Posted by: thepinetree on 03/14/2014 04:37 PM
Updated by: thepinetree on 03/14/2014 04:40 PM
Expires: 01/01/2019 12:00 AM
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Pete Seeger Remembered in Murphys this Sunday
Murphys, Ca -- A musical tribute to the late Pete Seeger will be held Sunday(March 16) at 2 p.m., an event expected to draw fans and musicians from throughout the area. "Remembering Pete Seeger" -- a free tribute to the singer/songwriter -- will start at 2 p.m. at the sanctuary of First Congregational Church at the corner of Algiers and Church Streets, and end when the participants run out of songs....
Photo courtesy of ABC News
"Open Mike" events allow performers -- amateur and professional -- to contribute a song or remembrance on a rotating basis so everyone gets a chance to participate. A sign up sheet will be available, and six area musicians signed up in advance. The audience is encouraged to take part.
Seeger, who died in his mid-90s earlier this year, was a song writer, banjo player, singer and activist from the 1940s till about one year ago. He was known for promoting the Freedom Marches, anti-war demonstrations, environmental movements and labor activism.
He helped spur the folk song revival of the 1960s, was instrumental in cleaning up the polluted Hudson River, and performed all over the world during his long career.
The event is held as a part of a series of concerts hosted by the historic Murphys church as an outreach to the community. There will be a intermission and refreshments available.
Seeger's repertoire ranged from the Yiddish song "Hey Zhankoye" to "Where Have All the Flowers Gone." With the folk group The Weavers he helped make the Woody Guthrie tune "This Land Is Your Land" famous.
He was a veteran of World War Two, and after the war began performing in support of various causes.
During the McCarthy era he was cited for contempt of Congress when he offered to sing a song for them instead of answering questions about his personal beliefs. After being blacklisted by television and movies in the 1950s, he took his banjo constantly touring on campuses and coffee houses.
By 1963 he was performing in Carnegie Hall, urging young people to take part in the political process and encouraging peaceful protest and optimism. He had a short-lived television program called "Golden Thread," named for a song he had written about binding up the wounds of the world.
By the time of his death he was honored as having been a major contributor to the preservation of traditional American musi, and a force for positive change in his country.
The sanctuary of the Congregational church is located one block east of Main Street, just uphill from the Murphys Hotel.
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