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Subject: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: mark gregory Date: 16 Apr 09 - 06:13 PM There is a flurry of activity in a number of countries to celebrate Pete's 90th birthday this year I have started a list of Australian concerts and events at http://unionsong.com/seeger90.html I see that Singout! is putting together a list of US events starting with The Clearwater Concert: Creating the Next Generation of Environmental Leaders, a star-studded, one night only concert event celebrating Pete Seeger's 90th Birthday, will be held on Sunday, May 3, at 7PM, at Madison Square Garden. |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: mark gregory Date: 16 Apr 09 - 07:43 PM DVD Pete Seeger: Live in Australia -- Release Date: 2 July 2009 -- download coupon (pdf) $24.95 Folk Icons: Pete Seeger is a beautifully filmed 105 minute concert showcasing one of the most provocative figures in music history. In 1963 Pete Seeger, blacklisted and barred from American television, he fled the persecution of his homeland and embarked on a 10 month world tour. One of his first stops was Australia where he was welcomed with open arms and sold-out performances. This DVD not only presents a full concert filmed in Melbourne but also includes 55 minutes of bonus footage from various other Australian television appearances. Witness how one man, armed only with a banjo, a guitar and the power of song, captures the hearts and minds of a nation. SPECIAL FEATURES * Pete singing and discussing the songs of Lead Belly (also features 3 rare performances by Lead Belly filmed in 1945). * Interviews and performances on Australian news programs. * 16-page booklet featuring liner notes by Seeger biographer David K. Dunaway. * Rare photographs, home movies and memorabilia. |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: GUEST,Pamela from Ithaca Date: 16 Apr 09 - 08:26 PM I don't think the Sing Out! news feed is a list of events... just a PR piece about the Clearwater Benefit for Pete's 90th Birthday at the Garden. But, there *are* other events happening in the USA. In Boston, Ithaca NY, and the Washington DC area that I know about. Check other threads.... |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: mark gregory Date: 16 Apr 09 - 09:23 PM Pete Seeger's 90th birthday will be celebrated at a huge hootenanny-style concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City on Sunday 3 May. singers include: Pete Seeger Bruce Springsteen Steve Earle Eddie Vedder Taj Mahal John Mellencamp Ani DiFranco Arlo Guthrie Bernice Johnson Reagon Bela Fleck Guy Davis Billy Bragg Larry Long Bruce Cockburn Emmylou Harris NYC Labor Chorus Joan Baez Tao Rodriguez-Seeger Ladysmith Black Mambazo Michael Franti Tom Paxton Tommy Sands Ramblin' Jack Elliott more info at http://www.seeger90.com/ |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: Stringsinger Date: 17 Apr 09 - 02:34 PM PRESS RELEASE Release: Immediately Current: Through May 3, 2009 Contact: Elise Witt (404) 297-8398 ATLANTA MUSICIANS GATHER TO CELEBRATE FOLK LEGEND PETE SEEGER'S 90th BIRTHDAY A multitude of Atlanta musicians will gather in Pine Lake on Sunday May 3rd to celebrate the 90th birthday of folk legend Pete Seeger. The celebration begins at 6:00 p.m. and will take place in the Pine Lake Clubhouse, 300 Clubhouse Drive, Pine Lake GA 30072. In the Pete Seeger tradition, there will be lots of songs that people can join in on, and songs of social justice, environmental concern, and love for the human family. "We can't make it to Madison Square Garden where Bruce Springsteen, Ani DiFranco, Joan Baez, Arlo Guthrie, Richie Havens, Bernice Johnson Reagon, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and many more luminaries are singing," says Elise Witt, organizer of the event. "But we have such a rich selection of musicians right here in Atlanta, that, like many other cities and towns around the country, we've decided to have our own celebration of this musical legend who has influenced so many with his music and his work for the environment, human rights, peace and justice." Among those Atlanta musicians joining the celebration are (in alphabetical order - websites listed below) Allison Adams, Caroline Aiken, Mauricio Amaya, Joyce Brookshire, Cindi Craven, Scott Freeman, Frank & Mary Hamilton, Melanie Hammet, Joyce & Jacque, Evan Kinney, Mick Kinney, Celeste Miller, Carolyn Renee Morris, Jeff & Johnny Mosier, Berné Poliakoff, Craig Rafuse, Virginia Schenck, Bert Tanner, Ann Whitley, Elise Witt, Tom Wolf and more. "We are especially lucky" continues Witt, "to have Frank Hamilton here in Atlanta." Frank has known Pete since he was in high school and recorded a duo instrumental album with Pete in 1959 called "Nonesuch" for Folkways (now on Smithsonian). Frank also sang with Pete in the folk group the Weavers and is on the 1963 recording The Weavers Reunion at Carnegie Hall. For the May 3rd celebration in Pine Lake, Frank will lead all the musicians and audience in several Pete Seeger songs, and he will also perform an original song which Pete helped him write on the telephone. "Pete loves songs and is always encouraging songwriters," muses Frank. "He always says, 'keep composing!' Admission for the May 3rd Pete Seeger 90th Birthday Bash is by donation and all proceeds will benefit the Pine Lake Environmental Fund, which is working to clean the wetlands of Snapfinger Creek which feeds Pine Lake, and the wetlands going out of Pine Lake on the west end. This is in keeping with another Pete Seeger tradition, the Sloop Clearwater, http://www.clearwater.org/festival/aboutclearwater.html which has been working since 1969 to clean up the Hudson River in New York State, where Pete Seeger lives. For more information about the May 3 concert, please call (404) 297-8398. MUSICIAN WEBSITES: Allison Adams http://www.myspace.com/allisonadamsmusic Caroline Aiken http://www.carolineaiken.com Mauricio Amaya http://www.singingarmadillo.com Joyce Brookshire http://www.joycebrookshire.com Cyndi Craven http://www.cyndicravenmusic.com Scott Freeman http://www.myspace.com/scottfreemanmusic Frank & Mary Hamilton Melanie Hammet http://www.melaniehammet.com Joyce & Jacque Evan Kinney http://www.myspace.com/evankinney Mick Kinney http://www.myspace.com/mickkinney Celeste Miller http://www.celestemiller.com Carolyn Renee Morris Jeff & Johnny Mosier http://www.bluegroundundergrass.com Berné Poliakoff http://www.frenchyberne.com Craig Rafuse http://www.echolake.com/craigown.htm Virginia Schenck Bert Tanner http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2008/Mar/16/ballad-blues-louie-bluie/ Ann Whitley http://www.peavinecreek.com Elise Witt http://www.elisewitt.com Tom Wolf http://www.myspace.com/tomwolf -- Website http://www.elisewitt.com For Presenters http://www.sonicbids.com/EliseWitt To purchase CDs http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/elisewitt3 Love Being Here http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/elisewitt2 Open The Window http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/elisewitt1 Mezzanine http://www.eFolkMusic.org EMWorld Records PO Box 148 Pine Lake GA 30072 USA (404) 297-8398 |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: Mark Ross Date: 17 Apr 09 - 02:56 PM Looks good Frank. Wish I could be there. Mark Ross |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: mark gregory Date: 17 Apr 09 - 09:47 PM Maurie Mulheron's One Word We! Sydney, Australia in June Download flyer (pdf) Tom Mann Theatre 136 Chalmers Street Surry Hills NSW (near Central Station) 3 shows only Friday 12 June 8pm, Saturday 13 June 8pm, Sunday matinee 14 June 2pm Tickets $25 (concession $20) Bookings: MCA-TIX Phone 1300 306 776 or online http://cms.mca-tix.com.au/ Returns by popular demand to celebrate Pete Seeger's 90th birthday the songs & story of pete seeger and friends a musical biography by maurie mulheron directed by frank barnes with jim conway pat craigie liz frencham greg leisner jeannie lewis monique piwonka maurie mulheron This show chronicles the life, times, friends and music of one of the world's most influential and progressive musicians, Pete Seeger. Once America's most boycotted, banned, blacklisted and picketed singer in history, Pete not only survived but at 90, still records and performs including at the recent Obama Inauguration Lincoln Memorial Concert with Bruce Springsteen. Come along and hear Pete's story as well as the songs that have enriched the lives of millions around the world including If I Had a Hammer, We Shall Overcome, Turn! Turn! Turn!, Where Have All the Flowers Gone, Goodnight Irene, Little Boxes, Midnight Special and lots more. One Word...WE! was last seen at Sydney's New Theatre where it played to capacity houses each night. Original cast with special guest, Jim Conway. |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: mark gregory Date: 21 Apr 09 - 01:26 AM Australian Peace Committee (SA) Inc. Prince Albert Hotel 254 Wright St, Adelaide Sunday 3rd May from 3pm $2 donation Everyone is invited to help us to celebrate Pete's 90th birthday. Please bring along your friends and your instruments and voices to join in singing his songs. [Singing is not a requirement! You can just listen to others if you prefer to] Food and drink is available from the bar. We ask for a $2 donation to help cover our costs. We have booked the large room upstairs, and appreciate it if you will let us know you are coming so we [and the hotel] can make necessary arrangements. Starting at 3pm ~ The Australian Peace Committee invites you to come and celebrate the birthday of one of the world's long-time, dedicated and effective peace workers. Folk singers perform -- sing-along with Pete's songs -- video "Wasn't That a Time!" -- food and drink available from the hotel's bar / kitchen Please RSVP so we have an idea of numbers: grayle@bigpond.net.au |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: mark gregory Date: 21 Apr 09 - 07:16 PM Girvan Folk Festival, Ayrshire,Scotland 3 May 2pm Alistair Hulett, Jimmy Ross and Finlay Allison perform their word and song tribute concert 'Which Side Are You On? – The Life And Times Of Pete Seeger.' This date is International Pete Seeger Day, the 9th birthday of the undisputed godfather of American Political Song. Musicians worldwide will be celebrating Pete Seeger's enormous contribution to folk music and political struggle on this very special day. For more details visit http://www.girvanfolkfestival.co.uk/ |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: mark gregory Date: 22 Apr 09 - 04:00 AM more Australian celebrations noted: Corryong, Vic There's a sing along in Corryong organised by Jan Mallacoota, Vic In Mallacoota, in eastern Victoria, Jean is making sure they sing for Pete's sake. Penshurst, Vic Joy is the mover and shaker for the Penshurst sing along in the western district Denver, Vic (population about 50, location Central Victoria) Peter is leading the singing for his namesake. see http://unionsong.com/seeger90.html |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: mark gregory Date: 30 Apr 09 - 08:43 AM Here's the latest list of events in Australia check http://unionsong.com/seeger90.html for updates cheers Mark --------------------------------------------------------- ABC Music Deli Friday 1 May 8.05pm Sat 2 May 4.05 am and Sunday 3 May 4.05 pm Paul Petran's Music Deli (ABC Radio National) is doing a tribute to Pete Seeger this week the program airs Friday 1 May 8.05pm, Sat 2 May 4.05am and Sunday 3 May 4.05 pm Bernard Carney and the Working voices choir will be featured doing some Pete Seeger tributes and as the Birthday coincides with May Day will also be 'Singing for Pete's Sake' at the May Day rally in Fremantle WA --------------------------------------------------------- Illawarra Folk Club Pete Seeger tribute night Saturday 2 May at 7.30pm City Diggers Wollongong, NSW The main guest will be Maurie Mulheron who wrote the play about Pete called 'One Word We'. There will be a swag of other performers as well. ---------------------------------------------------------- Camp Eureka Working Collective Inc Sing along for Pete Unitarian Church 110 Grey Street, East Melbourne, Victoria 5pm Sunday 3 May for a cup of tea first, followed by the singalong at 5.30pm till 7.30pm The door charge will be $10, $8 conc and children free. This idea started in Melbourne and is beginning to catch on around the globe. It is early days yet but there are concerts or singalongs planned in Copenhagen Denmark and country Victoria in Corryong and Mallacoota, in Melbourne and many places in the USA. Leading the singing will be Judy Small, the Melbourne Trade Union Choir, David Lumsden and others. ---------------------------------------------------------- Sing for Pete's sake! The Top End Folk Club at the Railway Club Darwin NT Sunday 3 May 5.30pm Entry by gold coin donation Pete Seeger, singer, songwriter, musician and activist turns 90 on Sunday 3 May, 2009. To celebrate Pete's life and his great influence there are community concerts being held all over the world. Pete was committed to getting people to sing. He said, "not everybody can talk at the same time, but everybody can sing at the same time". He had it in his heart to believe that music used for social benefit could change the world. In so many important ways Pete gave us a model of joy and human connection. So everywhere around the globe, as a tribute to Seeger, let's sing for Pete's sake! The Top End Folk Club has its regular session at the Railway Club every Sunday from 2 - 5pm, sing for Pete's sake begins after that, around 5.30pm ---------------------------------------------------------- Australian Peace Committee (SA) Inc. Prince Albert Hotel 254 Wright St, Adelaide Sunday 3rd May from 3pm $2 donation Everyone is invited to help us to celebrate Pete's 90th birthday. Please bring along your friends and your instruments and voices to join in singing his songs. [Singing is not a requirement! You can just listen to others if you prefer to] Food and drink is available from the bar. We ask for a $2 donation to help cover our costs. We have booked the large room upstairs, and appreciate it if you will let us know you are coming so we [and the hotel] can make necessary arrangements. Starting at 3pm -- The Australian Peace Committee invites you to come and celebrate the birthday of one of the world's long-time, dedicated and effective peace workers. Folk singers perform -- sing-along with Pete's songs -- video "Wasn't That a Time!" -- food and drink available from the hotel's bar / kitchen Please RSVP so we have an idea of numbers: grayle@bigpond.net.au ---------------------------------------------------------- Sing for Pete's Sake, Leura, NSW Various musicians around the world are organising concerts called 'For Pete's Sake, Sing!' The idea is to have people singing on May 3 in whatever way they can. The concerts are a spin-off from a grass-roots campaign to put Pete forward for a Nobel Peace Prize (http://www.nobelprize4pete.org/). The Fagans will be singing at a house concert at Leura, at the home of Greg and Lynne Hudson (Spooky Men's Chorale) and the contact for tickets is Lynne Hudson (0408977643). ---------------------------------------------------------- Corryong, Vic There's a sing along in Corryong organised by Jan ---------------------------------------------------------- Mallacoota, Vic In Mallacoota, in eastern Victoria, Jean is making sure they sing for Pete's sake. ---------------------------------------------------------- Penshurst, Vic Joy is the mover and shaker for the Penshurst sing along in the western district ---------------------------------------------------------- Denver, Vic (population about 50, location Central Victoria) Peter is leading the singing for his namesake. --------------------------------------------------------- Download flyer (pdf) Tom Mann Theatre 136 Chalmers Street Surry Hills NSW (near Central Station) 3 shows only Friday 12 June 8pm, Saturday 13 June 8pm, Sunday matinee 14 June 2pm Tickets $25 (concession $20) Bookings: MCA-TIX Phone 1300 306 776 or online http://cms.mca-tix.com.au/ Returns by popular demand to celebrate Pete Seeger's 90th birthday the songs & story of pete seeger and friends a musical biography by maurie mulheron directed by frank barnes with jim conway pat craigie liz frencham greg leisner jeannie lewis monique piwonka maurie mulheron This show chronicles the life, times, friends and music of one of the world's most influential and progressive musicians, Pete Seeger. Once America's most boycotted, banned, blacklisted and picketed singer in history, Pete not only survived but at 90, still records and performs including at the recent Obama Inauguration Lincoln Memorial Concert with Bruce Springsteen. Come along and hear Pete's story as well as the songs that have enriched the lives of millions around the world including If I Had a Hammer, We Shall Overcome, Turn! Turn! Turn!, Where Have All the Flowers Gone, Goodnight Irene, Little Boxes, Midnight Special and lots more. One Word...WE! was last seen at Sydney's New Theatre where it played to capacity houses each night. Original cast with special guest, Jim Conway. ---------------------------------------------------------- Loaded Dog Folk Club Annandale Neighbourhood Centre 79 Johnston Street, Annandale Saturday 27 June 8pm Maurie Mulheron and friends http://www.theloadeddog.org.au/ And as is known by all good folk from Manchester to Maine to Melbourne - you don't get a finer harmonies in the chorus than you do at The Loaded Dog. --------------------------------------------------------- DVD Pete Seeger: Live in Australia -- Release Date: 2 July 2009 -- download coupon (pdf) $24.95 Pete Seeger is a beautifully filmed 105 minute concert showcasing one of the most provocative figures in music history. In 1963 Pete Seeger, blacklisted and barred from American television, he fled the persecution of his homeland and embarked on a 10 month world tour. One of his first stops was Australia where he was welcomed with open arms and sold-out performances. This DVD not only presents a full concert filmed in Melbourne but also includes 55 minutes of bonus footage from various other Australian television appearances. Witness how one man, armed only with a banjo, a guitar and the power of song, captures the hearts and minds of a nation. Australian perspective booklet notes by Warren Fahey. SPECIAL FEATURES * Pete singing and discussing the songs of Lead Belly (also features 3 rare performances by Lead Belly filmed in 1945). * Interviews and performances on Australian news programs. * 16-page booklet featuring liner notes by Seeger biographer David K. Dunaway. * Rare photographs, home movies and memorabilia. ---------------------------------------------------------- If I Had A Song Star of the Sea Theatre cnr Collingwood St and Iluka Ave. Manly, NSW 2095 Saturday 22 August 7.30pm $17.50 / $12.50 If I Had A Song: A celebration of the music of Pete Seeger featuring a host of performers and rare visual footage. Singing along is mandatory. --------------------------------------------------------- http://unionsong.com/seeger90.html |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: mark gregory Date: 30 Apr 09 - 07:20 PM In today's Australian Pete Seeger is unlikely to have thought he'd find himself serenading a US president-elect. After all, whenever he found himself in the vicinity of the White House through the decades, it was invariably to picket or protest. Yet on the day before Barack Obama's inauguration last January, just as the We Are One concert at the Lincoln Memorial was drawing to a close, Bruce Springsteen invited a white-bearded figure in a knitted woollen cap to step out from the shadows. "Lead us, Pete," he implored. And lead Pete did, in a manner familiar to all who have seen or heard him perform, turning the celebration into an uplifting singalong of Woody Guthrie's This Land is Your Land, a song that became well known despite "never being played on radio or sold", Seeger says. It found its way into school repertoires, but without its most potent verses. "How wonderful to rhyme 'tried to stop me' with 'private property'," he says. "Only Woody could have thought of that." Anyhow, "nobody said you couldn't sing them" at the Lincoln Memorial, so he did. Click here to read the full article http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25410026-16947,00.html |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: McGrath of Harlow Date: 02 May 09 - 07:37 AM Just to remind us there are some pretty nasty people out there, and not just on the far right, here's a piece in yesterday's Independent (which in America would count as well out towards the liberal fringe) - Was a rebel ever quite so conservative? ? |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: Peter T. Date: 02 May 09 - 10:46 AM Toronto's celebration is Sunday night, 7:30, at the Leah Poslun's Theatre, north of Sheppard on Bathurst, hosted by The Travellers. yours, Peter T. |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: Susanne (skw) Date: 02 May 09 - 05:19 PM German radio station Deutschlandfunk broadcast a one-hour programme last Tuesday, 28 April, 1am, called Pete Seeger: Von der Macht des Gesanges (Pete Seeger: On the Power of Singing), hosted by folk journalist Michael Kleff. It may still be available for replay. Try looking under www.dradio.de. I also discovered belatedly that the Observer ran a profile by Ed Vuillamy on 5 April. Haven't got round to reading it yet, but the caricature going with it not only replaces Pete's signature banjo with a guitar, it also makes him look more like Lao Tse that Pete ... |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: McGrath of Harlow Date: 02 May 09 - 05:38 PM I see that unpleasant piece about Pete I linked to in the Independent a couple of posts back has a place for comments. Maybe some Mudcatters might like to use it. |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: mark gregory Date: 02 May 09 - 10:05 PM thought you'd like this on BBC Archive Radio 4 http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00k2nkx/Archive_on_4_Pete_Seeger_at_90 cheers Mark |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: GUEST,.gargoyle Date: 02 May 09 - 11:22 PM In total honesty - you are missing Russia (remember former USSR?)
Father and son? Surely the contribution to the motherland is not forgotten by those whose philosophy they embraced.
Sincerely,
I will post the links tomorrow - different points of view - if a clone permits this to stay.
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: r.padgett Date: 03 May 09 - 02:28 AM I wish all the very best to Pete Seeger on is 90th birthday! he has had a tremendous career and clearly met some remarkable people on the journey I listened last night to BBC R4 programme dedicated to his work which included extracts of many years from their archives Singing and leading others in choruses and bringing to the attention of the World the plight of others, particularly during the 1960s in the USA, Martin Luther King and racial segregation and before that the witch hunt of McCarthism Who would have believed that the US would now have a black President in the early noughties! People's need for fair play and playing field which is as level as possible, as well the elimination of starvation and oppression are ideals which we must all aspire to Good on yer Pete Seeger!! Ray |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: mark gregory Date: 03 May 09 - 05:30 AM About 70 people turned up to sing at Greg and Lynne's in the Blue Mountains town of Lawson for a lovely autumnal afternoon. A wonderful four hours of songs like The Hammer Song, Oh Freedom, Andorra, Guantanamera, Stand Together, Bell's of Rhymney, Black Girl, Mary Ha A Little Lamb and ending up arm in arm for We Shall Overcome Happy Birthday Pete! (and Greg) |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: GUEST,.gargoyle Date: 03 May 09 - 06:26 AM To those steeped in socialism I can understand the lionization of Seeger aka "Moscow's Canary" and "Khrushchev's Songbird."
1936 joined the Young Communist League You ain't a-gonna send me 'cross the sea. You may say it's for defense That kinda talk ain't got no sense. 1948 started the Weavers, the house band for the American Communist Party Writer Alec Wilkinson notes that Pete is the son of a composer and a Communist who believed that a song was only good if it was good for something (such as inspiring the masses to revolution). "The main question, then," the elder Seeger wrote in a manifesto that his son took to heart, "should be not 'is it good music?' but 'what is music good for?';
(WSJ Book Review By Michael Ybarra 04/02/2009 page W9)
The elder Seeger quit the party after the Moscow show trials engineered by Stalin in 1938. Seeger the younger stayed onboard until 1949, when he too quit, although he continued to perform at party rallies for years after. "I thought Stalin was the brave secretary Stalin," he tells Mr. Wilkinson, "and had no idea how cruel a leader he was."
But Stalin's cruelty was not exactly a secret during these years. Why did Mr. Seeger stay so long? How could he reconcile his concern for the downtrodden in his own country with his unquestioning support of a murderous regime that punished dissent not merely with blacklisting but, if you were lucky, with a stint in the gulag? One of the benefits of a long life is the opportunity for mature reflection on youthful error. On the evidence of "The Protest Singer," Mr. Seeger is truly ageless.
(David Boaz - Commentary Guardian Friday 14 April 2006)
"Seeger's long habit of following the Stalinist line."
To everything there is a season. We can only hope that soon it will be the season for holding accountable those who worked for Stalinist tyranny, as we have held accountable those who worked for National Socialist tyranny.
(Ron Radosh - former student and friend of Seeger - New York Sun, June 12, 2007)
For years, Mr. Seeger used to sing a song with a Yiddish group called "Hey Zhankoye," which helped spread the fiction that Stalin's USSR freed the Russian Jews by establishing Jewish collective farms in the Crimea. Singing such a song at the same time as Stalin was planning the obliteration of Soviet Jewry was disgraceful. It is now decades later. Why doesn't Mr. Seeger talk about this and offer an apology?
According to the film, (Power of Song) one of Mr. Seeger's greatest accomplishments was his tour with third-party Presidential candidate Henry A. Wallace in 1948....Nowhere do we learn that Wallace's campaign was in fact a Communist Party-run affair, and that had he been elected, Wallace announced he was going to appoint men to his Cabinet who we now know were bona fide Soviet agents.
Mr. Brown's film lionizes him, and lets viewers believe that his old causes were on target, that his opponents were in essence war criminals.
A sympathetic but accurate film would praise Mr. Seeger as an individual and an artist, and would honor him for his contribution to American music and for his dedication to causes he believed in. But it would dare to criticize him for his anachronistic and false political views.
"If I Had a Hammer (And Sickle), excerpts a column from David Boaz on "the old, but still interesting, topic of why the modern press gives commies better press than they give Nazis, hooked to the New Yorker's recent Pete Seeger profile." (Michael Moynihan - Reason - April 29, 2009 quoting Steve Chapman, "America Honors its Troubadour of Totalitarianism":) "For his entire career, Seeger's art has been a weapon in the service of a cause that has produced more suffering, destroyed more lives and piled up more corpses than any other form of government in human history.
"Somehow, a few nice tunes don't seem to make up for all that."
Happy birthday, comrade!
BOAZ - guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2006/apr/14/post33?commentpage=1
Sincerely, A man of "integrity?" Who states in a 2007 documentry that he resigned from the Weavers when the three other band members agreed to perform a jingle for a cigarette commercial but cannot see the log in his own eye. |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: mark gregory Date: 03 May 09 - 06:43 AM this machine surrounds hate etc |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: Peter T. Date: 03 May 09 - 10:26 AM Er. Pete Seeger was a soldier in WWII. I believe he was drafted. Stalin was our gallant ally in WWII. Holding everyone accountable for that will take some time..... yours, Peter T. |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: Sandra in Sydney Date: 03 May 09 - 10:54 AM around 20 of us sang a heap of Pete's songs this afternoon at a 140th birthday party (host & hostess hit 70!) and one of the questions on tonight's radio trivia quiz related to Pete Seeger & the contestant identified the song & singer, and also answered other questions about PPM! The song was taken from the Obama inauguration concert & listeners were urged to find it on YouTube. sandra |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: Francy Date: 03 May 09 - 01:34 PM Will be celebrating Pete's birthday today in portland, oregon from 11:30am to 1:30pm at Papa G's Vegan restaurant on 23rd & Division in portland...Hope to see you there..Frank of Toledo |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: WFDU - Ron Olesko Date: 03 May 09 - 02:43 PM I'm heading off to the birthday party at the Garden! I hope some other Mudcatters will be there so we can compare notes tomorrow! Don't let master baiters like Gargoyle blur the reality of today. Seeger has nothing to apologize for, nor has there ever been a need to fear the politics of Pete Seeger. It is one thing to disagree with stances that an individual takes, but to set forth lies and to twist the truth is a tactic that always fails. Pete has lived to see himself proven "right" in many of the causes he believed in. He is a true patriot and it is good to see most people come to understand that. While there will always be some right-wing conservaties whose lack of education about socialism will forever cloud their opinion, their days are numbered and history is already showing them for their misguided beliefs and hateful rhetoric and the damage they have done - all out of fear and ignorance. Pete is no saint, and I don't agree with everything he says or does - but the ONE thing that he has taught us, above all, is that the individual can make a difference as part of a greater community and we have the tools to make this a better world. Happy birthday day Pete! |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: GUEST,GlobalPundit.Org Date: 03 May 09 - 03:08 PM Please enjoy this tribute to Pete which includes renditions of his songs by young performers, poets, politicians, an citizens... any feedback is appreciated Still Hammering For Justice: Happy 90th Birthday Pete Seeger Special http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/271767 |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: ard mhacha Date: 03 May 09 - 03:26 PM I wish this great man a happy birthday and many more of them. |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: Leadbelly Date: 03 May 09 - 03:45 PM A very happy birthday, good old Pete! You reflect the human face of a country called the USA. Manfred from Germany |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: Little Robyn Date: 03 May 09 - 03:59 PM Folk on Sunday on Kidnapper's Community Radio, here in Hawke's Bay, New Zealand, played a one hour Pete Seeger special, including tracks from the Almanac Singers, the Weavers, Peggy, Penny and Barbara Seeger, Arlo, Tao, HARP and almost every track had Pete singing or speaking as well. Our show was broadcast live on 1431am and streaming live on the internet at www.radiokidnappers.org.nz from 3-4pm NZ time and will repeat in about 13 hours time, at 9pm tonight which is equivalent to 9am GMT or 10am BST. I think that's 5pm mudcat time. (But our station manager sometimes puts the wrong programme on so we have our fingers crossed for tonight.) Happy Birthday Pete! Robyn |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: C. Ham Date: 03 May 09 - 05:38 PM Happy Birthday Pete! Mike Regenstreif's blog for Pete's birthday |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: GUEST,Pamela from Ithaca Date: 03 May 09 - 07:25 PM We just finished a wonderful pot-luck sing in a lovely park right next to Cayuga Lake in the Finger Lakes. Six hours of singing, sharing stories, eating good food. A big, colorful birthday card we'll somehow send to Pete. Bill Steele was there to sing Garbage... so many more, wonderful, playful, meaningful songs. I'm glowing. |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: GUEST,Bob Biderman Date: 03 May 09 - 07:27 PM Happy birthday Pete. You've had a huge impact on my life and those of millions of others. Thank you so very much. |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: Joe_F Date: 03 May 09 - 09:31 PM I had my choice of two in the Boston area. Just went to the one at Doyle's in Jamaica Plain. I am happy to say that we sang "Get Up and Go". |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: WFDU - Ron Olesko Date: 03 May 09 - 10:34 PM THE CONCERT WAS AMAZING! I just returned and I'm emotionally drained. I will write more tomorrow. To be in Madison Square Garden and be part of Pete Seeger teaching the crowd the words and story behind "Amazing Grace" - and then hearing the capacity crowd sing the song - IN HARMONY - was an event I won't forget. This is the power of song. More tomorrow here and on my blog |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: WFDU - Ron Olesko Date: 03 May 09 - 10:35 PM one more thing - Pete looked so happy. I don't know how they will top thia at Pete's 100th Birthday party! |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: Joybell Date: 03 May 09 - 11:04 PM We had 17 keen and happy people. We also have a card for Pete. We ate the chocolate cake though -- all of it. Cheers, Joy |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: GUEST,Pamela from Ithaca Date: 04 May 09 - 12:32 AM Ron, I'm looking forward to hearing the details. Where do we find your blog? |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: Little Robyn Date: 04 May 09 - 05:35 AM OK, so it's on from 5-6am mudcat time. I'm just listening to the repeat (rePete) now and Pete has just sung Malaika. Robyn |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: Little Robyn Date: 04 May 09 - 05:39 AM Look here http://www.radiokidnappers.org.nz/internet_audio.php Robyn |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: Fidjit Date: 04 May 09 - 07:03 AM I managed, "Where Have All The Flowers Gone?" for my dancers last night. Chas |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: rich-joy Date: 04 May 09 - 09:34 PM I read that "Independent" piece linked to above on May 2nd (but only 3 comments currently attached on the website, Kevin) ... My 2cents worth : It is a rare thing for a human being to not have some regret for a thought, a word, a deed, during their Life - esp. one lived as long as 90+ years. Likewise, it's not often that one's opinions, ideals, philosophies, are EXACTLY the same in later life, as they were at 20 - or even 30 years of age. But, that doesn't mean that their Past was Wrong - just "of its time" and the level of available knowledge. So c'mon, you members of the "Still-Paranoid-About-Commies" Society : "For Pete's Sake" - give us ALL a break!! (.... and though you may not agree with Pete Seeger, it perhaps begs the question : just what did YOU do, to try and help The Planet and the lives of its People???) R-J Down Under |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: mark gregory Date: 05 May 09 - 12:31 AM Pete Seeger Celebrates 90th With a Clearwater Concert By JON CARAMANICA Published: May 4, 2009 New York Time review of Madison Square Garden concert "Mr. Seeger led the crowd in "Amazing Grace," calling out lines in a spooky, hole-filled, appealingly weathered voice. It was one of several brawny, moving exercises in mass vocalizing: "We Shall Overcome," "This Land Is Your Land," "Well May the World Go," "This Little Light of Mine." Ninety years after Mr. Seeger's birth, 50 or so years after the height of the folk music movement, 40 years after the civil rights movement, and 104 days after the swearing-in of the country's first black president, those songs no longer sound defiant or expectant, but instead matter-of-fact." |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: mark gregory Date: 05 May 09 - 12:51 AM Democracy Now tribute to Pete Seeger "Legendary folk singer, banjo player, storyteller, and political and environmental activist Pete Seeger turned ninety on Sunday. More than 18,000 people packed New York's Madison Square Garden Sunday celebrate the man, the music and the movement." |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: VirginiaTam Date: 05 May 09 - 03:22 AM I was at the Rochester Sweeps in Rochester Kent, UK on the Sunday, where I performed some Seeger covers. Black Girl, Midnight Special, John Henry, Run, Come See Jerusalem. There may have been one or two others but I cannot remember them. Hope you had a happy birthday Pete. re the Independent article from Terence Blacker... as a newspaper columnist, I can't take him seriously. The job requires either humour of contentiousness in order to sell newspapers. He needed a topic to write on, it happened to be Seegers birthday, he needed to make the article of interest. I would bet that he hadn't really formed any opinion whatever of Seeger until it came to write the article. Probably never showed on his radar until now. But if he did know and dislike Seeger for sometime, then he is put off by people who are genuinely nice (a certain generation in the US were raised to be that way) then I pity Mr. Blacker. |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: VirginiaTam Date: 05 May 09 - 04:56 AM JON CARAMANICA quote "those songs no longer sound defiant or expectant, but instead matter-of-fact." sounds a bit jaded, though he may not have intended it to. I feel I am experiencing (at 51 years of age) a revival of the socialistic hope and rage I knew in my youth as I rediscover these songs which were in their heyday when I was too young to understand them. |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: WFDU - Ron Olesko Date: 05 May 09 - 04:10 PM I wrote a review and some thoughts on my website - www.ronolesko.blogspot.com There is another thread that deals specifically with the Garden concert |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: mark gregory Date: 05 May 09 - 08:46 PM More Reviews of Clearwater Concert Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp Salute Seeger's 90th (Rolling Stone) Pete Seeger celebrates 90th with musician pals (LA Times) |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: Joe_F Date: 05 May 09 - 09:23 PM IIRC, he once remarked that his appearing in Carnegie Hall did not mean he always agreed with Andrew Carnegie or Gus Hall. |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: Azizi Date: 05 May 09 - 09:32 PM Here's a link to a long, detailed account of that concert by blogger Al Giordano: http://narcosphere.narconews.com/thefield The Seeger Concert: New York Shall Rise Again Posted by Al Giordano - May 5, 2009 at 8:21 am Here's an excerpt from that blog post: ..."The concert started out slow enough, with muddling performances by the likes of John Mellancamp and an audience mainly of sixties generation folkies with a healthy contingent of their kids and grandkids, most of which didn't sing along with his version of "If I Had a Hammer." Bruce Cockburn and Ani DiFranco had some, but not much more, success getting the so far sleepy spectators to join in on Florence Reese's coal miner anthem, "Which Side Are You On?," including some inspired new lyrics from DiFranco: "Lord knows the free market is anything but free It costs dearly to the planet and the likes of you and me Oh, which side are you on, boys Which side are you on…" Topical songwriter Tom Paxton, Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine), Eric Weissberg (best known for his banjo theme for the motion picture, Deliverance), and Jacob Silver (Anarchist Orchestra) did an inspired bluegrass version of "John Henry," during which the audience showed its first stirrings of life. Weisberg then joined Laura Cortese (Anarchist Orchestra), Michael Franti (Spearhead), and Patterson Hood (Drive-By Truckers) for "Dear Mr. President." One of them said, "I'm kinda glad to be singin' this for this president and not the last one." The public went wild with applause... The mother-daughter team of Bernice Johnson Reagon (Sweet Honey and the Rock) and Toshi Reagon together with bluesman Guy Davis, Jacob Silver, and Patterson Hood (who had perhaps the most awesome night overall among all the stars assembled, his infectious enthusiasm permeating each song he, his voice and his guitar touched) led the crowd in the old gospel spiritual, "Oh, Freedom" ("and before I'll be a slave, I'll be buried in my grave, and go home to my lord and be free…"). Billy Bragg did an a capella version of "The Internacionale" - "C'est la lutte finale/ Groupons-nous et demain/ L'Internationale/ Sera le genre humain" – in English. Dar Williams and some other country-rockers sung "Union Maid." Pete came on stage with his grandson Tao Rodríguez-Seeger, legendary bluesman Taj Mahal, Toshi Reagon, and Steve Earle, to sing what really is the theme song for riding up and down the river on the Clearwater Sloop: "Sailin' Up (Sailin' Down)." The singer says "up," the audience calls back, "down! …Up, DOWN! Down, UP! Up and down the river, sailin' on, stoppin' along the way… The river may be dirty now but it's gettin' cleaner every day… There was a kind of mostly-Canadian lullaby section of the first set featuring Kate & Anna McGarricle, Bruce Cockburn, Emmy Lou Harris and the New York City Labor Council Chorus singing "The River Is Wide" and "If I Had Wings." It brought a curious moment when Rufus Wainwright appeared from the shadows to sing a lilting verse: a bunch of the aging boomers in Section 90 of Madison Square Garden, in unison, were asking each other "who's that?" A lesson on the market-niching of America: Outside that hall, Rufus sells more CDs and wins more Grammies than almost anyone on the stage on Sunday, but the folks, at least in my section of the arena, knew of his folky aunt and mother but not about him. Well, they sure know about him now. There was a wonderful video interlude about Pete marrying Toshi Seeger during a World War II soldier's furlough in 1943. Not knowing many people who have been happily married for 66 years, that was hugely impressive. Taj Mahal and Tom Morello dueted on "Waste Deep in the Big Muddy," which Seeger had sung during the Vietnam War on The Smothers Brothers TV show (the tune's "old fool" character was clearly Lyndon Baines Johnson) only to have CBS Censor it. A public outcry forced the network to invite him on again for a do-over. Joan Baez sang an obligatory "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" And Ruby Dee took the stage backed by Bela Fleck on the banjo, reciting Pete's 1969 poem, The Torn Flag"... -snip- And the post continues with interesting information and comments. |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: mark gregory Date: 06 May 09 - 04:58 AM from The Hollywood Reporter 'Springsteen ... talked at length about a man who he described as "looking like your 90-year-old grandpa, if your grandpa could kick your ass!" More seriously, he said, "At 90, he remains a stealth dagger into the country's illusions about itself." Springsteen then sang his "The Ghost of Tom Joad" as a duet with Tom Morello. With many of the performers joining together for group numbers, the evening's highlights were numerous. They included a haunting "Fare Thee Well," performed by Rufus Wainwright, Teddy Thompson, the McGarrigle Sisters and Bruce Cockburn; a dazzling banjo medley by Bela Fleck and Tony Trischka, which playfully included "Happy Birthday to You"; Joan Baez, showcasing her still-lustrous voice with the still-relevant "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?"; Billy Bragg's a cappella rendition of "The Internationale," with his own rewritten lyrics; a rousing "We Shall Overcome," led by Seeger; Kris Kristofferson and Ani DiFranco's amusing duet on the children's song "Hole in the Bucket"; Richie Havens, looking like a biblical prophet, reprising his hit "Freedom"; and a killer lineup of Taj Mahal, Toshi Reagon, Steve Earle, Warren Haynes and Seeger trading verses on "Sailin' Up, Sailin' Down." ' |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: mark gregory Date: 06 May 09 - 06:34 AM from Bergen Now 'Actor Tim Robbins told the audience that at this birthday party, nothing would make Pete happier than to hear everyone singing along. Learning about the history of some of the songs, learning how to harmonize during Pete's "Amazing Grace", listening to Peggy Seeger describe some fun moments in her life with Pete and the touching tribute she shared with the audience, made it an event hard to forget.' |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: mark gregory Date: 06 May 09 - 06:39 AM from Bergen Now 'Actor Tim Robbins told the audience that at this birthday party, nothing would make Pete happier than to hear everyone singing along. Learning about the history of some of the songs, learning how to harmonize during Pete's "Amazing Grace", listening to Peggy Seeger describe some fun moments in her life with Pete and the touching tribute she shared with the audience, made it an event hard to forget.' |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: Hearthale Date: 06 May 09 - 09:28 AM Wonderful inspiring event. Happy Birthday Pete. Enjoyed everything but particularly interested in Tommy Sands's Little Boxes followed by a jig emanating from the Boxes melody. I wonder how many noticed that the intro he played was from 17th century Turlough O'Carolan's Planxty Hewlett. Are both melodies the same? |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: mark gregory Date: 06 May 09 - 11:40 PM then there's Billboard 'Pete Seeger's grandson, Tao Rodriguez-Seeger, whom many first saw during their historic singalong of "This Land Is Your Land" on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial before the inauguration of President Obama, led the rousing call to disarm "Bring 'Em Home" with Tyler Ramsey and Ben Bridwell of Band of Horses, guitarist Warren Haynes, and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band Horns Section. Joan Baez delivered one of the most wrenching performances of the night, the folk spiritual "Jacob's Ladder," in an unvarnished arrangement that daringly put on display some of her voice's time-worn nuances. It was one of the most riveting moments of the night and true to the essence of Ms. Baez.' |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: mark gregory Date: 09 May 09 - 02:13 AM Reviews keep appearing in the press: this one in The Huffington Post: Outlasting the Bastards: Learning and Applying the Pete Seeger Lesson '... the huge, almost five hour long Clearwater Benefit concert in a sold-out Madison Square Garden that featured nearly a hundred of our country's best folk and jazz musicians all singing and playing their hearts out in tribute to the first 90 hard-lived and hard-fought years that have made the musical activist legend. There's no way for me to describe this experience in words and no way to improve on the musicians' various tributes but Bruce Springsteen's words did encapsulate well the Seeger secret of success: the "stubborn, defiant and nasty optimism" that Pete needed to stand on conscience in the darkest of hours with those like Paul Robeson and Martin Luther King; to truly believe "we shall overcome" and the "stubborn, defiant and nasty optimism" which has ultimately allowed him to "outlast the bastards".' |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: mark gregory Date: 10 May 09 - 09:05 AM ... The Irish Times 'HALFWAY through his 90th birthday celebration at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night, Pete Seeger urged everybody in the 18,000-strong audience to join in an a cappella version of Amazing Grace. “There’s no such thing as a wrong note as long as you’re singing it,” he said. Fifty of the biggest names in American music, including Bruce Springsteen, Joan Baez and Kris Kristofferson, joined Seeger onstage for the 4½-hour event. It had less the feel of a concert, however, than of a giant sing-along with a group of old friends. Seeger has been singing and campaigning on behalf of progressive causes for almost 70 years, standing with trade unions and migrant workers in the 1930s and 1940s, opposing the Cold War in the 1950s, marching for civil rights and against the Vietnam war in the 1960s, joining the struggle against South African apartheid in the 1970s, and focusing on environmental activism ever since.' |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: Dorothy Parshall Date: 10 May 09 - 10:39 PM To celebrate Pete Seeger! Here on beautiful Whidbey Island, over 200 people overflowed the UU church as a dozen fine local musicians played songs, both Pete's and Woody's, and told anecdotes. Everyone sang along with vigour as the sun set over Puget Sound. Carrot cake was served to all. I would rather have been here than Madison Square G. Pete was here in spirit. So was Woody whom we celebrated on Earth Day. The church celebrated Pete again during their sunday service. (He is one of them.) The MC read the following wonderful quote: "Once upon a time, wasn't singing a part of everyday life as much as talking, physical exercise and religion. Our distant ancestors, wherever they were in the world, sang while pounding grain, paddling canoes or walking long journeys. Can we begin to make our lives once more all the peace? Finding the right songs, singing them over and over is a way to start. And when one person taps out a beat while another leads into a melody or when three people discover a harmony they never knew existed or a crowd joins in on a chorus in order to raise the ceiling a few feet higher.... then they know there is hope for the world." -Pete Seeger (I feel there may be a word or two missing but have not yet found MC to be sure. If I do I'll cop another hug, too!) |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: cobber Date: 10 May 09 - 10:56 PM In the end I couldn't get down to Melbourne. I had a few problems on the farm that took precedence so just for a while I took a break and sat up on the hill looking down on the valley and played my dulcimer and sang "Oh had I a golden thread". It still felt like being part of something great and the work went better for doing it. |
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Subject: RE: Pete Seeger 90th Celebrations From: Joybell Date: 11 May 09 - 10:26 PM There were lots of people joining in from afar, cobber. So nice to hear about your part in it all. Cheers, Joy |
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Subject: RE: For Pete's Sake Sing Day - Pete's 90th, May 3 From: GUEST Date: 17 May 09 - 11:13 PM Media Reviews to date Star-Studded Celebration Marks Pete Seeger's 90th Birthday (Voice of America) Live Review: Pete Seeger's 90th Birthday (LiveDaily) Outlasting the Bastards: Learning and Applying the Pete Seeger Lesson (Huffington Post) Pete Seeger's 90th Birthday Celebration at MSG (Village Voice) This land is his land: Pete Seeger turns 90 (The Age) Pete Seeger's 90th Birthday (Billboard) Seeger's 90th birthday in New York (Variety) Stars come out for Pete Seeger's 90th birthday celebration (Bergen Now) Pete Seeger 90th Birthday Concert (Hollywood Reporter) Bruce Springsteen, John Mellencamp Salute Seeger's 90th (Rolling Stone) Pete Seeger celebrates 90th with musician pals (LA Times) Tribute to Pete Seeger (Democracy Now) Pete Seeger Celebrates 90th With a Concert (New York Times)
-Joe Offer, Forum Moderator- |
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