Pete Seeger

USA, 1940–2014

American folk singer, banjo player and activist (1919-2014). Through the Almanac Singers and the Weavers, and decades of campaigning, he established the protest song as a standard form.

MusicRoots documents 2 artists who influenced Pete Seeger and 6 artists Pete Seeger influenced in turn. Every connection cites a published source.

Who influenced Pete Seeger?

• Lead Belly — Seeger learned songs and 12-string technique directly from Lead Belly in the New York folk circle of the early 1940s.
• Woody Guthrie — Seeger and Guthrie travelled and sang together in the Almanac Singers — Guthrie was his direct partner and teacher of the road.

Which artists did Pete Seeger influence?

• Bob Dylan — Seeger introduced Dylan to the Greenwich Village folk community and personally championed his early career.
• Joan Baez — Seeger introduced Baez to the world of folk and protest song at the dawn of her career.
• Donovan — Pete Seeger's activist folk tradition was a major reference for Donovan's early work.
• The Byrds — McGuinn came up on a Pete Seeger model long-necked banjo and carried its rolls onto the electric 12-string, bringing the Seeger folk tradition into rock.
• Ani DiFranco — Named among her mentors, and not only as a figure — they later recorded and appeared together. She is the bridge from the Weavers' activism to indie rock.
• Neil Diamond — Seeing Pete Seeger perform at summer camp was Diamond's first inspiration to write his own songs.