Pete Seeger Dies Aged 94

US folk singer Pete Seeger dies at the age of 94.

Seeger rose to fame on the US folk scene with hits ‘If I Had A Hammer‘ and ‘Turn! Turn! Turn!‘. Kicking off his long and successful career as part of The Weavers in the late 40’s, Seeger gained notoriety not only for his musical talents but for his political activism, with many of his songs referencing defects in the US’s political policies.

As a member of The Weavers Seeger found himself blacklisted by the US government along with other band mates due to the nature and content of their ‘protest’ songs, covering topics such as; international disarmament, civil rights and environmental issues, The Weavers were quick to gain media exposure both good and bad.

Following the split of The Weavers in the late 60’s, Seeger carried on to to produce his own solo work releasing over 40 albums in the past 6 decades. Seeger is said to have played a large part in the emergence of Bob Dylan in the 1960’s with the Seeger urging producer John Hammond to work with Dylan on his first major label LP. Seeger has been honoured with a whole host of awards for his contributions to music including the Grammy’s ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ in 1993 as well being initiated into the US ‘Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame’ in 1996.

Sadly Seeger’s health deteriorated in recent weeks with the singer confessing his voice was “was pretty shot” and had resorted to letting the audience assist him at his live shows. Pete Seeger will leave behind him a lasting musical legacy as well as the effects of his on-going political activism in an attempt to make the US and the world a better place to live for everyone.

You can hear all of Seeger’s classic on iTunes.