As a member of The Weavers, Seeger had a string of hits, including a 1949 recording of Leadbelly's "Goodnight Irene" that topped the charts for 13 weeks in 1950. He was formerly a member of the Communist Party of the United States of America and was a major contributor to folk and protest music in the 1950s and the 1960s.
Perhaps best known today as the author or co-author of the songs Where Have All the Flowers Gone, If I Had a Hammer, and Turn, Turn, Turn, songs that have been recorded by many artists both in and outside the folk revival movement and which are still sung all over the world. Flowers was a hit recording for 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, Paul & Mary (1962) and Trini Lopez (1963), while The Byrds popularized "Turn, Turn, Turn" in the mid-1960s.
Early work
Seeger dropped out of Harvard (where he had been studying journalism) in 1939, and he took a job in Washington, D.C. at the Archive of American Folk Song in the Library of Congress. In that capacity, he met and was influenced by many important musicians such as Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly. He met Woody at a "Grapes of Wrath" migrant workers concert on March 3, 1940 and the two thereafter began a musical collaboration.
In 1948, Seeger wrote the first version of his now-classic How to Play the Five-String Banjo, a book that many banjo players credit with starting them off on the instrument. He went on to invent the Long Neck or Seeger banjo. This instrument is three frets longer than a typical banjo, and slightly longer than a bass guitar at 25 Frets, and is tuned a minor third lower than the normal 5-string banjo.
As a self-described "split tenor" (between an alto and a tenor), he was a founding member of the folk groups the Almanac Singers with Woody Guthrie and the Weavers with Lee Hays, Ronnie Gilbert and Fred Hellerman. The Weavers had major hits in the early 1950s, before being blacklisted in the McCarthy Era.
On August 18, 1955, Pete was subpoenaed to testify before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) where he refused to name personal and political associations stating it would violate his First Amendment rights... "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; for some years, he had to keep the federal government apprised of where he was going any time he left the Southern District of New York. He was convicted in a jury trial in March 1961, and sentenced to a year in jail, but in May 1962 an appeals court ruled the indictment to be flawed and overturned his conviction.
Seeger started a solo career in 1958, and is known for songs such as "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?," "If I Had a Hammer" (co-written with Lee Hays), "Turn, Turn, Turn," adapted from the Book of Ecclesiastes, and "We Shall Overcome" (based on a spiritual and later became the unofficial anthem for the civil rights movement). Seeger became influential in the 1960s folk revival centered in Greenwich Village. He helped found Broadside Magazine and Sing Out!. He was strongly associated with Moses Asch and Folkways Records. To describe the new crop of folk singers, many of whom were politically minded in their songs, he coined the phrase "Woody's children", alluding to his former bandmate Woody Guthrie, who by this time had become a legendary figure. He has often sung and is associated with the song "Joe Hill".
In the mid-sixties he hosted a regional folk music TV show called Rainbow Quest which featured folk musicians playing traditional folk music. Among his guests were Johnny Cash, June Carter, Mississippi John Hurt, Buffy Sainte-Marie, Roscoe Holcomb, The Stanley Brothers, Doc Watson, Tom Paxton, Judy Collins, Richard Fariña and Mimi Fariña, and many others. Thirty-eight hour-long programs were recorded at new UHF station WNJU's Newark studios in 1965 and 1966, produced by Seeger and his wife Toshi with Sholom Rubinstein.
An early advocate of Bob Dylan, Seeger was supposedly incensed over the distorted electric sound Dylan brought into the 1965 Newport Folk Festival, especially with the inability to clearly hear the lyrics. There are many conflicting versions of exactly what ensued, some claiming that he actually tried to disconnect the equipment. He is often cited as one of the main opponents to Dylan at Newport 1965, but claimed in 2005:
"There are reports of me being anti-him going electric at the '65 Newport Folk festival, but that's wrong. I was the MC that night. He was singing 'Maggie's Farm' and you couldn't understand a word because the mic was distorting his voice. I ran to the mixing desk and said, 'Fix the sound, it's terrible!' The guy said 'No, that's how they want it.' And I did say that if I had an axe I'd cut the cable! But I wanted to hear the words. I didn't mind him going electric.
Later work
Seeger achieved some notoriety in 1967 and 1968 for his song "Waist Deep in the Big Muddy", about a captain—a "big fool"—who drowned while leading a platoon on maneuvers in Louisiana during World War II. Seeger performed the song on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour after some arguments with CBS about whether the song's lyrics were objectionable. Although the song was cut from the Smothers Brothers show in September 1967, Seeger returned in January 1968 and sang the entire song. It was clearly an allegory about the U.S. under the leadership of Lyndon Johnson which was in over its head in the Vietnam War.
Another slight against Lyndon Johnson can be heard in his singing of Len Chandler's seemingly juvenile song, "Beans in My Ears" from his 1966 album Dangerous Songs!? in which he accuses "Mrs. Jay's little son Alby" (Alby Jay is meant to sound like LBJ) of having beans in his ears, or of not listening to the people.
In 1998 a double-CD tribute album was released - "Where Have All the Flowers Gone: the Songs of Pete Seeger". It contained contributions from Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Ani DiFranco, Billy Bragg, Eliza Carthy, Bruce Springsteen, Roger McGuinn, Judy Collins, Indigo Girls, Dick Gaughan, Martin Simpson, Odetta and others.
Pete Seeger still performed occasionally in public until his death, and for a number of years appeared at the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough Tennessee to tell stories, mostly children's stories such as Abiyoyo. He performed at MerleFest April 27-30, 2006 in Wilkesboro, NC.
On March 16, 2007, the 88-year old Pete Seeger performed with his siblings Mike Seeger and Peggy Seeger, and other Seeger family members at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., where he had been employed as a folk song archivist 67 years earlier.
In April 2006, Bruce Springsteen released a collection of songs associated with Seeger or in Seeger's folk tradition, We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions. Bruce Springsteen performed a series of concerts based on those sessions, to sellout crowds. Springsteen had previously recorded one Seeger favorite, "We Shall Overcome," on the 1998 "Where Have All the Flowers Gone" tribute album.
Seeger lived in the hamlet of Dutchess Junction in the Town of Fishkill, NY and remained very politically active in the Hudson Valley Region of New York, especially in the near-by City of Beacon, NY. He and Toshi purchased their land in 1949, and lived there first in a trailer, then in a log cabin they built themselves, and eventually in a larger house. Seeger joined the Community Church (a church practicing Unitarian Universalism), is considered a famous Unitarian Universalist, and often performed at functions for the Unitarian Universalist Association.
Seeger died in 2014 of natural causes.
Awards
Seeger has been the recipient of many awards and recognitions throughout his career, including:
A Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award (1993)
The National Medal of Arts from the National Endowment for the Arts (1994)
Kennedy Center Lifetime Achievement Honor (1994)
The Harvard Arts Medal (1996)
Induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (1996)
Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album of 1996 for his record "Pete" (1997)
Black and White
Pete Seeger Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Together we learn to read and write
To read and write
And now a child can understand
This is the law of all the land
All the land
Chorus with child's voice:
Together we learn to read and write
To read and write
Their robes were black, their heads were white
The schoolroom doors were closed so tight
Were closed up tight
Nine judges all, set down their names
To end the years and years of shame
Years of shame
Chorus with child's voice:
Their robes were black, their heads were white
(whistling the tune)
Oh, the slate is black, the chalk is white
The words stand out so clear and bright
So clear and bright
And now at last, we plainly see
The alphabet of liberty
Liberty
Chorus with child's voice:
Oh, the slate is black, the chalk is white
Together we learn to read and write
To read and write
Oh, a child is black, or a child is white
The whole world looks upon the sight
What a beautiful sight
For very well, the whole world knows
That this is the way that freedom grows
Freedom grows
Chorus with child's voice:
Oh, a child is black, or a child is white
(whistling the tune)
Oh, the world is black, and the world is white
It turns by day and turns by night
It turns by night
It turns so each and every one
Can make his station in the sun
In the sun
Chorus with child's voice:
Oh, the ink is black, the page is white
Together we learn to read and write
To read and write
And now a child can understand
That this is the love of all the land
All the land
Chorus continued with child's voice:
Oh, the ink is black, the page is white
Together we learn to read and write
To read and write
Pete Seeger’s “Black and White” is an anthem for racial equality and justice. The song speaks on the importance of education and how it is a powerful tool in the fight for equality. The first verse highlights the fact that we are all taught to read and write, regardless of our race or ethnicity. The chorus is sung in a child's voice to emphasize the importance of the message, as children are the future of the society. The second verse speaks directly to the segregation of schools, with the reference to the judges in their black robes and white heads, who finally put an end to the years of shame. The words in this verse represent the fight of many to end segregation and promote equality.
The third verse references the “alphabet of liberty” and how this stands as a symbol of freedom. The song points out the importance of liberty and how it can be achieved through education, which is symbolized by the black slate and white chalk. The fourth verse suggests that a child's race should not determine how the world sees them. They should be seen as equals and deserving of the same opportunities in life. The final verse calls for everyone to take their place in the sun, which means that everyone deserves a chance at equality and freedom.
Line by Line Meaning
Oh, the ink is black, the page is white
The ink, which symbolizes the written laws, is always black while the page, as a metaphor for the people who accept and follow these laws, is always white
Together we learn to read and write
We learn to understand and follow the laws as a community
To read and write
To understand and follow the laws
And now a child can understand
Now the youngest members of society are taught to comprehend and obey the laws of the country
This is the law of all the land
Following the laws is mandatory for all citizens
Their robes were black, their heads were white
The judges who had to decide on important issues were not chosen based on race or skin color, rather their decisions were based on justice and equality as represented by their attire
The schoolroom doors were closed so tight
The education system was once not accessible to everyone and many people were denied the right to learn
Nine judges all, set down their names
Nine judges came together to make a decision that would end a shameful period of history and set a precedent for the future
To end the years and years of shame
The judges' decision finally put an end to years of discrimination and injustice
The words stand out so clear and bright
The importance of liberty and freedom is clearly visible in the words written on the black slate with white chalk
So clear and bright
The importance of liberty and freedom is so obvious and distinct that it cannot be ignored
And now at last, we plainly see
Finally, after years of struggle and strife, the importance of liberty and freedom is clearly visible to everyone
The alphabet of liberty
The set of principles that all citizens need to understand and follow in order to enjoy true freedom and liberty
Oh, a child is black, or a child is white
Regardless of race, every child deserves the same opportunities and rights that come with being a citizen of a free country
What a beautiful sight
It is a beautiful sight to see people of different races and ethnicities coming together to enjoy a common goal of freedom and equality
That this is the way that freedom grows
Freedom is achieved when people of all backgrounds come together and work towards a common goal
The world is black, and the world is white
The world is full of people of different races and ethnicities, but this diversity is what makes it beautiful
It turns so each and every one
The world keeps moving, giving every person an opportunity to make something of themselves
Can make his station in the sun
Everyone has the opportunity to succeed in life regardless of their race or ethnicity
And now a child can understand
Even the youngest members of society can comprehend and follow the principles of freedom and equality
That this is the love of all the land
The principles of freedom and equality are central to the identity of the country and are respected by everyone
Contributed by Dylan P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.