonderful friends and if he cashed in today well...he wins. Thinkin' Pete won too.