"To Everything There is a Season": Pete Seeger and the Power of Song (New Narratives in American History) (Hardcover)

~ (Author)
Key Phrases: union maid, union songs, People's Songs, New York, Big Muddy (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Winkler's book is obviously a labor of love.... The book is carefully written by a scholar who identifies with Seeger and his causes.... Winkler's fine book should introduce readers to Seeger and encourage further exploration of Dunaway's scholarship. But of greater significance is the encouragement that Winkler gives his readers to listen and sing along with Seeger's music. Bonus benefits with the Winkler book include a preface by folksinger Tom Paxton and a compact disc of ten Seeger tunes."--History News Network
"Allan Winkler...has written the best brief biography of Seeger in print."--PopMatters
"Winkler pays welcome attention to how Toshi Seeger made possible her husband's life as protester and artist -- a fact that can escape Pete.... Winkler's includes a CD of 10 songs, the indispensable way, after all, of apprehending why Seeger's music sounds the chords of our national life."--The Plain Dealer
"A remarkable testament to Seeger and his contributions to American music and culture, this informative, well-documented, yet conversational book will appeal to anyone with an interest in folk music.... Many meaningful photographs complement the text, and a wonderful CD compilation completes the package. Essential."--A.C. Shahriari, CHOICE

Product Description

***Complimentary CD of 10 of Pete Seeger's greatest hits included***

Folk music has long played a vital role in supporting reform movements in the United States. Radical activists, seeking to counter a variety of abuses in mid-to-late 20th century America, often used music to express their hopes, aims, and goals. In "To Everything There Is a Season": Pete Seeger and the Power of Song, Allan Winkler describes how folk singer Pete Seeger applied his musical talents to improve conditions for less fortunate people everywhere. This book uses Seeger's long life and wonderful songs to reflect on the important role folk music played in various protest movements and to answer such fundamental questions as: What was the source of Seeger's appeal? How did he capture the attention and affection of people around the world? And why is song such a powerful medium?

For over half of a century, Pete Seeger's life and music cut across the major issues of the day. A tireless supporter of union organization in the 1930s and 1940s, he joined the Communist Party, performing his songs with banjo and guitar accompaniment to promote worker solidarity. He sang out against American involvement in World War II in the early 1940s, only to change his tune after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. He enlisted in the Army and, still singing, served overseas in the South Pacific. In the 1950s, he found himself under attack during the Red Scare for his radical past. He narrowly escaped a long jail term for refusing to cooperate with the House Committee on Un-American Activities, when his contempt conviction was thrown out on a technicality. In the 1960s, he became the minstrel of the civil rights movement, focusing its energy with songs that inspired protestors and challenged the nation's patterns of racial discrimination. Toward the end of the decade, he turned his musical talents to resisting the war in Vietnam, and again drew fire from those who attacked his dissent as treason. Finally, in the 1970s, he lent his voice to the growing environmental movement by leading the drive to clean up the Hudson River, which flowed almost literally through his backyard in New York State. His life reflected the turbulence of his times as his songs sounded the spirit of the issues that he felt mattered most.

A sample of Seeger's music accompanies this book. Songs include "If I Had a Hammer," with its call to confront injustice; "Where Have all the Flowers Gone?" and its lyrical appeal to stop the cycle of war; and "We Shall Overcome," the standard hymn of the struggle for freedom. Richly researched and crisply written, Allan Winkler provides a gripping account of the power of Pete Seeger's songs in promoting a better world for us all.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; Har/Com edition (May 21, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195324811
• ISBN-13: 978-0195324815
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #70,751 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars The Power of Pete Seeger and his banjo., October 23, 2009

By	wogan "the book reader" (Severna Park, MD United States) - See all my reviews

There is no questioning that Pete Seeger is an icon in the music world. He is a folk legend but also an inductee in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - quite a stretch for some people to imagine; but what else could you expect from a man whose music has moved to action civil rights activists and union organizers.
This book describes Pete Seeger's life, mainly from his college years to about 2006. There are wonderful forwards by the editors and Tom Paxton, which will give you an idea of the depth of Seeger, if you have no idea who he is (but how could you not know his music?). Pictures from the collection of Pete and Toshi are integrated throughout the book.
There is much mention of how blue blooded Seeger is, but this is really never gone into in any depth to satisfy my curiosity..
His meeting and collaborations with Woody Guthrie and Guthrie's influence on Seeger is explained; but Pete's private life, his marriage with Toshi and some of his heartbreaks are also described. The period of his life and the effect of the years of the Red Scare are well delved into. The much told story of Dylan and Pete at the Newport Folk Festival is made clear and the birth of the Clearwater Movement for the Hudson is included.
It is interesting to learn how Pete wrote `Where Have All the Flowers Gone' from a Ukrainian folk song and how `We Shall Overcome' was developed. He truly is the beloved father of the American folk movement, even starting David Guard of the Kingston Trio on his way with the Seeger book ` How to Play a Banjo'.
As for the included CD, it is nice to have this 36 minute - 10 songs of Pete in his best voice. It contains his best known pieces.
Turn, turn, Turn/ Talking Union/ If I Had a Hammer/ Where Have All the Flowers Gone/ We shall Overcome/ Waist Deep in the big Muddy/ Sailing down My Golden River/ Abiyoyo/ Winoweh/ My Get up and Go.
The book and CD are truly essential for anyone interested in music of America.

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent introduction to Pete Seeger, May 26, 2009

By	Ronald Cohen "[e-mail]" (Gary, Indiana) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Winkler has given us a stimulating biography of Pete Seeger. While shorter than David Dunaway's pathbreaking biography, it captures much of the essence of Seeger's music and politics, from a most positive perspective. Recommended for all folk music fans!