Pete Seeger was a banjo player, singer, and songwriter whose career spanned seven decades and became inseparable from the American folk music movement. His activism on behalf of civil rights, labor, and environmental causes made him a defining figure of protest music, and his ability to connect audiences to songs of social change influenced generations of musicians and activists who came after him.
Seeger's gift was taking traditional melodies and lyrics and finding their contemporary relevance without sacrificing their roots. He understood that folk music belonged to everyone, and his arrangements and interpretations opened doors for countless people to discover how music could articulate their deepest convictions about justice and human dignity.
