Perhaps you had a chance to read about Pete Seeger after his recent passing. I knew of him from songs he recorded and songbooks he contributed to.
A few years back, I reviewed YouTube videos in which Mr. Seeger appeared, sometimes alone with his banjo, or as a member of a singing group, or leading crowds in song. No matter how he was performing or who for, he projected a sense that the act of singing for and with others was essential and sacred.
Perhaps you had a chance to read about Pete Seeger after his recent passing. I knew of him from songs he recorded and songbooks he contributed to.
A few years back, I reviewed YouTube videos in which Mr. Seeger appeared, sometimes alone with his banjo, or as a member of a singing group, or leading crowds in song. No matter how he was performing or who for, he projected a sense that the act of singing for and with others was essential and sacred.
Stories recounted in obituaries confirmed he was deeply principled. At one point in his career, he left the Weavers, a best-selling group of the 1950s folk revival, because they had chosen to endorse a tobacco product, something Pete did not agree with. In doing so, he gave up a bunch of money.
What is more, Seeger’s values moved him to seek social justice, communication between cultures, and world peace. As such, he sang for most any group that asked, voicing lyrics promoting grass roots community and support for the working class. This put him under the radar of the House Committee on Un-American Activities during the ugliness of America’s “red scare.”
He testified before the committee under subpoena, calmly telling them where they could go.
“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…
“…I resent very much and very deeply the implication of being called before this Committee that in some way because my opinions may be different from yours…that I am any less of an American than anybody else.
“I love my country very dearly, and I greatly resent this implication that some of the places that I have sung and some of the people that I have known, and some of my opinions, whether they are religious or philosophical…make me any less of an American.”
Seeger’s stand earned him a Contempt of Congress conviction, later overturned, and a black-listing from American TV. Again, he gave up a lot of money to do what he thought right.
Following his death, singer Ani DiFranco described meeting Seeger before a fund-raising concert, where poor organization and performers’ egos were poisoning the air backstage.
“And then in walked Pete. Within 15 minutes of his arrival he had everybody holding hands and singing in one big circle backstage. He said it was to ‘warm up’ but I felt he was doing the work of grounding the event in the spirit in which it was intended. He instantly transformed the scene with his powerful presence and brought us all back to the purpose and joy of why we were there.”
DiFranco recalled Seeger’s 90th birthday celebration at Madison Square Garden, when a reporter listed his many accomplishments before asking, “‘Can you tell me, Mr. Seeger, what you are most proud of?’ There was a pause and then Pete responded, ‘I stayed married to the best woman I ever met for 55 years and we raised three children and six grandchildren.’”
Discerning what was important in life and acting accordingly, Pete Seeger was a heroic example of what it means to be a great man. May we all be such an American.
Pat Grimes, a former South Bay resident, writes from Ypsilanti, Mich. He can be reached at pgwriter@inbox.com.
