Mount Holyoke professor of history Dan Czitrom is available to comment on the importance and legacy of Pete Seeger.
Contact him directly at 413 335-1949. He is free this morning from about 9:30 to 12:30, then later in the afternoon, after 3, or this evening.
In addition to Seeger's well known "pivotal role in the folk music revival and the lifelong commitment to political activism (racial equality, labor rights, peace activism, environmentalism)," Czitrom believes more attention should be paid to Pete as a pioneer in what is today called world music.
And he says "we also tend to forget what a force he was in popular music, and in breaking down the artificial boundaries between folk and pop. Think of all the songs he wrote and/or popularized that crossed over: Turn, Turn, Turn; If I Had A Hammer; Wimoweh; Guantanamera; Sloop John B; This Land Is Your Land; Michael Row Your Boat Ashore, and on and on. You can go to any public school, summer camp, or youth program anywhere in the US and you will hear kids singing these songs."
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