In the Things you know that it never occurred to you others wouldn’t know…thread his name came up a few times. So another way we can divide the world is by whether or not you know who Pete was.
Pete Seegerwas a folk singer and activist. He wrote and co-wrote the well known folk songs “Where Have All the Flowers Gone?”, “If I Had a Hammer (The Hammer Song)”, and “Turn! Turn! Turn!”.
Hint: He’s not Bob “Old Time Rock and Roll” Seger.
I voted Yes, but I’m a 61 year old American guitar player. I think everyone my age in the US who has been paying attention to music all his life knows who Pete was. Kids these days? Not so much.
I know of him, but mostly through covers of his songs by other artists such as Baez and PPM. I’m sure at some point I must have heard a recording of him, but not one I remember. I’ll get my phone to stream him for the drive home today.
I’ve even seen him in concert.
I know who he was, but I didn’t actually listen to him. I only know him from other artists playing cover versions of his songs.
I voted Yes, but I would consider it a highly qualified Yes. To wit, I recognize his name, and know vaguely that he was a folk singer. I could not have named any of his songs before reading the spoilered information, though I do recognize the titles of all three songs, and could even sing “Turn! Turn! Turn!”
So if you count that as knowledge, then I know who he was.
I do know who he was, but (a) I’m 50, and (b) my parents were big-time folkies, so I grew up in an environment where he was at least mentioned (though they preferred Peter Paul & Mary and the Kingston Trio, so they didn’t listen to him much, if at all).
And, I know that his banjo had an awesome statement written on its face.
I’m a Kid This Day, and I most certainly do.
We had some of his records in the house when I was growing up. Along with Woody Guthrie, Hank Williams, Sr. and so on.
Mom was big on the old country and folk singers.
Yes, I remember seeing him on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, and I even picked him in one or two Death Pool threads a few years ago.
My kid has a CD of his kids songs that he used to listen to at bed time.
I met him once, in the late '90s. He seemed like he was starting to go a little senile, but still a pretty cool guy.
Yes…and I have a good photo I took of him backstage at FurtherFest in 1996.
Pete was cool.
Bob sold my wife a Chevy truck.
I’ll never forgive him for that.
I voted no, but I learned the name from this completely forgettable Shawn Mullins song from the late 90s that I’m sure I listened to a thousand times on the radio. I also knew from general pop culture osmosis that he was some sort of influential musician from the 60s, but I couldn’t have told you what sort of music he was known for, whether he was a solo artist or in a band, or the names of any of his songs.
eta: I’m a fucking idiot, just actually listened to that song and it’s most definitely Bob Seger. Been misremembering it for years 
I voted yes, but I’m kind of a geezer, so I would know shit like that. Still, he’s an American icon, so if you’re an American shame on you if you don’t know who he is!! And get off my lawn while you’re at it!!
And don’t confuse him with Woody Guthrie. Note that if you type “Pete S” into wikipedia, he’s the second person to pop up. Sampras is first.
46 years old and I feel like I’ve always known of Pete. Maybe through my father.
One of the best things I think I’ll ever see on tv was Pete singing ALL of the verses of ‘This Land is Your Land’ on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial for the Obama Inagural Celebration.
I remembered that he wrote a bunch of folk songs, but couldn’t specifically remember which ones were his. My first guess would have been “Puff, the Magic Dragon” (wrong).
The thing about a lot of folks songs is that they aren’t necessarily anyone’s. A singer can be credited with resurrecting a folk song or re-inventing it or whatever. Sure, some are written by known artists, but many are just old tunes that have been around “forever”.
