Pete's Kids (Seeger)

[ridethewind]

Are there any other "Pete's kids" on this forum?

By that I mean, people who learned from him and/or played with him when they were young? I went to one of those summer camps that Pete visited, sung at and taught at from 1955-1957, and was lucky enough to be in the camp's little "guitar group."

I'd love to know if there are others here who had Pete as part of their early guitar experience.

[lowrider]

Just curious, where was your summer camp?

[Pineapple Pete]

I'm a "Pete's Nephew", so to speak.

I have played with, and am friends with, a person who has shared the stage with Pete many times. Pete has recorded one of my friend's songs.

I was a kid who listened to rap and heavy metal when I was in junior high and high school. I started playing guitar at age 17 and all the beginner guitar books I could find at the flea markets had folk songs in them. I started to notice that a few songs in the books had arrangements credited to Pete Seeger.

When I discovered acoustic blues music, it wasn't long before I noticed that some of the performers I liked had performed at Newport, etc alongside Seeger. That got me even more interested.

I knew the song "This Land Is Your Land" from music class in my earliest school years, so I knew Woody Guthrie was somewhat of a famous person. When I investigated his legacy, I discovered, once again, Pete Seeger.

The more I looked around into America's musical history from the Depression on, and then into American history in general, the more I saw Seeger not just present and singing, but speaking and living his values in the face of, and as a catalyst of, earth-shaking social change.

Already-long-story short, the guitar gave me my voice, the blues taught me to make that voice as honest as I could - and Pete showed me how to aim it like a camera and sing about what needs to be captured in song for others to hear.

Pete's greatest gift to me has been in my church-music work - he taught me the power of singing with conviction and both encouraging and expecting the gathered people to sing with me. What power that has.

[jbeecham]

I don't have many heroes, but Pete Seeger is definitely a hero to me. I remember watching him on children's tv programs as a kid - something he was allowed to do after being black listed.

To a young child, he was a giant.

jerry

[ridethewind]

Originally Posted by lowrider

Just curious, where was your summer camp?

New Hampshire. One of the camp directors knew Pete from
New York. I guess that's how he got there. That camp director, Leon "Chick"
Soloway, played guitar (a Gibson) and taught us songs from the campfire songbook (similar to Rise Up Singing, but for kids) with an emphasis on social justice.

Pete was there about 10 days each summer for 3 years running. When he was there we'd be in the rec hall singing most nights. He'd also sit in on Chick's little guitar group, which met once a week, and give us some pointers.

[The Bard Rocks]

Though I have heard and seen him play quite a number of times, I never exchanged a word with him. Other family members, yes. But from the time I started (1960), Pete Seeger was "it', the guy who wrote the book, who sang the song, the one we most looked up to. I don't recall if I knew anything about him prior to taking up guitar, but from 1960 on, Pete's name was the one I ran into most often in any musical discussion. He had the ability to be in front of whatever movement needed the kind of help he could give, labor, environmental, political.... There has been no one who could move a crowd with song better than he could and of all that he accomplished, I think that is the one thing I would most like to be able to do.

[ridethewind]

Originally Posted by The Bard Rocks

Though I have heard and seen him play quite a number of times, I never exchanged a word with him. Other family members, yes. But from the time I started (1960), Pete Seeger was "it', the guy who wrote the book, who sang the song, the one we most looked up to. I don't recall if I knew anything about him prior to taking up guitar, but from 1960 on, Pete's name was the one I ran into most often in any musical discussion. He had the ability to be in front of whatever movement needed the kind of help he could give, labor, environmental, political.... There has been no one who could move a crowd with song better than he could and of all that he accomplished, I think that is the one thing I would most like to be able to do.

I agree. I still see folk singing as a group activity.