The Power of Song (The Pete Seeger Story)
66
The Power of Song
The documentary, "The Power of Song," tells the story of the long and sometimes rocky road traveled by a remarkable American, Pete Seeger. For the pre-boomer generation it will bring back memories of the anti-communist hysteria that followed World War II, the depredations of Senator Joe McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee, the blacklisting of some of our most talented artists, screenwriters and directors, the quagmire of Vietnam and the growth in popularity of American folk music. For younger people, the documentary tells a story which contains important messages about contemporary issues including the Iraq war and global warming.
Pete Seeger never deviated from his beliefs about world peace, social justice, racial equality, labor rights, environmental conservation, and concern for the less fortunate among us. Although he was pilloried for his support of some of these causes and his brief membership in the U.S. Communist Party, harrassed by HUAC, Joe McCarthy and the FBI and banned for a decade from television, Seeger never wavered from his refusal to testify about his political beliefs and was ultimately vindicated when his conviction for refusal to answer questions on his political beliefs and activities put to him by the House Un-American Activities Committee was over-turned in the courts. Later he was honored by President Bill Clinton in the White House for his lifetime of accomplishments and by Republican Governor Pataki of New York for his successful efforts to clean up the Hudson River.
Throughout his life, Seeger used folk songs as a way of promoting the causes in which he believed. He is considered the father of American folk music. His motto was "Think globally. Act locally."
Pete Seeger on the Deck of the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater
Bring 'em Home!
Where Have All the Flowers Gone, written and performed by Pete Seeger
Guantanamera
Pete Seeger Wikipedia Entry
PrintShare it! — Rate it: up down flag this hub
Comments
Thanks for the comment.
i am looking for copy of take it from dr. king by pete . i believe it was in singout #49/2 featuring pete on cover , but back issues are not available . also would like lyrics and chords for the dove !!! thanx ..... dillon
oooops !!! my email is : dillonroche@netscape.net
I have been an admirer of Pete Seeger and everything he has stood for since he first arrived on the scene many years ago. (I'm 81 myself) I know that he has been wanting to be an honoree at the John F. Kennedy award show for some time and I believe that he is way overdue for an invitation to become acclaimed--moreso than a number of entertainers who have been asked to participate. I think that you folks should start a campaign for him to receive this award. You might address George Stevens, Jr., co-producer of the Performing Arts award by writing him at 2700 F St. NW, Washington, DC 20566. Unfortunately, I don't have a Web addres to provide, but SOMETHING needs to be done before we lose him. Nobody lives forever and he has done more to promote righteousness than anyone I know.
Thanks for your comment and suggestion, Dr. Gifford. I completely agree, and I will write a letter and post it here in the comments on this page.
Here are the previous winners:
Recipients of Kennedy Center Honors
The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., created its Honors awards in 1978 to recognize the lifetime achievements of selected American performing artists.
1978
Marian Anderson, Fred Astaire, Richard Rodgers, Arthur Rubinstein, George Balanchine
1979
Ella Fitzgerald, Henry Fonda, Martha Graham, Tennessee Williams, Aaron Copland
1980
James Cagney, Leonard Bernstein, Agnes de Mille, Lynn Fontanne, Leontyne Price
1981
Count Basie, Cary Grant, Helen Hayes, Jerome Robbins, Rudolf Serkin
1982
George Abbott, Lillian Gish, Benny Goodman, Gene Kelly, Eugene Ormandy
1983
Katherine Dunham, Elia Kazan, James Stewart, Virgil Thomson, Frank Sinatra
1984
Lena Horne, Danny Kaye, Gian Carlo Menotti, Arthur Miller, Isaac Stern
1985
Merce Cunningham, Irene Dunne, Bob Hope, Alan Jay Lerner, Frederick Loewe, Beverly Sills
1986
Lucille Ball, Ray Charles, Yehudi Menuhin, Antony Tudor, Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy
1987
Perry Como, Bette Davis, Sammy Davis, Jr., Nathan Milstein, Alwin Nikolais
1988
Alvin Ailey, George Burns, Myrna Loy, Alexander Schneider, Roger L. Stevens
1989
Harry Belafonte, Claudette Colbert, Alexandra Danilova, Mary Martin, William Schuman
1990
Dizzy Gillespie, Katharine Hepburn, Risë Stevens, Jule Styne, Billy Wilder
1991
Roy Acuff, Betty Comden and Adolph Green, the brothers Fayard and Harold Nicholas, Gregory Peck, Robert Shaw
1992
Lionel Hampton, Paul Newman, Joanne Woodward, Ginger Rogers, Mstislav Rostropovich, Paul Taylor
1993
Johnny Carson, Arthur Mitchell, Georg Solti, Stephen Sondheim, Marion Williams
1994
Kirk Douglas, Aretha Franklin, Morton Gould, Harold Prince, Pete Seeger
1995
Jacques d'Amboise, Marilyn Horne, B. B. King, Sidney Poitier, Neil Simon
1996
Edward Albee, Benny Carter, Johnny Cash, Jack Lemmon, Maria Tallchief
1997
Lauren Bacall, Bob Dylan, Charlton Heston, Jessye Norman, Edward Villella
1998
Bill Cosby, John Kander and Fred Ebb, Willie Nelson, André Previn, Shirley Temple Black
1999
Victor Borge, Sean Connery, Judith Jamison, Jason Robards, Stevie Wonder
2000
Mikhail Baryshnikov, Plácido Domingo, Angela Lansbury, Chuck Berry, Clint Eastwood
2001
Julie Andrews, Van Cliburn, Quincy Jones, Jack Nicholson, Luciano Pavarotti
2002
James Earl Jones, James Levine, Chita Rivera, Paul Simon, Elizabeth Taylor
2003
James Brown, Carol Burnett, Loretta Lynn, Mike Nichols, Itzhak Perlman
2004
Warren Beatty, Ossie Davis, Ruby Dee, Elton John, Joan Sutherland, John Williams
2005
Tony Bennett, Suzanne Farrell, Julie Harris, Robert Redford, Tina Turner
2006
Zubin Mehta, Dolly Parton, William “Smokey” Robinson, Steven Spielberg, Andrew Lloyd Webber
2007
Steve Martin, Diana Ross, Leon Fleisher, Martin Scorsese, Brian Wilson
2008
Morgan Freeman, George Jones, Barbra Streisand, Twyla Tharp, Pete Townshend and Roger Daltrey
October 17, 2009
Mr. George Stevens, Jr.
Co-Producer, Performing Arts Awards
2700 F Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20566
Dear Mr. Stephens:
The time is overdue for honoring a courageous and talented American performer, Pete Seeger, with a Kennedy Center Performing Arts Award. Pete Seeger has what may be the longest career exemplifying the finest American values—peace, human rights, conservation. He has followed his own maxim for more than 70 years--“Think globally and act locally.”
Thank you for considering my thoughts on the Performing Arts Awards for this year.
Sincerely,
Ralph Deeds
Enclosure: “The Power of Song: The Pete Seeger Story”
I received this reply to my letter above from George Stephens, Jr.'s assistant Ms. McCarthy--
"Mr. Deeds--Thank you for your letter. Pete Seeger was a K.C. Honoree in 1994."
Paraglider says:
2 years ago
Yes - his was one of the great contributions to a more enlightened society. Thanks for the reminder!