Pete Seeger

Peter Seeger (May 3, 1919 - January 27, 2014) was an American folk rock musician and activist. Once fixed on nationwide radio in the 1940s, Seeger also had a string of hit records throughout the early 1950s as a member of the Weavers, most notably the recording "Goodnight, Irene", by Lead Belly, topped the chart for 13 weeks. in 1950. Members of the Weavers were blacklisted during the McCarthy Era. In the 1960s, Seeger re-emerged on the public stage as a popular singer of protest music in favor of international disarmament, civil rights, counterculture, workers' rights and the environmental factor.

As a prolific songwriter, his best known songs include "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" (with additional lyrics by Joe Hickerson), "If I Had a Hammer (The Hammer Song)" (with Lee) Hays of the Weavers), "Kisses Sweeter Than Wine" (with Hays), and "Turn! Turn! Turn!", have been recorded by many artists inside and outside the folk revival movement. "Flowers" is a hit record by the Kingston Trio (1962); Marlene Dietrich, who recorded it in English, German and French (1962); and Johnny Rivers (1965). "If I Had a Hammer" was a hit for Peter,Trini Lopez (1963) while the Byrds had a number one hit with "Turn! Turn! Turn!" in 1965.

Seeger is one of the most famous folk rock artists, he was responsible for popularizing the spiritual song "We Shall Overcome" (also recorded by Joan Baez and many other singers and activists), This song became the recognized anthem of the Civil Rights Movement, shortly after singer and folk activist Guy Carawan. introduced it at the founding meeting of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in 1960. In the PBS American Masters episode "Pete Seeger: The Power of Song", Seeger identifies himself as the who changed the lyrics from the traditional "We'll Overcome" to make it easier to sing "We'll Overcome".