Pete Seeger; An American Hero

There are so few true champions among us. For reminding so many for so long to be less afraid to carry a hammer, ring a bell, or simply sing a song of freedom - and for doing it with compassion, dignity and courage - Pete Seeger is such a champion. Thank you, Pete Seeger.

HL January 2009

Bringing down the house with A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall 1963 

Updated: January 27, 2014 Pete Seeger passed away today at the age of 94. His was a life well lived.

Updated January 2012

Throughout his music and life, Pete Seeger has been steadfast in his support of civil and labor rights, racial equality, international understanding, anti-militarism and environmentalism and in his belief that music could be a means of effecting social change.

In May, 2012 Pete Seeger will be 93 years old. He will soon be gone. He has overcome much, done much and lived long enough to have garnered many honors. He deserves one more: The Presidential Medal of Freedom.

My favorite anecdote: On August 18, 1955, Seeger was subpoenaed to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee.  Many others asserted their Fifth Amendment privilege against self-incrimination and were excused from testifying.  Seeger, however,  refused to identify his personal and political associations on the grounds that to do so would violate his First Amendment rights, stating "I am not going to answer any questions as to my association, my philosophical or religious beliefs or my political beliefs, or how I voted in any election, or any of these private affairs. I think these are very improper questions for any American to be asked, especially under such compulsion as this.”

Seeger's refusal to testify led to a March 26, 1957 indictment for contempt of Congress. He was convicted in a jury trial of contempt of court in March 1961, and sentenced to 10 years in jail. In May 1962 an appeals court overturned his conviction.

Nonetheless, he was blacklisted by television networks for nearly a decade.  In 1968, at the height of the Viet Nam War, and over the protests off CBS executives, The Smothers Brothers invited him to appear on their tv program.  He performed three songs. Two of them, “Wimoweh” (The Lion Sleeps Tonight) and “ Where Have All The Flowers Gone” were broadcast then and can be found on the link below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kajnEIQGINw&list=FLp3htLk1jtHAeFqUX6IxCQw&index=1&feature=plpp_video

The third song was “Waist Deep In the Big Muddy”. With its key line, “We’re waist deep in the big muddy and the big fool says to push on”, network censors refused to air the performance. Months later they relented and it aired on the Smothers Brothers show.  That performance is here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXnJVkEX8O4&feature=fvsr

Thank you, Pete Seeger.

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