Wednesday, February 27, 2008

Pete Seeger Profiled on PBS

Pete Seeger was the subject of an "American Masters" special on PBS, which aired tonight on New York's Channel 13. I missed it, but the TV listings show it will be aired again on March 6th, I think. (Learn more about the program and when to see it here.)

Pete Seeger has been a powerful force not only in folk and popular music but in the movement for social justice, human rights, and conservation. Despite advancing age, he is still known to attend the annual Clearwater Hudson River Revival. You can find out a lot more about Pete Seeger at the Pete Seeger Appreciation Page.

Rolling Stone did a recent article on Pete Seeger in which he comments on everything from the PBS special to Barack Obama and the current political scene.

Although Seeger became well known in the 1960s protest movement and even before, what's always been impressive to me is that he has reached not just fans but musicians from that time to the present, from Woody Guthrie to Bob Dylan to today's folk, pop, and country artists. His influence is seen, heard, felt, and acknowledged by musicians ranging from the Dixie Chicks to Dar Williams to Billy Bragg.

I hope to catch this Pete Seeger "American Masters" program the next time it's broadcast.

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