Pete Seeger

Profession: Folk Singer, Songwriter and Activist

Nationality:

Biography: Seeger was raised in a musical family and first gained wide recognition as a member of folk music quartet The Weavers and their recording of "Goodnight Irene". As a solo artist, he used his songs to highlight struggles of workers, civil rights, the peace movement, and environmental causes. He played the banjo, and was noted for motivating audience sing-alongs.

For most of the 1940's Seeger was a member on the Communist Party, leading to the blacklisting of the Weavers. When testifying under subpoena before the House Un-American Activities Committee, he refused to answer questions he considered inappropriate. He was charged and convicted with contempt of Congress, but the verdict as overturned on appeal.

As a songwriter, his best-known songs include "Where Have All the Flowers Gone?" (The Kinston Trio, 1962), "If I Had a Hammer (Peter, Paul & Mary, 1962; Trini Lopez, 1963), and "Turn! Turn! Turn! (The Byrds, 1965).

Seeger was one of the folk singers responsible for popularizing the spiritual "We Shall Overcome", which became the acknowledged anthem of the civil rights movement.

He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1972, received 5 Grammy (including Lifetime Achievement), and entered the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996.

Born: May 3, 1919
Birthplace: NYC, New York, USA

Generation: Greatest Generation
Chinese Zodiac: Goat/Sheep
Star Sign: Taurus

Died: January 27, 2014 (aged 94)