Iconic Folk Singer and Activist Pete Seeger dies aged 94
Folk music legend was a huge influence on Dylan and Springsteen
Influential American folk singer and political activist Pete Seeger has died at the age of 94.
Seeger was closely involved in the civil rights movements in the 60s and acted as a mentor to Bob Dylan. He received a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1993 and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame back in 1996.
He wrote or co-wrote political anthems 'If I Had a Hammer,' 'Turn, Turn, Turn' (made famous by The Byrds in the 1960s), 'Where Have All the Flowers Gone' and 'Kisses Sweeter Than Wine' and was a huge chart star in the 1950s.
Many in the music community have paid tribute to the US folk musician online today. Rage Against the Machine and Audioslave guitarist Tom Morello posted this:
Seeger was a huge influence on many musicians throughout his life, most notably Bob Dylan and Bruce Springsteen.
The Boss was so enamoured of Seeger’s work that he recorded a whole album of folk songs, made popular by Seeger, in 2006 entitled We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions.
When Seeger's 90th birthday was celebrated, Bruce Springsteen hailed him as "a living archive of America’s music and conscience, a testament of the power of song and culture to nudge history along.” Here’s a video of Springsteen playing Seeger’s We Shall Overcome live:
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