- 28 Jan 2014 13:38
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A true legend.
Pete Seeger, the American troubadour, folk music singer and activist, has died at a hospital in New York. He was 94.
His death was confirmed by his grandson, Kitama Cahill-Jackson, who said that the singer died on Monday night after six days in hospital.
Born in New York City into an artistic family, his mother, Constance, played violin and his father, Charles, a musicologist, was a consultant to the Resettlement Administration, which gave artists work during the Depression.
He first gained fame as a member of the Weavers in 1948, and the quartet went on to have hits with their versions of songs including Goodnight Irene. Later in the 1960s folk revival he performed with Bob Dylan and, more recently, with Bruce Springsteen. He performed and recorded for six decades and was still an activist: as recently as October 2011, he marched in New York City as part of the Occupy Wall Street protests; and he wrote to Russian president Vladimir Putin requesting the release of Captain Peter Willcox and the Arctic 30 in November 2013.
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In the McCarthyite political climate of the 1950s, his leftist views got him blacklisted and he was kept off commercial television for over a decade. Summoned to give evidence about his political leanings and contacts to the House Un-American Activities Committee, Seeger refused to testify. This led to an indictment for contempt, a prison sentence and a travel ban. In America's cold war blacklisting and red-baiting years, Seeger was unable to perform in many halls and was excluded from college campuses. All the while, though, he kept writing and singing.
He was onstage in January 2009 for a gala Washington concert two days before Barack Obama was inaugurated, and was due to receive an award that honours those who embody the spirit of his legendary folk contemporary Woody Guthrie during an event on 22 February at the Peter Norton Symphony Space in New York City.
Last year, Seeger performed at Farm Aid 2013, the annual benefit for America's family farmers, alongside Willie Nelson and Neil Young
A true legend.