Born May 3, 1919. Seeger was one of the most influentialÂ singer/songwriters of the last century. He was a driving force of the folk-revival movement in the 1950s and a huge influence and mentor to a generation of younger folk-singers, among them a young Bob Dylan.Â But his work and music went beyond simply making music.Â WilliamÂ Ruhlmann says that, “From the start, he aspired to use folk music to promote his left-wing political views, and in times of national turmoil that brought him into direct confrontation with the U.S. government, corporate interests, and people who did not share his beliefs.”
Seeger continued his fight for his beliefs and views through his music his entire life, still finding time to make appearances and play the songs he turned into anthems like “We Shall Overcome,” “This Land is Your Land,” “Where Have All the Flowers Gone,” “Turn! Turn! Turn! (To Everything There Is a Season)” and “If I Had a Hammer (The Hammer Song).”Â Through those songs and his unfliching spirit, Seeger’s legacy will live on forever as one of the most important musical icons of the last century.