Description
Long an icon of American musical and political life, Pete Seeger has written eloquently in a diverse array of publications but nowhere is his life story more personally chronicled than in these, his private writings, documents and letters stored for decades in his family barn. Pete Seeger: His Life in His Own Words, collects Seeger's letters, notes, published articles, rough drafts, stories and poetry - creating the most intimate picture yet available of Seeger as a musician, an activist and a family man. The book covers the passions, personalities and experiences of a lifetime of struggle - from the pre-WWII labour movement and the Communist Party, to Woody Guthrie, the Civil Rights movement and the struggle against the war in Vietnam. The portrait that emerges is not of a saint, but a flesh-and-blood man, struggling to understand his time and his place.
Table of Contents
1: The Early Years: 1919–1947; 1: Growing Up (1919–1934); 2: Becoming a “Folk Singer” (1935–1947); 3: Mentors and Influences; 2: Life as a “Folk Singer”; 1: A Framework; 4: What Is Folk Music?; 2: Social Movements in the United States; 5: The Labor Movement, the Communist Party, and the Blacklist; 6: The Civil Rights Movement; 7: The Movement Against the War in Vietnam; 8: The Environmental Movement and the Ship Clearwater; 9: Reflections on a Life in Movements; 3: Beyond the United States; 10: Other Struggles of the 20th Century; 11: Travels Abroad; 12: Musics of Other Countries; 4: Issues for Performers; 13: A Philosophy of Making Music; 14: Participation; 15: Commercialization, Popularization, Authenticity, and the Star System; 16: Reflections on a Life in Music; 17: Balancing Work and Family Life; 3: Other Dimensions; 18: Other Writings; 19: Other Correspondence; 4: Looking Back and Looking Forward; 20: Philosophical Musings and Utopian Visions
