# Do you know who Pete Seeger was? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 11, 2015, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-pete-seeger-was/737312 "2015-11-11T18:55:52Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 6:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-pete-seeger-was/737312/1 "2015-11-11T18:55:52Z")
In the [Things you know that it never occurred to you others wouldn’t know…](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=774272)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 Seeger](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pete_Seeger#Early_activism)was 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](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bob_Seger). ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-pete-seeger-was/737312/2 "2015-11-11T19:01:43Z")
[Bruce Springsteen did some excellent covers of his songs](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1AuE-LoRe4). ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-pete-seeger-was/737312/3 "2015-11-11T19:03:53Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Pixel\_Dent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/bc8723/32.png) [@Pixel\_Dent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pixel_Dent)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-pete-seeger-was/737312/4 "2015-11-11T19:04:34Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-pete-seeger-was/737312/5 "2015-11-11T19:05:53Z")
I’ve even seen him in concert. ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-pete-seeger-was/737312/6 "2015-11-11T19:15:29Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![MrAtoz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@MrAtoz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrAtoz)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-pete-seeger-was/737312/7 "2015-11-11T19:17:55Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-pete-seeger-was/737312/8 "2015-11-11T19:18:32Z")
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](http://irregulartimes.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/thismachinesurroundshateseegerbanjo.jpg) written on its face. ---
**Author:** ![Octarine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/22d042/32.png) [@Octarine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Octarine)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-pete-seeger-was/737312/9 "2015-11-11T19:18:39Z")
I’m a Kid This Day, and I most certainly do. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-pete-seeger-was/737312/10 "2015-11-11T19:20:28Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Sternvogel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bc79bd/32.png) [@Sternvogel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sternvogel)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-pete-seeger-was/737312/11 "2015-11-11T19:22:27Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-pete-seeger-was/737312/12 "2015-11-11T19:29:50Z")
My kid has a CD of his kids songs that he used to listen to at bed time. ---
**Author:** ![WF\_Tomba](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/d9b06d/32.png) [@WF\_Tomba](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WF_Tomba)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-pete-seeger-was/737312/13 "2015-11-11T19:46:07Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![ThisSpaceForRent](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thisspaceforrent/32/345_2.png) [@ThisSpaceForRent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThisSpaceForRent)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-pete-seeger-was/737312/14 "2015-11-11T19:50:39Z")
Yes…and I have a good photo I took of him backstage at FurtherFest in 1996. ---
**Author:** ![Dallas\_Jones](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dallas_jones/32/3277_2.png) [@Dallas\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dallas_Jones)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-pete-seeger-was/737312/15 "2015-11-11T19:51:39Z")
Pete was cool. Bob sold my wife a Chevy truck. I’ll never forgive him for that. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-pete-seeger-was/737312/16 "2015-11-11T19:57:35Z")
I voted no, but I learned the name from this completely forgettable [Shawn Mullins song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hG9C0VwruXE) 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 ☹ ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-pete-seeger-was/737312/17 "2015-11-11T20:09:42Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![Pork\_Rind](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pork_rind/32/111_2.png) [@Pork\_Rind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pork_Rind)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-pete-seeger-was/737312/18 "2015-11-11T20:10:42Z")
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. > [@The Boss](#): > > And I asked him how do you want to approach “This Land Is Your Land?” It would be near the end of the show and all he said was, “Well, I know I want to sing all the verses, I want to sing all the ones that Woody wrote. Especially the two that get left out: about private property and the relief office.” And I thought, of course, that’s what Pete’s done his whole life. He sings all the verses all the time, especially the ones that we’d like to leave out of our history as a people. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-pete-seeger-was/737312/19 "2015-11-11T20:12:52Z")
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). ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [November 11, 2015, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-pete-seeger-was/737312/20 "2015-11-11T20:19:56Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > 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”. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-know-who-pete-seeger-was/737312.md?page=2)