Pete Seeger, Songwriter and Champion of Folk Music, Dies at 94
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1960S Folk Ch 5 AU 14.Pptx
The 1960s Rebellion with a Cause Rebel without a Cause James Dean - 1955 1 Rebellion with a Cause Civil Rights Movement and Popular Music • Though rock and roll had bridged some racial divisions, it was avoided by civil rights activists as an emblem for their movement – Commercial success seemed inappropriate to associate with struggle against authority • Early worker’s union songs of solidarity “moved the movement” (Civil Rights) not rock – International Workers of the World (IWW) – Labor movement (1905)organized protests to secure equality for all workers – protest songs served as unifying force – IWW closed after World War I because of fears that it was a Communist organization • The Civil Rights movement opened the door for many black artists and black-owned record labels Woody Guthrie (1912-1967) Pete Seeger (1919-2014) • Folk music - English, Irish and Welch music brought to US by immigrants in 19th century • Simple acoustic songs about common people and ordinary events • 20th century Woody Guthrie and Pete Seeger brought political material to traditional folk music Pete Seeger • Seeger sang with the band “The Weavers” If I Had a Hammer (1949) • Sang politically motivated songs to promote social action and support labor movements • Sang for peace, civil rights, and workers’ rights • Both Seeger and Guthrie “blackballed” as communists during McCarthy Hearings (1954) – Folk music popularity diminished until revival in early 1960s partially because of presumed connections to Communism 2 • Woody Guthrie - “This Land is your Land” (1940) written in part to show distaste for Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America” (1939) which he felt was unrealistic and did not represent all people • “I sing the songs of the people that do all of the little jobs and the mean and dirty hard work in the world and of their wants and their hopes and their plans for a decent life” - Woody Guthrie God Bless America Irving Berlin (1939) God Bless America, Land that I love. -
Pete Seegerhas Always Walked the Road Less Traveled. a Tall, Lean Fellow
Pete Seegerhas always walked the road less traveled. A tall, lean fellow with long arms and legs, high energy and a contagious joy of spjrit, he set everything in motion, singing in that magical voice, his head thrown back as though calling to the heavens, makingyou see that you can change the world, risk everything, do your best, cast away stones. “Bells of Rhymney,” “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?,” “ One Grain of Sand,” “ Oh, Had I a Golden Thread” ^ songs Right, from top: Seeger, Bob Dylan, Judy Collins and Arlo Guthrie (from left) at the Woody Guthrie Memorial Concert at Carnegie Hail, 1967; filming “Wasn’t That a Time?," a movie of the Weavers’ 19 8 0 reunion; Seeger with banjo; at Red Above: The Weavers in the early ’50s - Seeger, Lee Hays, Ronnie Gilbert and Fred Hellerman (from left). Left: Seeger singing on a Rocks, in hillside in El Colorado, 1983; Cerrito, C a l|p in singing for the early '60s. Eleanor Roosevelt, et al., at the opening of the Washington Labor Canteen, 1944; aboard the “Clearwater” on his beloved Hudson River; and a recent photo of Seeger sporting skimmer (above), Above: The Almanac Singers in 1 9 4 1 , with Woody Guthrie on the far left, and Seeger playing banjo. Left: Seeger with his mother, the late Constance Seeger. PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE COLLECTION OF HAROLD LEVENTHAL AND THE WOODY GUTHRIE ARCHIVES scattered along our path made with the Weavers - floor behind the couch as ever, while a retinue of like jewels, from the Ronnie Gilbert, Fred in the New York offices his friends performed present into the past, and Hellerman and Lee Hays - of Harold Leventhal, our “ Turn Turn Turn,” back, along the road to swept into listeners’ mutual manager. -
Bob Dylan and the Reimagining of Woody Guthrie (January 1968)
Woody Guthrie Annual, 4 (2018): Carney, “With Electric Breath” “With Electric Breath”: Bob Dylan and the Reimagining of Woody Guthrie (January 1968) Court Carney In 1956, police in New Jersey apprehended Woody Guthrie on the presumption of vagrancy. Then in his mid-40s, Guthrie would spend the next (and last) eleven years of his life in various hospitals: Greystone Park in New Jersey, Brooklyn State Hospital, and, finally, the Creedmoor Psychiatric Center, where he died. Woody suffered since the late 1940s when the symptoms of Huntington’s disease first appeared—symptoms that were often confused with alcoholism or mental instability. As Guthrie disappeared from public view in the late 1950s, 1,300 miles away, Bob Dylan was in Hibbing, Minnesota, learning to play doo-wop and Little Richard covers. 1 Young Dylan was about to have his career path illuminated after attending one of Buddy Holly’s final shows. By the time Dylan reached New York in 1961, heavily under the influence of Woody’s music, Guthrie had been hospitalized for almost five years and with his motor skills greatly deteriorated. This meeting between the still stylistically unformed Dylan and Woody—far removed from his 1940s heyday—had the makings of myth, regardless of the blurred details. Whatever transpired between them, the pilgrimage to Woody transfixed Dylan, and the young Minnesotan would go on to model his early career on the elder songwriter’s legacy. More than any other of Woody’s acolytes, Dylan grasped the totality of Guthrie’s vision. Beyond mimicry (and Dylan carefully emulated Woody’s accent, mannerisms, and poses), Dylan almost preternaturally understood the larger implication of Guthrie in ways that eluded other singers and writers at the time.2 As his career took off, however, Dylan began to slough off the more obvious Guthrieisms as he moved towards his electric-charged poetry of 1965-1966. -
Frank Buckley Walker
Frank Buckley Walker Columbia Records Old-Time Music Talent Scout Frank Buckley Walker (1889 – 1963) was the Artist and Repertoire (A & R) talent scout for Columbia Records’ Country Music Division during the 1920s and 1930s. Along with Ralph Peer of Victor Records, Walker mastered the technique of field recordings. Specializing in southern roots music, Walker set up remote recording studios in cities such as Atlanta, New Orleans, Memphis, Dallas, Little Rock and Johnson City searching for amateur musical talent. The fascinating interview below with Frank Buckley Walker was done by Mike Seeger on June 19, 1962. The interview provides insight into the early era of recorded music as well as the evolution of country music as a market segment. Frank Buckley Walker June 19, 1962 The Seeger-Walker Interview MS (Mike Seeger): I was noticing this Jaw’s Harp, or Jew’s Harp on your desk here…… FW (Frank Walker): Jew’s Harp is what they call it. It’s an old one. And you were telling me it dates back to your early days, where was it, Fly…? Fly Summit, New York on a farm. Fly Summit was a metropolis. It had about four or five houses, a church, a baling machine, and one little store. We lived on a farm about a mile away from there. And the Jew’s Harp - that played an important part because it was the only thing I could play other than the 1 harmonica. But it did get me a few pennies here and there for playing for some sorts of entertainment we had amongst the farmers. -
Music for the People: the Folk Music Revival
MUSIC FOR THE PEOPLE: THE FOLK MUSIC REVIVAL AND AMERICAN IDENTITY, 1930-1970 By Rachel Clare Donaldson Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the Graduate School of Vanderbilt University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in History May, 2011 Nashville, Tennessee Approved Professor Gary Gerstle Professor Sarah Igo Professor David Carlton Professor Larry Isaac Professor Ronald D. Cohen Copyright© 2011 by Rachel Clare Donaldson All Rights Reserved For Mary, Laura, Gertrude, Elizabeth And Domenica ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would not have been able to complete this dissertation had not been for the support of many people. Historians David Carlton, Thomas Schwartz, William Caferro, and Yoshikuni Igarashi have helped me to grow academically since my first year of graduate school. From the beginning of my research through the final edits, Katherine Crawford and Sarah Igo have provided constant intellectual and professional support. Gary Gerstle has guided every stage of this project; the time and effort he devoted to reading and editing numerous drafts and his encouragement has made the project what it is today. Through his work and friendship, Ronald Cohen has been an inspiration. The intellectual and emotional help that he provided over dinners, phone calls, and email exchanges have been invaluable. I greatly appreciate Larry Isaac and Holly McCammon for their help with the sociological work in this project. I also thank Jane Anderson, Brenda Hummel, and Heidi Welch for all their help and patience over the years. I thank the staffs at the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, the Kentucky Library and Museum, the Archives at the University of Indiana, and the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress (particularly Todd Harvey) for their research assistance. -
The Woody Guthrie Centennial Bibliography
LMU Librarian Publications & Presentations William H. Hannon Library 8-2014 The Woody Guthrie Centennial Bibliography Jeffrey Gatten Loyola Marymount University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/librarian_pubs Part of the Music Commons Repository Citation Gatten, Jeffrey, "The Woody Guthrie Centennial Bibliography" (2014). LMU Librarian Publications & Presentations. 91. https://digitalcommons.lmu.edu/librarian_pubs/91 This Article - On Campus Only is brought to you for free and open access by the William H. Hannon Library at Digital Commons @ Loyola Marymount University and Loyola Law School. It has been accepted for inclusion in LMU Librarian Publications & Presentations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons@Loyola Marymount University and Loyola Law School. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Popular Music and Society, 2014 Vol. 37, No. 4, 464–475, http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/03007766.2013.834749 The Woody Guthrie Centennial Bibliography Jeffrey N. Gatten This bibliography updates two extensive works designed to include comprehensively all significant works by and about Woody Guthrie. Richard A. Reuss published A Woody Guthrie Bibliography, 1912–1967 in 1968 and Jeffrey N. Gatten’s article “Woody Guthrie: A Bibliographic Update, 1968–1986” appeared in 1988. With this current article, researchers need only utilize these three bibliographies to identify all English- language items of relevance related to, or written by, Guthrie. Introduction Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (1912–67) was a singer, musician, composer, author, artist, radio personality, columnist, activist, and philosopher. By now, most anyone with interest knows the shorthand version of his biography: refugee from the Oklahoma dust bowl, California radio show performer, New York City socialist, musical documentarian of the Northwest, merchant marine, and finally decline and death from Huntington’s chorea. -
We Rise Again Songs of Peace, Protest and Freedom
Valentine‛s Day is just around the corner. Let that special someone know how much you care. E TH 10% off any arrangement Use discount code: RWC ™ Offer expires 06/30/2015 Enhance any occasion Balloon Deliveries Private / Corporate Event Decor Graduations Baskets 408) 370-1075 www.BalloonCrew.com Order Early Rainbow Women’s Chorus Staff Ruth Huber, Co-Artistic Director, Composer-in-Residence Ruth Huber was instrumental in founding both RWC and Tapestry Singers (the Austin Women’s Chorus). She holds three music degrees, including a Master of Music in Composition from the San Francisco Conservatory, and has studied conducting at San Jose State University. Her compositions and songs have won awards from the American Choral Directors Association, the San Francisco ArtSong Competition, and the Austin Music Umbrella Songwriters Competition, and she receives commissions from choral groups around the country. A certified member of Music Teachers National Association, she teaches piano, serves as Music Director for Campbell United Congregational Church and resides in San Jose with her wife, Brenda Meng, and an assortment of adorable cats. Betsy Wagner, Co-Artistic Director, Choralographer Betsy Wagner has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education with a dual major in voice and piano from Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, LA. She has been teaching music to students in grades K-12 since 1978. Since coming to the Bay Area in 1990, she has built an award-winning choir program at Morrill Middle School in San Jose. Betsy has been singing with Rainbow Women’s Chorus since 1997 and has been co-director since 2000. -
An Interview with Fred Hellerman Part II May 26, 2016 in This Interview Fred Is Joined by His Wife, Susan Lardner. Ken Edgar
An Interview with Fred Hellerman Part II May 26, 2016 In this interview Fred is joined by his wife, Susan Lardner. Ken Edgar: We are now back in Fred Hellerman's living room and we're continuing our conversation with Fred. We are joined today by Susan Lardner, Fred’s wife, who herself has a very interesting background and career. Together they are going to help us remember their lives in Weston, starting in around 1970. Susan, welcome to the show. When we last left our story we had talked about your arrival in Weston and how Harold Leventhal, the Weaver's manager, had purchased a home near Cobb's Mill and was influential in bringing you up here. As a result, you became interested in Weston and eventually bought the house in which we are sitting today. Susan: I checked with one of Harold's daughters and found out that he had bought his house in 1968 and Fred bought this house in 1969. Although Fred had been up here before visiting other people, he had not been in the house purchasing business. Fred Hellerman: Yeah, coming up there for a weekend. I just fell in love with that immediately. It was a very important place for me. Ken: In the summer of 1970, you two were married right here on this property. Fred: From here, yeah, at this house. Susan: Under the tree, by Euclid Shook. [A Weston artist a justice of the peace. –ed.] Ken: The New York Times did a very interesting description of your wedding. -
David-Mallett-Press-Bio.Pdf
DAVID MALLETT BIOS 150 Words David Mallett hails from a small town in northern Maine, and in a career that spans four decades, his music has traveled to all corners of the world. His songs have been recorded by more than 150 artists, including Pete Seeger, Alison Krauss, John Denver, Emmylou Harris, and even the Muppets, and his "Garden Song" has become an American folk classic. He has performed in town halls and folk clubs across America and Europe in addition to major venues such as Barns of Wolf Trap, Newport Folk Festival, and "Prairie Home Companion". The Bangor Daily News recognized him as one of the 58 most memorable Mainers of the 20th Century. The readers of FOLKWAX (www.folkwax.com) voted him 2003 Artist of the Year and "Artist in Me" 2003 Album of the Year. He has recorded 17 albums, including “The Fable True” (2007), based on Thoreau’s last expedition in 1857, a spoken word CD with accompanying music. 100 Words David Mallett hails from a small town in northern Maine, and in a career that spans four decades, his music has traveled to all corners of the world. His songs have been recorded by more than 150 artists, including Pete Seeger, Alison Krauss, John Denver, Emmylou Harris, even the Muppets, and his "Garden Song" has become an American folk classic. He has performed throughout America and Europe. The Bangor Daily News recognized him as one of the 58 most memorable Mainers of the 20th Century and the readers of FOLKWAX (folkwax.com) honored him with both 2003 Artist of the Year and Album of the Year for "Artist in Me". -
A Singer Who Let That Big Light of Hers Shine by Dwight Garner Odetta Performing on Stage in London in 1963
A Singer Who Let That Big Light of Hers Shine By Dwight Garner Odetta performing on stage in London in 1963. Ronald Dumont/Hulton Archive, via Getty Images In the biography of nearly every white rock performer of a certain vintage, there’s a pivotal moment — more pivotal than signing the ill-advised first contract that leads to decades of litigation, and more pivotal than the first social disease. The moment is when the subject watched Elvis Presley’s appearance on “The Ed Sullivan Show” on Sept. 9, 1956. For Black audiences and many future musicians, the crucial moment came three years later. On Dec. 10, 1959, CBS, in partnership with Revlon, broadcast a prime-time special called “Tonight With Belafonte,” produced and hosted by Harry Belafonte, the debonair and rawboned Jamaican- American singer. These weren’t easy years for Black families to gather around the television. As Margo Jefferson wrote in her memoir “Negroland,” they turned on the set “waiting to be entertained and hoping not to be denigrated.” Belafonte was given artistic control over his program. He told executives he wanted a largely unknown folk singer named Odetta to perform prominently. One executive asked, “Excuse me, Harry, but what is an Odetta?” Revlon was bemused to learn she did not wear makeup. The hourlong show was commercial-free except for a Revlon spot at the beginning and end. At the start, Belafonte sang two songs. In what is, amazingly, the first in-depth biography of this performer, “Odetta: A Life in Music and Protest,” the music writer Ian Zack picks up the story. -
“Talking Union”--The Almanac Singers (1941) Added to the National Registry: 2010 Essay by Cesare Civetta (Guest Post)*
“Talking Union”--The Almanac Singers (1941) Added to the National Registry: 2010 Essay by Cesare Civetta (guest post)* 78rpm album package Pete Seeger, known as the “Father of American Folk music,” had a difficult time of it as a young, budding singer. While serving in the US Army during World War II, he wrote to his wife, Toshi, “Every song I started to write and gave up was a failure. I started to paint because I failed to get a job as a journalist. I started singing and playing more because I was a failure as a painter. I went into the army because I was having more and more failure musically.” But he practiced his banjo for hours and hours each day, usually starting as soon as he woke in the morning, and became a virtuoso on the instrument, and even went on to invent the “long-neck banjo.” The origin of the Almanacs Singers’ name, according to Lee Hays, is that every farmer's home contains at least two books: the Bible, and the Almanac! The Almanacs Singers’ first job was a lunch performance at the Jade Mountain Restaurant in New York in December of 1940 where they were paid $2.50! The original members of the group were Pete Seeger, Lee Hays, Millard Campbell, John Peter Hawes, and later Woody Guthrie. Initially, Seeger used the name Pete Bowers because his dad was then working for the US government and he could have lost his job due to his son’s left-leaning politically charged music. The Singers sang anti-war songs, songs about the draft, and songs about President Roosevelt, frequently attacking him. -
Pete Seeger and Intellectual Property Law
Teaching The Hudson River Valley Review Teaching About “Teaspoon Brigade: Pete Seeger, Folk Music, and International Property Law” –Steve Garabedian Lesson Plan Introduction: Students will use the Hudson River Valley Review (HRVR) Article: “Teaspoon Brigade: Pete Seeger, Folk Music, and International Property Law” as a model for an exemplary research paper (PDF of the full article is included in this PDF). Lesson activities will scaffold student’s understanding of the article’s theme as well as the article’s construction. This lesson concludes with an individual research paper constructed by the students using the information and resources understood in this lesson sequence. Each activity below can be adapted according to the student’s needs and abilities. Suggested Grade Level: 11th grade US History: Regents level and AP level, 12th grade Participation in Government: Regents level and AP level. Objective: Students will be able to: Read and comprehend the provided text. Analyze primary documents, literary style. Explain and describe the theme of the article: “Teaspoon Brigade: Pete Seeger, Folk Music, and International Property Law” in a comprehensive summary. After completing these activities students will be able to recognize effective writing styles. Standards Addressed: Students will: Use important ideas, social and cultural values, beliefs, and traditions from New York State and United States history illustrate the connections and interactions of people and events across time and from a variety of perspectives. Develop and test hypotheses about important events, eras, or issues in United States history, setting clear and valid criteria for judging the importance and significance of these events, eras, or issues.