5 Days of Pete Seeger: Day 3, Guantanamera & Pete Seeger Fun Facts


Pete Seeger Fun Facts

♫ Pete Seeger’s first musical instrument was an ukulele he got at age 8.
♫ In his teens, Pete fell in love with the banjo and that became his preferred instrument.
♫ Pete Seeger studied music at Harvard University.
♫ Pete made friends with Woody Guthrie, composer of “This Land is Your Land” and wrote books with him about folk music.
♫ Seeger created a national organization of people who wanted to sing folk and labor songs.
♫ Pete Seeger hosted a TV show called “The Rainbow Quest”, which was all about folk music.
♫ Pete Seeger was a passionate humanitarian (he loved people). He was involved with many social movements and used his music to express his opinions and feelings about these events.
♫ One of Pete Seeger’s causes was to clean up the Hudson River, which had been polluted with chemicals and industrial waste.
♫ Pete Seeger frequently protested and wrote music against war. During the time of the Vietnam war, he frequently wrote to the president about the need to bring the soldier home.
♫ Pete Seeger was at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement as much as he could be. Many songs he sung were in favor of freedom for all and human rights, including the famous song “We Shall Overcome”. He even marched in civil rights parades.
♫ Above all, Pete Seeger stood up for the common person, speaking out for farmers and laborers of all ethnicities and cultures and sharing their songs with the world.
♫ In memory of Pete Seeger, president Barack Obama referred to him as “America’s tuning fork” and said, “Over the years, Pete used his voice and his hammer to strike blows for workers’ rights and civil rights; world peace and environmental conservation, and he always invited us to sing along. For reminding us where we come from and showing us where we need to go, we will always be grateful to Pete Seeger.”

Song of the Day

“Guantanamera”

This is a song Pete Seeger recorded in an attempt to unite the American and Cuban people during the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis.