Pete Seeger

At the forefront of folk music as egalitarian fights in the United States, the songwriter was undeniably ahead. Claimed Influence of Dylan, Springsteen, Joan Baez and many others, Pete Seeger is somehow the mentor of the Masters of protest folk and rock music.A man of conviction born on May 3, 1919, Pete Seeger had been using his banjo since the early 40s to play songs that went beyond entertainment. A proponent of useful music, he made his own the mouthpiece of his ideas. Like the famous We Shall Overcome which he popularized in the 50s and will become a real anthem of civil rights in the United States.

At the forefront of folk music as egalitarian fights in the United States, the songwriter was undeniably ahead. Claimed Influence of Dylan, Springsteen, Joan Baez and many others, Pete Seeger is somehow the mentor of the Masters of protest folk and rock music.A man of conviction born on May 3, 1919, Pete Seeger had been using his banjo since the early 40s to play songs that went beyond entertainment. A proponent of useful music, he made his own the mouthpiece of his ideas. Like the famous We Shall Overcome which he popularized in the 50s and will become a real anthem of civil rights in the United States.An Acolyte of Woody Guthrie, he was a singer close to the concerns of the people, placing himself systematically in favor of the collective good. Solo or with his band, The Weavers, Pete Seeger was constantly taking sides, whether for Ecology, racial equality or against the Vietnam War.

Features 39 tracks on 2 CDs and includes 2 booklets that contain extensive notes celebrating 50 years of singing and songwriting by one of the truly great artists of the 20th century. This collection includes a new song by Seeger, as well as rare appearances by artists like: Bruce Springsteen, Ani DiFranco, Bonnie Raitt, the Indigo Girls, Peter, Paul & Mary, Judy Collins, Tim Robbins (yup, the actor) and more! A pretty stunning group of socially conscious performers (from Bonnie Raitt to Billy Bragg) join in tribute to the inspirational music and life of Pete Seeger on this expansive 2 CD set. The grand selection of songs is well-annotated with notes from the artists and Seeger himself about each piece and its place in the pantheon. Among the many highlights are Bruce Springsteen's heartfelt "We Shall Overcome," John Trudell's tense "Torn Flag," actor Tim Robbins's rap-like "All My Children of the Sun," and Ani DiFranco's quiet, brooding "My Name Is Lisa Kalvelage." Further listening: the Smithsonian/Folkways release of If I Had a Hammer, a remarkable collection of Seeger singing his own songs. –Michael Ruby

Features 39 tracks on 2 CDs and includes 2 booklets that contain extensive notes celebrating 50 years of singing and songwriting by one of the truly great artists of the 20th century. This collection includes a new song by Seeger, as well as rare appearances by artists like: Bruce Springsteen, Ani DiFranco, Bonnie Raitt, the Indigo Girls, Peter, Paul & Mary, Judy Collins, Tim Robbins (yup, the actor) and more! A pretty stunning group of socially conscious performers (from Bonnie Raitt to Billy Bragg) join in tribute to the inspirational music and life of Pete Seeger on this expansive 2 CD set. The grand selection of songs is well-annotated with notes from the artists and Seeger himself about each piece and its place in the pantheon. Among the many highlights are Bruce Springsteen's heartfelt "We Shall Overcome," John Trudell's tense "Torn Flag," actor Tim Robbins's rap-like "All My Children of the Sun," and Ani DiFranco's quiet, brooding "My Name Is Lisa Kalvelage." Further listening: the Smithsonian/Folkways release of If I Had a Hammer, a remarkable collection of Seeger singing his own songs. –Michael Ruby

Perhaps no single person in the 20th century did more to preserve, broadcast, and redistribute folk music than Pete Seeger, whose passion for politics, the environment, and humanity earned him both ardent fans and vocal enemies ever since he first began performing in the late '30s.

Peter "Pete" Seeger was an American folk singer and social activist. The man who brought folk music to the masses, live in person, accompanied by his banjo or guitar.

Back in 2005, Sony/Legacy came up with an inadequate and unexceptional The Essential Pete Seeger - a single disc on which a number of tracks were licensed from other labels. That version has lately been recycled as Playlist. As far as The Essential is concerned, better sense has thankfully prevailed eight years down the line. There are 36 tracks across two discs on the new version, all of them selected from the series of excellent Seeger albums released on Columbia in the decade to 1971. Inevitably, there is some overlap with Greatest Hits, but there's greater depth to this product, which kicks off with "Last Train to Nuremberg" and concludes with "My Dirty Stream".

These songs have been part of the fabric of America for a half century or more - and these five volumes of folk ballads recorded by Pete in the '50s and '60s were an integral part of our folk revival. Here are all 139 folk ballads on 5 CDs, each with it's own booklet full of extensive notes; legendary songs and performances abound: John Henry; Clementine; Goodnight Irene; Yankee Doodle; Old Dan Tucker; Hole in the Bucket; This Land Is Your Land; America the Beautiful; Midnight Special; Froggie Went A-Courtin'; Boll Weevil; Erie Canal; Arkansas Traveler, and more!