Mike Seeger
Encyclopedia
Mike Seeger was an American
folk music
ian and folklorist. He was a distinctive singer and an accomplished musician who played autoharp
, banjo
, fiddle
, dulcimer
, guitar, mouth harp
, mandolin
, dobro
, jaw harp, and pan pipes. Seeger, a half-brother of Pete Seeger
, produced more than 30 documentary recordings, and performed in more than 40 other recordings. He desired to make known the caretakers of culture that inspired and taught him.
and grew up in Maryland and Washington D.C. His father, Charles Louis Seeger Jr., was a composer and pioneering ethnomusicologist, investigating both American folk and non-Western music. His mother, Ruth Crawford Seeger
, was a composer
. His eldest half-brother, Charles Seeger III, was a radio astronomer, and his next older half-brother, John Seeger, taught for years at the Dalton School in Manhattan. His next older half brother is Pete Seeger
. His uncle, Alan Seeger
, a poet, was killed during the First World War. His sister Peggy Seeger
, also a well-known folk performer, was married for many years to British folk singer Ewan MacColl
. His sister, singer Penny Seeger, married John Cohen, a member of Mike's musical group, New Lost City Ramblers
. Seeger was a self-taught musician who began playing stringed instruments at the age of 18.
The family moved to Washington D.C. in 1936 after his father's appointment to the music division of the Resettlement Administration
. While in Washington D.C., Ruth Seeger worked closely with John
and Alan Lomax
at the Archive of American Folk Song at the Library of Congress
to preserve and teach American folk music. Ruth Seeger's arrangements and interpretations of American Traditional folk songs in the 1930s, 40s and 50s are well regarded.
, John Jacob Niles
, and others were frequent guests in the Seeger home.
In 1958 he co-founded the New Lost City Ramblers
, an old-time
string band in New York City
, during the Folk Revival
. The other founding members included John Cohen and Tom Paley
. Paley later left the group and was replaced by Tracy Schwarz. The New Lost City Ramblers directly influenced countless musicians in subsequent years. The Ramblers distinguished themselves by focusing on the traditional playing styles they heard on old 78rpm records of musicians recorded during the 1920s and 1930s. Tracy was also in Mike's other band, Strange Creek Singers. So was Mike's former wife, Alice Gerrard.
Seeger received six Grammy nominations and was the recipient of four grants from the National Endowment for the Arts
. His influence on the folk scene was described by Bob Dylan
in his autobiography, Chronicles: Volume One
.
Eight days before his 76th birthday, Seeger died at his home in Lexington, Virginia
on August 7, 2009, after stopping cancer treatment.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
folk music
Folk music
Folk music is an English term encompassing both traditional folk music and contemporary folk music. The term originated in the 19th century. Traditional folk music has been defined in several ways: as music transmitted by mouth, as music of the lower classes, and as music with unknown composers....
ian and folklorist. He was a distinctive singer and an accomplished musician who played autoharp
Autoharp
The autoharp is a musical string instrument having a series of chord bars attached to dampers, which, when depressed, mute all of the strings other than those that form the desired chord. Despite its name, the autoharp is not a harp at all, but a chorded zither. -History:There is debate over the...
, banjo
Banjo
In the 1830s Sweeney became the first white man to play the banjo on stage. His version of the instrument replaced the gourd with a drum-like sound box and included four full-length strings alongside a short fifth-string. There is no proof, however, that Sweeney invented either innovation. This new...
, fiddle
Fiddle
The term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
, dulcimer
Appalachian dulcimer
The Appalachian dulcimer is a fretted string instrument of the zither family, typically with three or four strings. It is native to the Appalachian region of the United States...
, guitar, mouth harp
Mouth harp
Mouth harp may refer to:* Harmonica* Jew's harp...
, mandolin
Mandolin
A mandolin is a musical instrument in the lute family . It descends from the mandore, a soprano member of the lute family. The mandolin soundboard comes in many shapes—but generally round or teardrop-shaped, sometimes with scrolls or other projections. A mandolin may have f-holes, or a single...
, dobro
Dobro
Dobro is a registered trademark, now owned by Gibson Guitar Corporation and used for a particular design of resonator guitar.The name has a long and involved history, interwoven with that of the resonator guitar...
, jaw harp, and pan pipes. Seeger, a half-brother of Pete Seeger
Pete Seeger
Peter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
, produced more than 30 documentary recordings, and performed in more than 40 other recordings. He desired to make known the caretakers of culture that inspired and taught him.
Family and early life
Seeger was born in New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and grew up in Maryland and Washington D.C. His father, Charles Louis Seeger Jr., was a composer and pioneering ethnomusicologist, investigating both American folk and non-Western music. His mother, Ruth Crawford Seeger
Ruth Crawford Seeger
Ruth Crawford Seeger , born Ruth Porter Crawford, was a modernist composer and an American folk music specialist.-Life:...
, was a composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
. His eldest half-brother, Charles Seeger III, was a radio astronomer, and his next older half-brother, John Seeger, taught for years at the Dalton School in Manhattan. His next older half brother is Pete Seeger
Pete Seeger
Peter "Pete" Seeger is an American folk singer and was an iconic figure in the mid-twentieth century American folk music revival. A fixture on nationwide radio in the 1940s, he also had a string of hit records during the early 1950s as a member of The Weavers, most notably their recording of Lead...
. His uncle, Alan Seeger
Alan Seeger
Alan Seeger was an American poet who fought and died in World War I serving in the French Foreign Legion. A statue to his memory and to...
, a poet, was killed during the First World War. His sister Peggy Seeger
Peggy Seeger
Margaret "Peggy" Seeger is an American folksinger. She is also well known in Britain, where she lived for more than 30 years with her husband, singer and songwriter Ewan MacColl.- The first American period :...
, also a well-known folk performer, was married for many years to British folk singer Ewan MacColl
Ewan MacColl
Ewan MacColl was an English folk singer, songwriter, socialist, actor, poet, playwright, and record producer. He was married to theatre director Joan Littlewood, and later to American folksinger Peggy Seeger. He collaborated with Littlewood in the theatre and with Seeger in folk music...
. His sister, singer Penny Seeger, married John Cohen, a member of Mike's musical group, New Lost City Ramblers
New Lost City Ramblers
The New Lost City Ramblers is a contemporary old-time string band that formed in New York City in 1958 during the Folk Revival. The founding members of the Ramblers, or NLCR, are Mike Seeger, John Cohen, and Tom Paley...
. Seeger was a self-taught musician who began playing stringed instruments at the age of 18.
The family moved to Washington D.C. in 1936 after his father's appointment to the music division of the Resettlement Administration
Resettlement Administration
The Resettlement Administration was a U.S. federal agency that, between April 1935 and December 1936, relocated struggling urban and rural families to communities planned by the federal government....
. While in Washington D.C., Ruth Seeger worked closely with John
John Lomax
John Avery Lomax was an American teacher, a pioneering musicologist and folklorist who did much for the preservation of American folk songs...
and Alan Lomax
Alan Lomax
Alan Lomax was an American folklorist and ethnomusicologist. He was one of the great field collectors of folk music of the 20th century, recording thousands of songs in the United States, Great Britain, Ireland, the Caribbean, Italy, and Spain.In his later career, Lomax advanced his theories of...
at the Archive of American Folk Song at the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
to preserve and teach American folk music. Ruth Seeger's arrangements and interpretations of American Traditional folk songs in the 1930s, 40s and 50s are well regarded.
Musical career
At about the age of 20, Seeger began collecting songs by traditional musicians on a tape recorder. Folk musicians such as Lead Belly, Woody GuthrieWoody Guthrie
Woodrow Wilson "Woody" Guthrie is best known as an American singer-songwriter and folk musician, whose musical legacy includes hundreds of political, traditional and children's songs, ballads and improvised works. He frequently performed with the slogan This Machine Kills Fascists displayed on his...
, John Jacob Niles
John Jacob Niles
John Jacob Niles was an American composer, singer, and collector of traditional ballads. Called the "Dean of American Balladeers", Niles was an important influence on the American folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s, with Joan Baez, Burl Ives, and Peter, Paul and Mary, among others,...
, and others were frequent guests in the Seeger home.
In 1958 he co-founded the New Lost City Ramblers
New Lost City Ramblers
The New Lost City Ramblers is a contemporary old-time string band that formed in New York City in 1958 during the Folk Revival. The founding members of the Ramblers, or NLCR, are Mike Seeger, John Cohen, and Tom Paley...
, an old-time
Old-time music
Old-time music is a genre of North American folk music, with roots in the folk music of many countries, including England, Scotland, Ireland and countries in Africa. It developed along with various North American folk dances, such as square dance, buck dance, and clogging. The genre also...
string band in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, during the Folk Revival
Roots revival
A roots revival is a trend which includes young performers popularizing the traditional musical styles of their ancestors. Often, roots revivals include an addition of newly-composed songs with socially and politically aware lyrics, as well as a general modernization of the folk sound.After an...
. The other founding members included John Cohen and Tom Paley
Tom Paley
Tom Paley is an American guitarist, banjo and fiddle player. He is best known for his work with the New Lost City Ramblers in the 1950s and 1960s.-Biography:Paley was born and raised in New York City, United States...
. Paley later left the group and was replaced by Tracy Schwarz. The New Lost City Ramblers directly influenced countless musicians in subsequent years. The Ramblers distinguished themselves by focusing on the traditional playing styles they heard on old 78rpm records of musicians recorded during the 1920s and 1930s. Tracy was also in Mike's other band, Strange Creek Singers. So was Mike's former wife, Alice Gerrard.
Seeger received six Grammy nominations and was the recipient of four grants from the National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
. His influence on the folk scene was described by Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan
Bob Dylan is an American singer-songwriter, musician, poet, film director and painter. He has been a major and profoundly influential figure in popular music and culture for five decades. Much of his most celebrated work dates from the 1960s when he was an informal chronicler and a seemingly...
in his autobiography, Chronicles: Volume One
Chronicles: Volume One
Chronicles, Volume One is the first part of Bob Dylan's planned 3-volume memoir. Published on October 5, 2004, by Simon & Schuster, the 304-page volume covers selected points from Dylan's long career. The book spent 19 weeks on the New York Times best-seller list for hardcover nonfiction books...
.
Eight days before his 76th birthday, Seeger died at his home in Lexington, Virginia
Lexington, Virginia
Lexington is an independent city within the confines of Rockbridge County in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The population was 7,042 in 2010. Lexington is about 55 minutes east of the West Virginia border and is about 50 miles north of Roanoke, Virginia. It was first settled in 1777.It is home to...
on August 7, 2009, after stopping cancer treatment.
Discography
- Old Time Country Music (Smithsonian Folkways) (1962)
- Mike Seeger (Vanguard) (1964)
- Tipple, Loom & Rail (Smithsonian Folkways) (1965)
- Mike and Peggy Seeger (Argo) (1966)
- Strange Creek Singers (Arhoolie) (1968)
- Music From True Vine (Mercury) (1972)
- The Second Annual Farewell Reunion (Mercury) (1973)
- American Folk Songs for Children (Rounder) (1977)
- Alice Gerrard and Mike Seeger (Greenhays) (1980)
- Fresh Oldtime String Band (Rounder) (1988)
- American Folk Songs for Christmas (Rounder) (1989)
- Solo: Old Time Music (Rounder) (1991)
- Animal Folk Songs for Children (Rounder) (1992)
- Third Annual Farewell Reunion (Rounder) (1994)
- Way Down in North Carolina (w/ Paul Brown) (Rounder) (1996)
- Southern Banjo Sounds (Smithsonian Folkways) (1998)
- RetrograssRetrograssRetrograss is a bluegrass album by David Grisman, John Hartford and Mike Seeger. It was released on the Acoustic Disc record label in 1999. Retrograss received a Grammy nomination in the Traditional Folk Album category in 2000.-Track listing:...
(Acoustic DiscAcoustic DiscAcoustic Disc is the name of the record label founded by mandolinist David Grisman, in 1990. This independent record label's focus is acoustic music from all genres of music....
) (19991999 in music-Events:*January 7**After eight years of marriage, Rod Stewart and supermodel wife Rachel Hunter announce their separation.**Paul McCartney attends the first of his stepdaughter Heather's first housewares collection in Georgia....
) - True Vine (Smithsonian Folkways) (2003)
- Early Southern Guitar Sounds (Smithsonian Folkways) (2007)
- Robert PlantRobert PlantRobert Anthony Plant, CBE is an English singer and songwriter best known as the vocalist and lyricist of the iconic rock band Led Zeppelin. He has also had a successful solo career...
and Alison KraussAlison KraussAlison Maria Krauss is an American bluegrass-country singer, songwriter and fiddler. She entered the music industry at an early age, winning local contests by the age of ten and recording for the first time at fourteen. She signed with Rounder Records in 1985 and released her first solo album in...
- Raising SandRaising SandRaising Sand is a collaboration album by rock singer Robert Plant and bluegrass-country singer Alison Krauss. It was released on October 23, 2007 by Rounder Records...
(Rounder) (2007) - Ry CooderRy CooderRyland Peter "Ry" Cooder is an American guitarist, singer and composer. He is known for his slide guitar work, his interest in roots music from the United States, and, more recently, his collaborations with traditional musicians from many countries.His solo work has been eclectic, encompassing...
- My Name Is BuddyMy Name Is BuddyMy Name Is Buddy: Another Record by Ry Cooder is a social-political concept album by Ry Cooder. Cooder has described it as the second in a trilogy that began with Chávez Ravine and concluded with . The album is packaged in a small booklet that includes a brief story and drawing to accompany each...
(Nonesuch) (2007) - Talking Feet (Book) Compiled with dancer Ruth Pershing (Consignment) (2007)
- Talking Feet (DVD) (Smithsonian Folkways) (2007)
- Bowling Green (w/ Alice Gerrard) (5-String Productions) (2008) (Re-release of Greenhays released in 1980)
- Fly Down Little Bird (Appalseed) (2011)
Recordings with the New Lost City Ramblers
- New Lost City Ramblers (Smithsonian Folkways) (1958)
- Old Timey Songs for Children (Smithsonian Folkways) (1959)
- Songs for the Depression (Smithsonian Folkways) (1959)
- New Lost City Ramblers - Vol. 2 (Smithsonian Folkways) (1960)
- New Lost City Ramblers - Vol. 3 (Smithsonian Folkways) (1961)
- New Lost City Ramblers (Smithsonian Folkways) (1961)
- New Lost City Ramblers - Vol. 4 (Smithsonian Folkways) (1962)
- American Moonshine and Prohibition Songs (Smithsonian Folkways) (1962)
- New Lost City Ramblers - Vol. 5 (Smithsonian Folkways) (1963)
- Gone to the Country (Smithsonian Folkways) (1963)
- String Band Instrumentals (Smithsonian Folkways) (1964)
- Rural Delivery No. 1 (Smithsonian Folkways) (1964)
- Modern Times (Smithsonian Folkways) (1968)
- New Lost City Ramblers with Cousin Emmy (Smithsonian Folkways) (1968)
- Remembrance of Things to Come (Smithsonian Folkways) (1973)
- On the Great Divide (Smithsonian Folkways) (1975)
- Earth is Earth (Smithsonian Folkways) (1978)
- Tom Paley, John Cohen, Mike Seeger Sing Songs of the New Lost City Ramblers (Smithsonian Folkways) (1978)
- 20th Anniversary Concert, with Elizabeth Cotten, Highwoods String Band, Pete Seeger & the Green Grass Cloggers (FLYING FISH (Rounder)) (1978)
- The Early Years, 1958-1962 (Smithsonian Folkways) (1991)
- Out Standing in their Field: The New Lost City Ramblers, Vol 2, 1963-1973 (Smithsonian Folkways) (1993)
- There Ain't No Way Out (Smithsonian Folkways) (1997)
- 40 Years of Concert Recordings (Rounder) (2001)
- 50 Years: Where Do You Come From? Where Do You Go? (Smithsonian Folkways) (2008)
Selected Films featuring Mike Seeger
- "Homemade American Music"(1980) by Yasha Aginsky
- "Always Been a Rambler" (2009) by Yasha Aginsky
External links
- Mike Seeger – “Last Known Interview” countrymusicpride.com posted 9-18-2008
- "Mike Seeger Dead At 75"
- Report of Mike Seeger's death
- Mike Seeger in Hospice July 2009
- Mike Seeger Folk Revivalist and Historian Featured artist biographical essay on Smithsonian Global Sound site, 2007. Retrieved August, 2009.
- How Can I Keep From Singing?: A Seeger Family Tribute, Library of CongressLibrary of CongressThe Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
, American Folklife CenterAmerican Folklife CenterThe American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC was created by Congress in 1976 "to preserve and present American Folklife" . The center includes the Archive of Folk Culture, established at the Library in 1928 as a repository for American folk music...
, March 2007 symposium and concert. All events are available as webcasts via the site. Retrieved August 25, 2009. - 2007 Video released by Smithsonian July 2009 - Mike Seeger discusses & plays "Walking Boss"
- Official site
- Internet radio interview with Mike Seeger, he discusses Elizabeth Cotten, Dock Boggs, Henry Thomas, Alan Lomax, the current state of folk music and plays gourd banjo and jaw harp live on air
- new (2009) documentary film about the New Lost City Ramblers, with Mike Seeger, John Cohen, Tracy Schwarz and others
- Mike Seeger - Daily Telegraph obituary
- UK online memorial
- Homemade American Music (1980) - a documentary film by Yasha Aginsky with Mike Seeger and Alice Gerrard, Tommy Jarrell, Roscoe Holcomb, Lily May Ledford, Elizabeth Cotten, and more