Peter Seeger (born May 3, 1919 in New York City), almost universally known as "Pete Seeger", is a folk singer and political activist. He was a major contributor to folk and pioneer of protest music in the 1950s and the 1960s. He is perhaps best known as the author or co-author of the songs "Where Have All the Flowers Gone", "If I Had a Hammer", and "Turn, Turn, Turn", which have been recorded by many artists both in and outside the folk revival movement and which are still sung all over the world. "Flowers" was a hit recording for The Kingston Trio ( 1962), Marlene Dietrich, who recorded it in English, German and French (1962), and Johnny Rivers ( 1965). " If I Had a Hammer" was a hit for Peter, Paul & Mary ( 1962) and Trini Lopez ( 1963), while The Byrds popularized " Turn, Turn, Turn," in the mid-1960's.
His father Charles Seeger was a musicologist and an early investigator of non-Western music. His siblings Mike Seeger and Peggy Seeger also had notable musical careers. Half-brother Mike Seeger went on to form the New Lost City Ramblers. Pete Seeger attended Avon Old Farms in Connecticut and then Harvard University until he left in the mid-1930's during his sophomore year. In 1943 he married Toshi-Aline Ohta, whom he credits with being the support that made the rest of his life possible. Pete and Toshi have three children, Danny, Meka and Tinya.
"Arlo, folk songs are serious." —Pete Seeger to Arlo Guthrie
In late 1930s and early 1940s—after Seeger dropped out of Harvard, where he had been studying journalism—he met and was influenced by many important musicians such as Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly. He met Woody at a " Grapes of Wrath" migrant workers concert and the two thereafter began a musical collaboration.
