Pete Seeger Research Paper

Every time Johnny Cash would step out in front of a crowd he would greet his millions of followers with the same line: “Hello, I’m Johnny Cash”. He would be greeted with roars, hollers, and cheers whenever he was seen. Cash influenced a generation and blended music genres to bring the country together. Known as The Man in Black, for it was the only color he would wear after 1957 (Streissguth 80). Cash through his more than 50 year career had thirteen number 1 hits (Macnie). Johnny Cash evolved country music and became a quintessential American hero, admired and adored by millions.

The 1960’s was an era of revolution and social change in the United States. Painters, dancers, actors, musicians and many more artists all wanted to portray societies immoral issues through their art. Musicians played a very prominent role in providing society with an outlet on the importance of this change. Within these musicians was a folk rock singer and songwriter by the name of Robert Allen Zimmerman, or as America knows him, Bob Dylan. He is known and honored around the world for his influence on popular music and culture, however, he is much more than that (Wood 313). The beginning of Bob Dylan’s career as a singer and songwriter was marked by his repetitive emphasis on social change throughout his protest songs which include “A Hard Rain’s a-Gonna Fall,” “Masters of War,” and “The Times They Are a-Changin’”; with each song, Dylan exposes many issues that affected, not one, but many lives as he aimed to spread social and political consciousness to society.

Yesterday, Pearl Jam were (rightfully) nominated for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame next year, in their first year of eligibility.

At only 22, he was crowned the voice of a generation. His audiences became mesmerized with his expressive lyrics and soulful harmonica. He changed the way the world looks at songwriting and protest, and inspired countless future musicians from the moment he stepped up on the stage in his railroad hat, denim jacket, and harmonica brace. However, it is clear that there is so much more behind Bob Dylan than just a rough voice and a collection of poetic songs. As one man said about Dylan’s early days in Greenwich Village, “There’s a quality of determination and of will that some people have that when they’re doing something, they’re really doing it and you

Carter landed a job on pianist Ramsey Lewis's BET Jazz show, "Bet on Jazz.” In January

These two articles that I have chosen are, Jimi and Janis. Janis Joplin or Jimi Hendrix?

Many people do not realize what it means to be a musician, much less a famous musician. You need to be smart, talented and charasmatic. Dave grohl has achieved all three of these things. He has completed the goals of many young men, including myself. Dave has been in many successful bands and written and performed multiple hit songs. Dave Grohl Has many admirable attributes but considering my time constraints, I will only touch a few of them.

Imagine yourself standing above thousands of people singing the lyrics of your song back to you. How does it feel? Growing up in the backwoods of Oklahoma, he only had a dream for his reality. Through his hard work and dedication to his music, Garth Brooks, one of the top-selling solo artists and ranked among the biggest stars of his generation, will leave a legacy people only dream to achieve.

Billie Joe Armstrong was born on February 17, 1972 in Oakland, California. His parents are Andrew Armstrong and Ollie Jackson. Billie Joe’s father worked as a jazz musician and truck driver for safety Inc. Sadly though when Billie was around ten, his father died from esophageal cancer. His mother was a waitress at Rod's Hickory pit (restaurant in El Cerrito). Andrew and Ollie Armstrong had six children. Billie was the youngest of six children. Armstrong never went to college and dropped out of High School at Pinole Valley High School after attending John Swett High in Crockett. When Armstrong was five attending Hillcrest Elementary School, his teacher encouraged Armstrong to write and record a song which lead to the first band Armstrong

In a 1979 interview for Frets magazine Pete Seeger expressed the driving force of his music in one word--responsibility (Hood 30). In his view there are no causeless songs; each one has a message. Seeger dedicated his life to challenging the status quo and combating the establishment with his favorite weapon, the banjo. Inscribed on his banjo were the words “This machine surrounds hate and forces it to surrender”.  Pete Seeger became one of the leaders of the folk revival, rousing his audience with his mastery of the banjo (Rosenberg 75). However, his influence extended past the musical scene. He gave a voice to the overlooked, working class and he created a model of musical activism that other groups could emulate.

The type of music that he sang was soul and protest music. His most famous number one hit was the song war.

Buddy Holly is known as “the pioneer of rock and roll.” His career is recognized as one of the most influential parts of the start of early rock. Even though Buddy Holly’s impact on rock music lasted longer than expected. Bands like Weezer, The Grateful Dead and even The Beetles have dedicated songs to Holly’s life and musical influence. Rolling Stone magazine even ranked Holly number 13 on its list of 100 greatest artists of all time.

Woody Guthrie was an American singer-songwriter and musician who is today known as a huge part of traditional Americana music. Huge musicians in their own right, such as Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, John Mellenkamp, Pete Seeger, and many more have acknowledged Guthrie as a major influence in their creative song writing process. Many of his songs are based on his experience during the Great Depression as Guthrie travelled with displaced farmers from the Dust Bowl of Oklahoma searching for a better life in California.

During this period, Pete Seeger began writing books. His greatest publications include The Bells of Rhymney and Other Songs and Stories and American Favorite Ballads, Tunes and Folksongs as Sung by Pete Seeger. In the book “Carry it on! A History in Song and Picture of America’s Working Men and Women, Seeger and Reiser tell a story with songs describing every little aspect to the struggle of workers, specifically what they did in order to make things right. “Farm workers have been treated like livestock, herded into overcrowded dormitories or housed in shacks. In the prosperous 1960’s, the average farm worker made less than $2000 a year” . This example is followed by a song called “Deportee” which is written from the perspective of a farmer. Another book “The Incompleat Folksinger”, explores the many aspects of folklore music and what impacts it has had on Pete. He describes his songs to “tell of

“The Beatles shift towards more introspective songwriting in the 60’s would never have happened without him” [V.Bogdanov, 2002]. Artists such as John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Neil Young, Bruce Springsteen, David Bowie, Patti Smith, Joni Mitchell and Tom Waits all acknowledge the profound impact Dylan had on the industry and themselves as artists. “Bob Dylan, I'll never be Bob Dylan. He's the master. If I'd like to be anyone, it's him. And he's a great writer, true to his music and done what he feels is the right thing to do for years and years and years. He's great. He's the one I look to”. [Neil Young, 2005]. Dylan encapsulated a generations hunger for change, challenged the social and political status quo but interestingly seemingly rejected this status after receiving the ‘Tom Paine Award’ from the National Emergency and Civil Liberties Committee he drunkenly questioned the role of the committee and claimed to see something of himself and everyone in JFK’s alleged assassin Lee Harvey Oswald [Andrew Loog Olham, 2005]. In 1965 The Byrds cover of his song Mr. Tambourine Man helped to propel not only The Byrds to super stardom but established the folk rock genre. [V.Bogdanov, 2002]. His verbal sophistication drew comparison to the romantic poets and much literary criticism artists still strive to attain today. His launch of Theme Time Radio Hour for XM Satellite Radio helped him to establish