28 January 2014

Pete Seeger, 3 May 1919-27 Jan. 2014


Pete Seeger, who played the most vital role of any individual in the resurgence of tradition-based American music (and especially the 5-string banjo) since the 1940s, died yesterday at the age of 94. His influence as a performer, teacher, and writer was felt throughout the world. The above photo from Uri Kohen, organiser of the annual Westport Folk and Bluegrass Festival in Co. Mayo, shows Pete (right) before an audience in Israel in 1964, being introduced by Uri's father (centre).

Also from 1964: Ruth Ellen Gruber sends to the European Bluegrass Blog (EBB) a link to live recordings of a Pete Seeger concert that year in Prague. Ruth considers this the seedbed for the Czech bluegrass scene, which is now probably the most vigorous in Europe. The recordings are a further illustration of what a dynamic performer Pete Seeger was.

More detail is in an earlier post on the EBB. The Wikipedia article cited there is a very comprehensive account of Pete Seeger's career (though the section on the 5-string banjo and Pete's playing style is misleading).

Update: Tributes to Pete Seeger by John Lawless, Jens Kruger, and Tony Trischka have already appeared on Bluegrass Today, and more can be expected.

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